Annual Showcases of Top High School Players + Teams
Irving, TX – Panini America, the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company, and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame have entered into a multi-year agreement for Panini to serve as the title sponsor of the Hoophall Classic, Hoophall Invitational, and Hoophall West high school showcases.
Entering its 24th year, the Panini Hoophall Classic will take place January 15th-19th, 2026, at Springfield College’s Blake Arena in Springfield, Mass., and feature more than 50 of the nation’s top boys and girls teams from across the country competing over five days. The 2026 Panini Hoophall Invitational is scheduled for January 17 and 18 across seven local Springfield high schools and colleges and will feature 76 teams participating. The 2026 Panini Hoophall West is scheduled for January 1st-3rd, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona, and includes more than 20 participating teams.
Panini, which is a long-time partner of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, will have full integration across the Panini Hoophall Classic, Panini Hoophall Invitational, and Panini Hoophall West, including on court and as part of the in-game broadcast. Panini will also create and implement activations on multiple levels, as well as content development.
All games from the Panini Hoophall Classic, Panini Hoophall Invitational and Panini Hoophall West will be televised or distributed digitally across multiple platforms. The full broadcast schedule of games will be announced at a later date.
“Expanding our partnership of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to become the title sponsor of the Panini Hoophall Classic, Panini Hoophall Invitational, and Panini Hoophall West is a natural extension of our relationship and the ever evolving NIL space,” said Jason Howarth, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Athlete Relations for Panini America. “We look forward to helping to grow these already excellent events.”
Hoophall Classic has produced 12 of the last 15 No. 1 overall picks, including 11 straight from 2011-21. Since 2004, 120+ Hoophall Classic participants have gone on to play in the NBA, including Kevin Durant (2006), James Harden (2007), Kyrie Irving (2010), Anthony Davis (2011), Karl-Anthony Towns (2014), Jaylen Brown (2015), Jamal Murray (2015), Bam Adebayo (2016), Jayson Tatum (2016), Zion Williamson (2018), Cade Cunningham (2020), Jared McCain (2023), and Cooper Flagg (2024). For a complete list of alumni, please visit hoophall.com/events/spalding-hoophall-classic/alumni/.
“We are proud to expand our long-standing partnership with Panini as the title sponsor of Hoophall Classic, West, and Invitational,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “Panini’s continued commitment to high school athletes and the growth of the game makes them an ideal partner as we work together to celebrate basketball’s history and showcase its future stars.”
About Panini America
Panini America is a subsidiary of The Panini Group, established over 60 years ago in Modena, Italy with subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States. Panini is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles and is the most significant publisher of collectibles in the U.S., with official licenses for NFL, NFLPA, NASCAR, FIFA, LIV Golf, the Professional Fighters League, College, Disney, and other key properties from many other licensors. Panini is also the exclusive trading card and sticker partner of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Elite 11 and Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.
Panini has distribution channels in more than 150 countries and employs a staff of over 1,200. For more information visit us at www.paniniamerica.net, www.paninigroup.com or
http://blog.paniniamerica.net/. You can also follow Panini America on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 150 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallclassic.
