The History of Basketball

During the winter of 1892 in a town in Massachusetts a physical education teacher, Dr. James Naismith, at a YMCA school created a game where young men could play indoors aside from going outside in the freezing cold. To be prepared for the game, Dr. Naismith came up with some rules for the game, gathered two peach baskets for hoops, a soccer ball, and coached the first basketball game in history.

“According anywhere from Australia to the United States and everywhere in between the game of basketball is played.” (Faurschou, “History of basketball”). The game is played anywhere where you can get a ball and something to throw the ball through. “G.L Pierce patented basketball on June 25, 1929.” (Bellis, “Basketball-James Naismith”). Basketball became an official Olympic sport in the 1936 game.

The first professional league was founded in 1898. There were only six teams that were in the National Basketball league at the time.

The National Basketball Association, or NBA has grown up over the last few decades. Once on the verge of collapse, and unwanted by television, the NBA has rebounded to become quite possibly the most popular league in the nation. It was through television that the league finally established itself as a worthy opponent to Major League Baseball and the National Football League. The NBA got its first television exposure during the 1953-54 season on the long-since folded DuMont network. At that time, baseball was still the national pastime, and pro football was beginning to take the spotlight as the favorite sport. Even college basketball was

We can all agree that basketball is almost becoming popular around the world. So many people play this sport but do people know how basketball started and how it evolute throughout the years since basketball was borned? So like every other sports and creations, there has to be a inventor and in basketball there was a man by the name of Dr. James Naismith. “Created in 1891 in a Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA gymnasium has grown into a game played worldwide by more than 300 million people”(historybits.com). So this game has been out for a very long period of time with many changing of the rules in basketball throughout the history. When it was first played in the late 1800s, there were different rules and even different looking basketball. As for the rules, originally there would be 10 people on the court but it first started with 18 people on the court which after couple of years it changed to only 10 people. Substitution was also different and the rule for this was at first no one can enter until the next game. “The rule was changed in 1920 to allow a player to re-enter the game one time. In 1934, the rule was expanded to allow players to re-enter the game twice, and, in 1945 the rule was finally changed to permit players to return to the game an unlimited number of times”(hooptactics.com). The first basketball looked very alike a football but round. The backboards were made out of straight wood and the baskets were made out of peach baskets or square boxes. There was only

December 21, 1891- The birth of basketball. It has been changed from simply shooting a soccer ball into a peach basket to dunking a seven pound, leather ball into an iron rim. In the early years of the game, basketball was not as popular as other sports. In the 1985 NBA draft all this would change with the emergence of a 6'6" basketball phenomenon from Wilmington, North Carolina. Although going third in the draft, he recreated the game and is known as the best player to ever touch a basketball; he is Michael Jordan.

Basketball was originally about throwing a large ball into a peach basket hung up on the wall, making that the biggest variation of the game since its conception in 1891.

When people think of basketball, they think of elite male players such as Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and Stephen Curry. Those people rarely think of talented female players such as Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, Elena Delle Donne, and Brittney Griner. Since the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) first opened in 1996, the interest in professional sports for women has increased. The creation of the WNBA has opened up a world of opportunities for women who want to pursue their dream of playing professional basketball in the US. The WNBA has overcome impossible odds to become successful, and has empowered women to strive and turn their dreams into a reality.

Basketball started in 1891. It has now grown into one of the most popular sports in history. Basketball was invented in December 1891 by Canadian James W. Naismith. An instructor at the YMCA Training School in Massachusetts, he sought a suitable indoor game to keep his students fit and warm during the cold New England winters. With wire mesh backboards. He formulated 13 rules, most of which still apply today. In 1893, the first women’s game was played at the Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA. And soon to spread all over the world.

Dr. James Naismith created basketball in December 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. At the time, the sport was intended to condition young athletes during cold, late fall and winter months. It consisted of baskets or hoops and a soccer style ball. He instituted 13 rules for this wonderful game. A couple of older rules that aren’t used in today’s game are: #7 “If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the opponents,” or #9 “when the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it.” As you can see, Dr. Naismith’s game has changed a lot over time.

Basketball has been played all around the world and there are many different rules and regulations when playing this sport. Basketball has many different levels of experience. There is a level at the fifth and sixth grade level, the seventh and eighth grade level, the junior varsity level, the varsity level in high school, the college level, and the professional level or National Basketball Association (NBA). Basketball was invented in 1892 by a Canadian doctor named James Naismith. He started with having simple rules so all the players were able to get used to playing the sport very easily. Basketball has changed over the years and it will continue to change in the future. For all the different levels of basketball, there are different rules and judgments on how the game should be played. Basketball has many different ways to play effectively. It is a very competitive sport and as a player it is his/her job to figure out which is the best way to beat the opponent on both sides of the ball.

Have you ever wondered how basketball was created? Have you ever questioned how basketball has evolved into becoming one of the most popular sports in the world? Basketball evolved from a simple sport played in one gym to now being more complex and played in gyms all over the world. It was Dr. James Naismith who first created the basics of basketball. When he first made the game, no one could have imagined the games success and spread throughout the entire world.

Throughout the years, basketball has evolved into a thrilling sport enjoyed by millions worldwide. In 1891 Dr. James Naismith invented a physical activity that would eventually develop into the billion-dollar industry it is today. Basketball started out on the streets of cities like New York and Chicago. As the sport became more popular, entrepreneurs saw it as a business opportunity and created the National Basketball Association on July 6, 1946. In its early days, towering players like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell dominated professional basketball. Centers were the focal point of basketball between 1946 and 1966. These players would bully shorter opponents with sheer height. Coaches often made players pass the ball to the center most of the game. This was a very common style of basketball in the early days.

He got to thinking and started combining ideas from other games to make the game of what it is known today as basketball. Naismith invented this game in 1891 (Faurschou).

The start of basketball began in the early 1890s. Brian Faurschou acknowledges that "Well before James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891, the peoples of Mesoamerica had a very similar game where the point was to get a ball through a hoop." Ancient Mexican people such as the Aztecs and the Mayans had very similar games to basketball, but instead of a ball they used their conquered foes skulls. He also implies that "The first basketball type game may have been played by the early Olmec people of Ancient Mexico as early as 500 years ago" (Faurschou).