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How did basketball change over the years
Here's the history of basketball—from peach baskets in Springfield to global phenomenon
James Naismith, a Canadian American physical educator and innovator, invented the game of basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891 to keep his students active during the winter. The game was an immediate success and the original American sport spread instantly to other colleges and YMCAs. Naismith is pictured here with his wife Maude Evelyn Sherman Naismith.
Photograph via Agefotostock / Alamy Stock Photo
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The nets used by athletes to dunk the ball and score points in the beloved game of basketball evolved from peaches, or rather the baskets used to collect peaches.
That’s what a young athletic director ultimately used on a cold day back in 1891 for a new game he created to keep his students engaged.
James Naismith was a 31-year old graduate student teaching physical education at the International YMCA Training School, now known as Springfield College, in Springfield, Massachusetts when students were forced to stay indoors for days due to a New England storm. The usual winter athletic activities were marching, calisthenics, and apparatus work but they weren’t nearly as thrilling as football or lacrosse which were played during the warmer seasons.
James Naismith, the creator of basketball, stands with the 1899 University of Kansas basketball team.
Photography via Florida Historical 1A / Alamy Stock Photo
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Naismith wanted to create a game that would be simple to understand but complex enough to be interesting. The game had to be playable indoors, and it had to accommodate several players at once. The game also needed to provide plenty of exercise for the students, yet without the physicality of football, soccer, or rugby since those would threaten more severe injuries if played in a confined space. (See 100 years of football in pictures.)
Naismith approached the school janitor, hoping he could find two square boxes to use for goals. When the janitor came back from his search, he had two peach baskets instead. Naismith nailed the peach baskets to the lower rail of the gymnasium balcony, one on each side. The height of that lower balcony rail happened to be 10 feet. The students would play on teams to try to get the ball into their team’s basket. A person was stationed at each end of the balcony to retrieve the ball from the basket and put it back into play.
The first game ever played between students was a complete brawl.
Two boys stand on the first basketball court in the gymnasium of the School for Christian Workers, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1900s.
Photograph via. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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“The boys began tackling, kicking and punching in the crunches, they ended up in a free for all in the middle of the gym floor before I could pull them apart,” Naismith said during a January 1939 radio program on WOR in New York City called We the People, his only known recording. “One boy was knocked out. Several of them had black eyes and one had a dislocated shoulder.” Naismith said. “After that first match, I was afraid they'd kill each other, but they kept nagging me to let them play again so I made up some more rules.”
The humble beginnings of the only professional sport to originate in the United States laid the foundation for today’s multi-billion-dollar business. The current National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness college basketball tournament includes the best 68 of more than 1,000 college teams, stadiums that seat tens of thousands of spectators and lucrative television contracts.
Details of the original 1891 copy of the rules of "Basket Ball" are presented at Sotheby's auction house December 3, 2010 in New York City. The two-page document sold for $4.3 million.
Photograph by Chris Hondros, Getty Images
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Original rules of the game
Naismith didn’t create all of the rules at once, but continued to modify them into what are now known as the original 13 rules. Some are still part of the modern game today. Naismith’s original rules of the game sold at auction in 2010 for $4.3 million.
In the original rules: The ball could be thrown in any direction with one or both hands, never a fist. A player could not run with the ball but had to throw it from the spot where it was caught. Players were not allowed to push, trip or strike their opponents. The first infringement was considered a foul. A second foul would disqualify a player until the next goal was made. But if there was evidence that a player intended to injure an opponent, the player would be disqualified for the whole game.
Umpires served as judges for the game, made note of fouls and had the power to disqualify players. They decided when the ball was in bounds, to which side it belonged, and managed the time. Umpires decided when a goal had been made and kept track of the goals.
If a team made three consecutive fouls, the opposing team would be allowed a goal.
A goal was made when the ball was thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stayed there. If the ball rested on the edges, and the opponent moved the basket, it would count as a goal. When the ball went out of bounds, it was thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. The person throwing the ball was allowed five seconds; if he held it longer, the ball would go to the opponent. In case of a dispute, an umpire would throw the ball straight into the field. If any side persisted in delaying the game, the umpire would call a foul on that side.
The length of a game was two 15-minute halves, with five minutes' rest between. The team making the most goals within the allotted time was declared the winner. If a game was tied, it could be continued until another goal was made.
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Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Left: University of Kansas women's basketball team members Marcella Morewitz, left, and Grace Endicott get expert coaching from Dr. James Naismith, a member of the university's faculty and inventor of basketball, in 1926.
Photograph by George Rinhart, Corbis/Getty Images
Right: Olivia Nelson-Ododa (#20) of the University of Connecticut Huskies goes up for a basket against Digna Strautmane (#45) of the Syracuse Orange during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on March 23, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. UCONN won the game and advanced to the Sweet 16. The Huskies have won more NCAA championships than any other women's basketball team in the nation. They cut down the nets, an honor for the winning team, in 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.
