History of Basketball: History of Basketball in the world

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Introduction: The History of Basketball

The history of basketball is well known and documented, and its origins are very precise (the inventor himself wrote an account, published after his death). Even the date of the first basketball game in history is known.

The Origin of Basketball

Who created basketball

Basketball was created by James Naismith, the son of two Scottish immigrants to Canada, who taught physical education at the YMCA in Springfield, USA.

Where, when and how Basketball came about

Basketball emerged in Springfield in the United States in 1891, where James Naismith taught Physical Education. The Director of Physical Education, Dr. Luther Gulick, asked James Naismith to create a new game that students could play indoors during the winter, to keep the athletes active, and that was safe, i.e. with little physical contact to avoid injuries.

The inspiration for the creation of Basketball

James Naismith had two weeks to devise the new sport, inspired by a game he had played as a child, “Duck on a Rock”, where a duck was placed on a rock or tree and the players had to throw stones at it to try and knock it off.

The History of the Basketball Ball and Basket

Instead of using a stone, James Naismith decided to use a soccer ball. The aim of the game would be to hit the soccer ball into a peach basket, which would be nailed to the wall.

Both the choice of a soccer ball (instead of stones) and placing the peach basket high up were designed to prevent injuries.

“Curiosity of Basketball History

The peach baskets used in the first basketball games were not hollowed out, so whenever someone hit the ball into the basket, the game would stop and someone would grab a ladder and pull the ball out of the basket. Two years later, in 1893, an iron hoop and a net were used, but the net was not hollowed out and the ball remained stuck in the basket every time someone hit it.”

Dribbling was forbidden at the origins of basketball

In the early days of basketball, dribbling (bouncing the ball) was not allowed, the ball was just passed between the players, whoever had the ball had to remain still. This rule was also intended to prevent contact, clashes between players and injuries.

The First Basketball Match in History

The first game in basketball history took place on December 21, 1891. Each team played with 9 players and the match was played in two 15-minute halves. The final score was 1-0, the only point of the game being scored by William R. Chase.

Infographic: 13 Original Basketball Rules

Click on the image below and see an infographic with the 13 original rules of basketball written by James Naismith in 1891.

James Naismith’s account of the first basketball game in history

“When Mr. Stubbins brought the peach baskets into the gym, I took them and set them up 10 feet off the ground. One on each side of the court. I posted the 13 rules on the bulletin board, held up a soccer ball and waited for the class to arrive. They weren’t very excited, but they followed my instructions. I put the ball into play and tried to stick to the rules. Most of the fouls were for running with the ball. That was the start of the first basketball game.”

Curiosities related to the History of Basketball

Another difference between the first game of Basketball and the current game is that after a successful basket, the ball was taken back to the center of the court for the game to be restarted with the ball in the air.
James Naismith didn’t believe that there was anything to coaching and that it was better to let the players play. He even tried to convince one of his former players, the famous coach Forrest “Phog” Allen. When Allen told Naismith he was going to coach, Naismith told him, “You can’t coach basketball; you just play.” Forrest Allen went on to prove Naismith wrong, becoming one of the great coaches in basketball history.
The name James Naismith is in the Basketball Hall of Fame: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. It is located in Springfield, MA, USA, the city where basketball was invented.
James Naismith died in 1939 of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Basketball history at the Olympic Games

In 1904, basketball took part in the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport.
In 1936, basketball was officially an Olympic sport at the Berlin Games.
James Naismith was taken to Berlin, threw the ball at the start of the first Olympic basketball game and took part in the medal ceremony.
Naismith died just three years after seeing basketball at the Olympic Games.

Millionaire Rules

The document on which James Naismith wrote the original 13 rules of basketball was sold in 2010 for 4.3 million dollars.

Naismith could never have imagined that 119 years later, that piece of paper on which he wrote would be worth so much money.