Basketball is a team sport, in which two teams consisting of five players compete against each other on the playing court. The point guard initiates the attack, bypassing or ‘dribbling’ the ball to teammates. Team-mates try to score points during an opponent’s foul, by making shots or 3pts (3 pointers) respectively 2pts (2 pointers). If one of them misses, they rebound and can pass it back to their player. If both teams have made the same number of field goals when all game minutes have passed, there is a jump ball between two players that are standing at midcourt. The winner gets possession of the ball. A made basket counts as two points but this eventually became three in 1965.
Despite the sport’s global popularity in the USA, it was invented by a Canadian whose name is James Naismith he was born in Almonte Ontario Canada on 6th November 1861 and died of pneumonia on 28th November 1939. He invented basketball in 1891 when he felt unenthusiastic about football. The first game of basketball took place at the YMCA International Training school which is now called Springfield College he combined aspects from various sports including soccer, track, and field, baseball, American football to invent the game. He published 13 rules for the new sport; most importantly that players could not run with the ball they must pass it or dribble it; that there would be no tackling or tripping once play began; that there would be no running or “charging” with the arms, and that play was to continue until someone on either team scored.
So it is clear how basketball was invented by Naismith in 1891 but what about the name itself? It has been a widely popular belief that Naismith took inspiration from outdoor game children played called Basketball which involved using a sewn-shut ice cream pail as a basket attached to long sticks while trying to toss small balls into it. However, despite this myth being widely accepted by historians today, it is not true, instead of after months of research, an article released earlier this year discovered that James Naismith just wanted to give the game’s predecessor its own unique name hence he chose to name it after the main piece of equipment that was involved with the game.
“Basketball” was first played as a women-only sport, because it required no special equipment; even an upended peach basket hanging on a metal gym frame would serve as makeshift hoops. It gained popularity fast and in 1896 became the first game ever played at the Olympics, although only male athletes took part. The U.S national team men’s first games were held at the 1936 Summer Olympics, but it wasn’t until 1952 when America hosted the Games that they finally won their first international tournament against Spain.
The NBA (National Basketball Association) began in New York City in 1946 with 12 teams competing for four championships. All players had to be amateurs, but salaries were allowed along with recruiting players. Professional basketball leagues began in the 1930s and continued through World War II until they were replaced by the NBA when many of their players were called up to fight. The league expanded rapidly during the 1950s, with the addition of new teams, most notably in 1954 when four more joined bringing the total to 12. However, this growth brought about problems including corruption and match-fixing.