Photograph by Carmen Mandato, Getty Images
First public games
The first public game of basketball was played in a YMCA gymnasium and was recorded by the Springfield Republican on March 12th, 1892. The instructors played against the students. Around 200 spectators attended to discover this new sport they had never heard of or seen before. In the story published by the Republican, the teachers were credited with “agility” but the student’s “science” is what led them to defeat the teachers 5-1.
Within weeks the sport’s popularity grew rapidly. Students attending other schools introduced the game at their own YMCAs. The original rules were printed in a college magazine, which was mailed to YMCAs across the country. With the colleges’ well-represented international student body the sport also was introduced to many foreign nations. High schools began to introduce the new game, and by 1905, basketball was officially recognized as a permanent winter sport.
The first intercollegiate basketball game between two schools is disputed, according to the NCAA. In 1893, two school newspaper articles were published chronicling separate recordings of collegiate basketball games facing an opposing college team.
In 1892, less than a year after Naismith created the sport, Smith College gymnastics instructor Senda Berenson, introduced the game to women’s athletics. The first recorded intercollegiate game between women took place between Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley in 1896.
With the sport’s growth in popularity, it gained notice from the International Olympic Committee and was introduced at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis as a demonstration event. It wasn’t until 1936 that basketball was recognized as a medal event. Women’s basketball wasn’t included as an Olympic medal event until the 1976 Montreal games. (Wheelchair basketball in Cambodia changed these women's lives.)
Jim Baechtold (10) of the New York Knickerbockers and Bob Brannum (18) of the Boston Celtics try to get a rebound in the first quarter of a March 16, 1954 NBA playoff game at the Boston Garden. Others in the picture are Celtics Chuck Cooper (11) center, and Bob Cousy (14) left. In 1950, Cooper was the first Black basketball player drafted by an NBA team.
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As the sport continued its rapid spread, professional leagues began to form across the United States. Basketball fans cheered on their new hometown teams. The first professional league was the National Basketball League (NBL) formed in 1898, comprised of six teams in the northeast. The league only lasted about five years. After it dissolved in 1904, the league would be reintroduced 33 years later in 1937 with an entirely new support system, with Goodyear, Firestone, and General Electric corporations as the league owners, and 13 teams.
While professional sports leagues gained nationwide attention, college basketball was also a major fixture. The first NCAA tournament, which included eight teams, was held in 1939 at Northwestern University. The first collegiate basketball national champion was the University of Oregon. The team defeated Ohio State University.
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Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Left: Villagers watch a basketball game at Yangping Village in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, China on July 12, 2020.
Photograph by Shi Yunping, VCG / Getty Images
Right: Oklahoma City Thunder player Steven Adams (12) rebounds in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 21, 2019.
Photograph by Greg Nelson, Sports Illustrated / Getty Images
Like most of the United States in the early to mid 1900s, basketball was segregated. The sport wouldn’t be integrated until 1950 when Chuck Cooper was drafted by the Boston Celtics. Prior to Cooper being drafted there were groups of black teams across the country, commonly known as “the black fives”, which referred to the five starting players on a basketball team. All-black teams were often referred to as colored quints or Negro cagers. The teams flourished in New York City, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, and in other cities with substantial African American populations. They were amateur, semi-professional, and professional.
Of the more than 1,000 collegiate basketball teams across all divisions of the NCAA, 68 teams play in the annual March Madness tournament. The best college teams from each conference around the country compete for a place in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and, ultimately, the national championship. Though basketball might not be played the same way as it was when Naismith invented it—peach baskets have been replaced with nets, metal hoops and plexiglass blackboards—its evolution proves that the game has transcended a century.
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How Has Basketball Changed Over 125 Years? Here Are The 13 Original Rules | by NBA Referees
Today is a special day in the history of basketball. On this day, December 21st, in 1891, the first basketball game was played in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Created by Canadian-born Dr. James Naismith, basket ball, had 13 original rules. The sport has evolved and modified in many ways over the past 125 years, but today’s rules have the same fundamental principles as Naismith intended in 1891.
Dr. James Naismith earned his degree in Physical Education from McGill University before departing to America in 1890. Later that year, he enrolled at Springfield College in Massachusetts, known at the time as the YMCA Training School. During his second year of graduate school, Naismith attended a Psychology of Play seminar taught by Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, the superintendent of physical education at the College. Gulick tasked the attendees with creating a non-violent game that could be played indoors during the cold winter months. The original intention of the new game was to keep restless students in shape in between the fall and spring sports seasons.
In the fall of 1891, after modifying several other sports including a childhood game called duck on a rock, basket ball was born. Originally, basket ball had 13 rules and was played with two peach baskets as goals. There was only 1 point scored in the first game in Springfield.
One of the biggest differences between Naismith’s game 125 years ago and basketball today is that the original game had no dribbling. Players had to throw the ball from the spot on which they caught it, allowing the man in motion catching the ball just a few steps. Another difference was that if either team committed three consecutive fouls, it counted as a “goal” for the opponent. Although this rule no longer exists, if either team commits five fouls in a quarter, the offending team is in the penalty and the fouled team has the opportunity to shoot free throws.
