In english

BASKETBALL MUSEUM – Wellcome to Exhibition! 
 
Welcome to Finnish Basketball Museum! This museum has been founded to preserve and promote Finnish basketball culture and tradition. You can also try to win the NBA championship in NBA virtual video game or test Your shooting skills with Double-shoot game.

Our main goals are:
- Collect and save basketball tradition and material
- Spread information about basketball and inspire new players
- Create and strengthen basketball culture in Finland

Probably 12 000 visitors is going to visit in the Basketballmuseum during this year. You are one of them and we wish you most kindly welcome to our exhibitions!
Location: City of Kotka. Main-exhibition is located in Shopping Centre Pasaati (address: Keskuskatu 10).
Open tuesday-friday 11-17, saturday 10-16. Free entrance.

Basketball History:

Modern basketball was invented in 1891 by James A. Naismith in the United States. Local YMCA spread this new sport far and wide and eventually it arrived in Finland. Basketball made its international breakthrough in 1936 when it was first introduced as an Olympic sport.

First official basketball hoops in Finland were built by Veikko Ervola in 1937. Official rules were first brought to Finland by Nils Fabricius in 1938. Finnish Basketball Association (SKL) was founded a year later.

In the year 2009 SKL celebrated its 70th anniversary. Today basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has 213 member countries and over 450 million players.

Fun Trivia: Did you know that first basketball baskets were actually peach baskets and after each score the ball had to be fetched with a ladder?

Basketball in Kotka

Kotka has been known as basketball region since the sport arrived in Finland. In the beginning many sport teams took basketball into their activities. Such teams were for example Kotkan Pojat, VesiVeikot and Kori-Tytöt. At first basketball was played in varying conditions but local teams have competed on national level from early on. KTP is the most successful team in Kotka-region. For example KTP was the first team out of Helsinki which won Finnish championship in 1958.

Years of success (Finnish national team)

Finland made its debut on international basketball courts in 1939. Since then both men and women teams from Finland have mainly competed on European level. Men’s national team has participated in European championship tournament twelve times. Women’s team has competed in European championship tournament five times. However, a Finn has been crowned as a European Cup’s basket queen twice, Hilkka Hakola was the first in 1956 and the second was Lea Hakala in 1981 who is also probably the most famous Finnish woman basketball player.

The major milestones for men’s national team have been Olympic games in Helsinki in 1952 and in Tokyo 1964. In Helsinki Finland hosted the games but in Tokyo the team made it through the qualification. European Championships played in Helsinki and Tampere in 1967, Finland was 6th. National team hasn’t participated in World’s Championships but Nordic tournaments have been essential to it since the 1960’s.

Temporary exhibitions

Exhibition introduces historical teams, players, coaches and referees by photos, films and literature. Content changes in every three-four months.