Who invented the game of basketball?

2020 NBA Finals - Game Six
2020 NBA Finals - Game Six

The game of basketball has evolved over the years, and the NBA has played a huge role in its popularity. From Wilt Chamberlain dominating the scene in the 60s to LeBron James' modern-day brilliance, the sport has come a long way. in this article, we trace the history and origin of basketball.

Which year was Basketball invented?

Fans Celebrate In Los Angeles After LA Lakers Wins 2020 NBA Finals
Fans Celebrate In Los Angeles After LA Lakers Wins 2020 NBA Finals

Basketball was invented on December 1, 1891. The sport came into existence after American athletes demanded an indoor game that offered fewer injuries than classic American gridiron football. The game of basketball grew rapidly, with college teams forming leagues within the first decade of the game’s invention. By 1900, most major colleges were fielding a basketball team. In 1905, formal collegiate rules were introduced for basketball and in 1909, the NCAA would take over the game for good.

Where was Basketball invented?

2020 NBA Finals - Game Six
2020 NBA Finals - Game Six

Basketball was invented in Springfield, Massachusetts at the International Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Training School (now Springfield College). Basketball was then introduced to the rest of the world thanks to efforts by the US Army and the YMCA. In 1893, the first international basketball match was organized. Members of the YMCA then took the game to countries such as India, Japan, Persia, and China, which helped the game earn international recognition.

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Who invented the game of Basketball?

The game of basketball was invented by James Naismith. In 1891, he was a 31-year-old graduate student at the YMCA when he came up with a 9-on-9 game that involved shooting a ball into a basket. Naismith was given the responsibility of coming up with a game that was easy to assimilate, yet complex enough to be interesting and could be playable indoors.

As a result of this assignment, the game all of us love so much was born. The inventor was immortalized when the governing set of rules were named after him - James Naismith's Original 13 Rules of Basketball.

Here are some interesting facts about the game of Basketball which you might not know

- For the first game of basketball in 1891, Naismith two half-bushel peach baskets as 'goals', which gave the sport its name.

- An important and popular basketball move, the slam dunk, was banned just before the 1967-1968 season. The ban lasted until the 1976-1977 season.

- In the early days of the sport, referees used to wear watches to keep time, and the 24-second shot clock wasn’t instituted until 1954.

- Shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping and striking an opponent was not officially considered as a foul until 1910.

- In the initial days, the number of players per side was never specified. For a while, the total number of players was a default 18, nine per side. This was the same number of players that showed up for the very first game.

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