History of Basketball

What is Basketball?
Basketball is a team
sport played by two teams of
five players on a
rectangular court. The
objective is
to shoot a ball through a
hoop 18 inches (46 cm) in
diameter and mounted at a
height of 10 feet (3.048 m)
to backboards at each end
of the court.
 The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith,
who would be the first basketball coach of the Kansas
Jayhawks, one of the most successful programs in the
game's history.

James Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28,

1939) was a Canadian-American physical educator,
physician, chaplain, sports coach and innovator.
 13 Original Rules
1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the
fist.)
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which
he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at
a good speed if he tries to stop.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be
used for holding
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an
opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any player shall
count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or, if
there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game, no
substitute allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of Rules 3, 4, and such as
described in Rule 5.

7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the
opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the mean time making a
foul.

8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into
the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or
disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the
basket, it shall count as a goal.

9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the
person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into
the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer, it shall go to
the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul
on that side.
10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and
notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall
have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.

11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is
in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He
shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals
with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.

12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with five minutes’ rest
between.
Comment: Game formats including length and the number of periods
played along with halftime periods vary according to level.

13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the
winner. In case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be
continued until another goal is made.
 The First Ball

The very first ball that was

used was a soccer ball until
1840 when an actual
“basketball” was invented. The
basketball was slightly
smaller, about thirty inches in
diameter
 The Basket
The first baskets that were
used were two peach baskets
that were hung from the
balcony of the gym

By 1906, the peach baskets

were replaced by metal
baskets with holes in the
bottom.

In 1913, a hoop with a net was

invented so the basketball
could fall freely to the ground.
 Backboard
In 1893, due to the overzealous
spectators interfering with the
basketball, the backboard was
invented. The first backboard was
constructed out of wire mesh, and
then wood and now it is made out of
glass so the backboard does not
interfere with the viewing of the
game
 The First Basketball Game
On December 21, 1891, James Naismith published rules for a new game using five basic ideas and thirteen
rules. That day, he asked his class to play a match in the Armory Street court: 9 versus 9, using a soccer ball and
two peach baskets. Frank Mahan, one of his students, wasn’t so happy. He just said: "Harrumph. Another new
game". However, Naismith was the inventor of the new game. Someone proposed to call it "Naismith Game", but
he suggested "We have a ball and a basket: why don’t we call it basketball?“ The eighteen players were John G.
Thompson, Eugene S. Libby, Edwin P. Ruggles, William R. Chase, T. Duncan Patton, Frank Mahan, Finlay G.
MacDonald, William H. Davis and Lyman Archibald, who defeated George Weller, Wilbert Carey, Ernest Hildner,
Raymond Kaighn, Genzabaro Ishikawa, Benjamin S. French, Franklin Barnes, George Day and Henry Gelan 1–
0. The goal was scored by Chase. There were other differences between Naismith’s first idea and the game
played today. The peach baskets were closed, and balls had to be retrieved manually, until a small hole was put
in the bottom of the peach basket to poke the ball out using a stick. Only in 1906 were metal hoops, nets and
backboards introduced. Moreover, earlier the soccer ball was replaced by a Spalding ball, similar to the one used
today.
 Professional leagues, teams, and
organizations
The first professional league was founded in 1898. Six teams took part in the National Basketball League, and
the first champions were the Trenton Nationals, followed by the New York Wanderers, the Bristol Pile Drivers and
the Camden Electrics. The league was abandoned in 1904. Then, many small championships were organized, but
most of them were not as important as some teams who played for money against challengers.
The Original Celtics, for instance, are considered the "fathers of basketball" and were presented as "World’s
Basketball Champions"; the players had to sign a contract to play with them, and Jim Furey organized matches as
a circus, moving daily from town to town. The Celtics became the strongest team, and their successes lasted from
1922 until 1928, when the team disbanded due to ownership problems. The Original Celtics are sometimes
incorrectly thought of as forebears of the current Boston Celtics of the NBA; in reality, they share only a name, as
today's Celtics were not founded until 1946, nearly two decades after the demise of the Original Celtics. In 1922,
the first all-African American professional team was founded: the Rens (also known as New York Renaissance or
Harlem Renaissance). The Rens were the Original Celtics’ usual opponent, and for their matches a ticket cost $1.
They took part in some official championships and won the first World Professional Basketball Tournament in
1939. The team disbanded in 1949.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Eastern Basket Ball League (founded in 1909), Metropolitan Basketball League
(founded in 1921) and American Basketball League (founded in 1925) were the most important leagues.
 First International Games

After its arrival in Europe, basketball developed very quickly. In 1909 the first international match was held
in Saint Petersburg: Mayak Saint Petersburg beat a YMCA American team. The first great European event
was held in 1919 in Joinville-le-Pont, near Paris, during the Inter-Allied Games. United States, led by future
Hall of Fame player Max Friedman, won against Italy and France, and then Italy beat France. Basketball
soon became popular among French and Italians. The Italian team had a white shirt with the House of
Savoy shield and the players were: Arrigo and Marco Muggiani, Baccarini, Giuseppe Sessa, Palestra,
Pecollo and Bagnoli.
 NBA
The Basketball league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of
America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1949 after merging
with the rival National Basketball League (NBL). As of the early 21st century, the NBA is the most significant
professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association (ABA) was founded as an alternative to the NBA in 1967 at a time when the
NBA was experiencing a lot of popularity. The ABA offered an alternative ethos and game style as well as some
changes in the rules. Julius Erving was the leading player in the league, and helped launch a modern style of play
that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim. His playing strength helped legitimize the American Basketball
Association. The league emphasized excitement and liveliness, be it in the color of the ball (red, white and blue),
the manner of play, wild promotions, or the three-point shot. National recognition and earnings were low, leading
the league to look for a way out of its problems. Merger with the more established and very successful NBA was
seen as a solution. The ABA was folded into the NBA in the summer of 1976, its four most successful franchises
(the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs) being incorporated into the older
league. The aggressive, loose style of play and the three-point shot were taken up by the NBA.
 Formation of FIBA
World basketball was growing, but it was on June 18, 1932 that a real international organization was formed,
to coordinate tournaments and teams: that day, Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal,
Romania and Switzerland founded the International Basketball Federation (Fédération internationale de
basketball amateur, FIBA) in Geneva.[25] Its work was fundamental for the first inclusion of basketball in
the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. The first Olympic title was won by the U.S. national team: Sam
Balter, Ralph Bishop, Joe Fortenberry, Tex Gibbons, Francis Johnson, Carl Knowles, Frank Lubin, Art
Mollner, Donald Piper, Jack Ragland, Willard Schmidt, Carl Shy, Duane Swanson, Bill Wheatley and the
trainer James Needles. Canada was runner-up; the games were played on an outdoor clay court. The
first World Championship was held in Argentina in 1950.
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