canadian basketball hall of fame

For the first time, the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Atlantic Canada.

More specifically, in partnership with St. Stephen’s World’s Oldest Basketball Court, the ceremony will mark only the second time that the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame has ever been hosted outside of Ontario. It was previously hosted in Vancouver in 2007.

The ceremony will kick off the World’s Oldest Basketball Court’s Archie weekend, which will run from Aug. 20-22, 2026.

For Tom Liston, Chair of Fundraising for the World’s Oldest Basketball Court, he says the team is thrilled to host the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.

“It was natural for us to host it this year. It was actually [the Hall of Fame’s] idea, and I was super happy to hear the news because that amplifies what we’re doing and gives us tremendous validation,” said Liston.

“That the Hall of Fame ceremony would come to St. Stephen, to New Brunswick, because of the world’s oldest basketball court and all the efforts of all of our volunteers, it’s a big nod to all the hard work we’ve done to get to this point.”

Liston learned of the news in early February from Michael Bartlett, Canada Basketball CEO, who, Liston says, heard some very positive things.

“The Canada Basketball board of directors, some of those people have already come to St. Stephen, they were ex-Olympians that played for Team Canada and then went on to the board of directors,” said Liston.

“A lot of people have heard about our golf tournament and what we’re doing with the youth in the community and the impact we’re making, so that started the ball rolling on, ‘hey, why don’t we help amplify what they’re already doing? They already have a very enthusiastic crowd that comes every summer to St. Stephen.'”

Liston says the recognition raises awareness and supports the team at the World’s Oldest Basketball Court in its efforts.

The ceremony will kick off the 5th annual Archie Weekend, a fundraising event that supports the revitalization of the World’s Oldest Basketball Court. The weekend will include a celebrity golf tournament at St. Andrews’ Algonquin Golf Course, an evening of local food and live entertainment, guided tours of the World’s Oldest Basketball Court, a youth clinic, and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament led by former Canadian Basketball national team members and surprise guests.

The weekend is named ‘Archie’ after Lyman Walker Archibald (1868-1947), who brought the game of basketball to the region.

Originally from Truro, Nova Scotia, Archibald was a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. Archibald agreed to attend the International YMCA Training School, now known as Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he would meet Naismith and play alongside him on the first basketball team.

When Archibald graduated from Springfield in 1893, he brought the game to St. Stephen, New Brunswick, where he became General Secretary at the St. Stephen YMCA, where the oldest basketball court in the world lay.

Liston says the event has granted them the fortune of having some of Canada’s best basketball players of all time descend on St. Stephen.

“They’re out there teaching our children. We have the winningest coach in Canadian history out there teaching basketball moves and concepts to the youth of not only St. Stephen but from all of New Brunswick. This year it will be even better. You’ll have someone inducted on a Thursday, and then on Saturday, they’re helping coach your kids. What could be better than that?”

To learn more about the World’s Oldest Basketball Court, please visit their website.

To learn more about Lyman Archibald, click here.