| Basketball is one of the most famous, played and viewed sports in the world. For those who are less aware of what basketball is, it is a game played on a court by two teams (of five active players each) who try to throw an inflated ball through a 10 feet high hoop. Even though most people know what basketball is, they do not have an understanding as to the history of basketball, which is detailed in this article.
Basketball was invented (or created) by the Canadian-American clergyman, physician and educator Dr. James Naismith (born in 1961) on a request by Dr. Luther Gulick, his superior. It is said that Dr. Naismith was inspired and influenced by a game played during his school days, which involved knocking a stone off an object by attempting to throw another stone at it. This is the base for the origination of basketball and its evolution ever since.
The sport of basketball was created (or founded) as a solution for the problem of finding a sport that could be played indoors during the winter season, where outdoor games were impossible due to the heavy winter weathers in Massachusetts. Not only was it a stipulation at that time, but the sport also needed to be one that required a certain level of skill and ability.
The game was first developed by way of making use of two wooden peach baskets and a soccer ball. The two peach baskets affixed to the walls were the goals. The game was also influenced by other sports such as hockey and football.
Basketball was initially played by (two) teams, which consisted of nine players each, but then later came down to 5 per side, which came to be the standard by 1987. The fast nature of the sport made it more and more interesting and soon came to be popular among both men and women. It spread throughout the US and Canada very rapidly and was further accepted and popularized by the US servicemen in World War II.
The sport was adopted by many US colleges during the years of 1893 – 1895 and the first college basketball game was played at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. This attracted a lot of attention by the public and it came to be a major college sport by the mid 1950s.
The National League established in 1898 was the first pro basketball league formed to protect the players from exploitation and it also helped promote a less rough, friendly game. One of the greatest and first pro teams was the Original Celtics from New York. The renowned team, Harlem Globetrotters was founded during the same period (in 1927) and is known as one of the greatest and most entertaining basketball teams.
The sport has grown ever since, and is now played by many teams around the world and is also viewed by millions of people annually. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been one of the most famous sports organizations in the world since its inception in the 1980s, partly because of the marketability of a number of star players such as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’neal, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. |
