Enshrinement festivities beginning in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Basketball fans are gathering downtown in advance of one of the sport’s biggest nights: the 2012 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement.

This year, members of the media from Indiana are descending on Springfield as longtime Indiana Pacers shooting guard Reggie Miller is among the Class of 2012. Miller was introduced and saluted with the other inductees at a news conference at the Basketball Hall of Fame on Thursday Afternoon.

The Class of 2012 includes: Don Barksdale, Mel Daniels, Phil Knight, Katrina McClain, Don Nelson, Hank Nichols, Ralph Sampson, Lidia Alexeeva, Chet Walker, Jamaal Wilkes, and the All American Red Heads.

The Enshrinement ceremony will be Friday night at Springfield Symphony Hall.

Reggie Miller told 22News that he's still tinkering with his acceptance speech.

• Photos: Reggie Miller's career through the years

"I'm going to take a page from Bill Clinton: I'm going to work on it all the way up until the end, because there has to be changes a little bit because you have to be in the moment," Miller said.

A complete calendar of Enshrinement events can be found on the Hall of Fame website at www.hoophall.com