The Boeheims’ Basket Ball later this month turns 25. It might be their last

Syracuse, N.Y. – When Jim and Juli Boeheim gather at the Turning Stone Resort Casino for their annual Basket Ball on April 27, the date will be significant.

It will be their 25th year holding the gala.

It might also be their last.

The Boeheims said the annual affair that’s raised millions of dollars for local charities might have reached its end date.

“Pretty much. We feel like 25 incredible years is a lot to get,” Juli Boeheim said by phone. “But it’s so hard for me to verbally say it matter-of-factly and walk away from a half-a-million dollars net. We walk away from this and we have to cut back on our giving.

“We give probably $750,000 out a year. And then some more, if it’s an emergency for someone. So that would be affected completely. So that is something to think about.”

This year, Mike Tirico will emcee the event and former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will join Jim Boeheim on stage for part of it.

Proceeds from the gala funnel into the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, which has been particularly interested in funding cancer research and children’s causes, but which also donates to various non-profit organizations in our community.

The Boeheims, Juli said, are “trying to reinvent” other avenues of revenue. They are tagging on a poker tournament the night before the gala at Turning Stone. They hope to grow their annual golf tournament.

But nothing, Juli said, will come close to drawing the dollars the gala brings each spring.

“And this year we’re thinking we can hit the million-dollar mark with a paddle raise,” she said. “We’re already soliciting people to give to that in a high number.”

A “paddle raise,” for the uninitiated, happens at the end of an auction, when patrons raise paddles in silent assent to various dollar figures.

The Basket Ball paddle raise will start at $100,000 and descend to maybe $1,000 as the night wears on.

“Jim is working on the back end to get people to give $100,000 and we’ve had a few yesses,” Juli said. “This gala could be 2-for-1. The goal has always been to raise a million and I’m very hopeful that we just might do it.”

Reaching the million-dollar mark will not determine whether the Boeheims continue to host a Basket Ball, Juli Boeheim said. She will seek feedback from gala guests to determine whether to proceed to 2025. But when the Boeheims consider their 25-year milestone, they are inclined to call this their last hurrah.

“We’ve had incredible partners for 25 years,” Juli Boeheim said. “People attending for 25 years. It’s just overwhelming that this has happened for so long. We just never dreamed it.”

The gala will feature auction items that include artwork from Chris Murray, who wants to paint a mural of Jim Boeheim and Syracuse basketball players at a downtown location. Separately, fans can bid on another piece of collage art that captures images and words from Jim Boeheim Day at the JMA Wireless Dome. Or, they can bid on a signed Buddy Boeheim jersey.

Those interested in attending the Basket Ball can visit theball.boeheimfoundation.org for ticket information.

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