Although, the game has greatly advanced — now played in over 200 countries — from its first days in 1891, the authenticity of Naismith’s original idea has endured. See the original 13 rules below:
1. The Ball may be thrown in any direction by 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 man who catches the ball when running, if he tries to stop.
4. The ball must be held by the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of the 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 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 meantime 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 team.
10. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to rule 5.
11. The referee shall be the 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 the referee.
12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with 5 minutes rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may be by mutual agreement, be continued until another goal is made.
Basketball: history of development and rules of the game
The history of basketball began 130 years ago in America, and today this game is known and loved in many countries around the world. Over the years of development, the rules have been repeatedly refined, but the essence has always remained unchanged. We decided to tell you when and thanks to whom this unique sport appeared, how it developed in its homeland and in our country, and how it managed to gain such high popularity.
How did you come up with the name?
Since basketball originated in America, its name is exclusively of English origin. In fact, it consists of two words: basket (translated as "basket") and ball (translated as "ball"). The fact is that initially fruit baskets were used for the game.
The word came to the Russian language at the beginning of the 20th century, and in 1926 it was recorded in dictionaries. Almost immediately, the noun "basketball player" and various derivatives with the adjective "basketball" were formed. In almost all European countries, the game is called exactly as it sounds in the original.
The birth of basketball in the USA
A young American teacher named James Naismith tried in 1891 to make gymnastics lessons at school more varied and interesting. He took two fruit baskets and fastened them to the balcony railing. The students were asked to throw balls. In its modern form, the game is very different from what it was originally. There was no question of dribbling the ball. The players simply threw the ball to each other, trying to subsequently throw it into the basket. The team that managed to score more goals won.
About a year later, Naismith updated the rules, just after the first minor championship. Gradually, the game won universal recognition, and then from the USA it came to Europe and South America.
The Amateur Basketball Federation has existed since 1932. It initially included eight countries. The name initially implied that the organization would lead exclusively amateur games, but in 1989 basketball players got the opportunity to play in international competitions, and the word "amateur" was removed from the name.
In 1946, the American Association was founded, and in the same year, on November 1, the debut match was held under its auspices. He was in Toronto.
In 1949, the US Association joined the American National League. The result was the National Basketball Association, better known around the world as the NBA. In 1967, the American Association, which tried to compete with the NBA, but after 9 years simply joined it. The NBA is one of the most influential leagues on the planet these days.
Since the invention of this sport, the rules have changed more than once, but the essence has always remained the same. The main features of basketball are dynamism and agility. Based on this, it is possible to single out the basic principles and rules of the game:
It is allowed to interact with the ball only with the hands. Kicking the ball is a foul.
Points are scored when the ball enters the basket: 1 for a free kick, 2 for a close shot, 3 for a shot from the three-point zone.
The match consists of four quarters, each of 12-15 minutes. Between them there are 2-minute pauses, and between the two halves of the match there is a 15-minute break.
If the match is not completed after 60 minutes, the teams rest and go to 5-minute overtime. It is played as many times as it takes to determine the winner by points.
Each team has 12 people. Only 5 of them can enter the field at the same time. The rest change in any order. The number of substitutions can be any.
The match starts with the referee throwing the ball in the middle of the field. If one of the players violates the rules, the match is suspended.
These are just general rules, but in general basketball is extremely dynamic, so there are many nuances associated with time. Another important point is that each player can break the rules 5 to 6 times, getting fouls. When this limit is exceeded, the player will be kicked out of the game.
The history of basketball in Tsarist Russia
The first information about the new game reached Tsarist Russia in 1901. For the first time, sports journalist Georgy Duperson, who is considered the progenitor of the Olympic movement in the country, spoke about basketball.
As a separate sport, basketball has existed in Tsarist Russia since 1906, and the first tournaments were organized by the Mayak voluntary society. In 1909, a delegation from the United States arrived in St. Petersburg, which at that time was the capital. The Americans assembled a team and organized a tournament with Russian athletes. The domestic team was called the "Purple" for the color of the form, and she beat the Americans with a score of 28-19.
In the future, sports journalists called this meeting the first international basketball tournament. Information about this game is included in the "World Basketball" encyclopedia, released on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the creation of FIBA in 1972.
In 1910, the Mayak organization from St. Petersburg held the first official Russian basketball competition. The championship again went to the Lilovye team, and after 3 years, updated competition rules appeared. From that moment on, the game began to develop at a rapid pace, and new teams began to appear in different cities of the country.
The history of the development of the game in the USSR
In the years of the existence of the USSR, the appearance of basketball can be associated with the organization of sports festivals. Some educational institutions have added the game to their students' curriculum. In 1923, the first basketball championship was held in the USSR. It was attended by 12 teams: 6 men's and the same number of women.
The capital's Dynamo team became the first basketball champion of the Soviet Union. Later, the rules of the game changed somewhat and were adjusted to the international format. From 19For 40 years, sports clubs in basketball began to appear in the country. Shortly thereafter, a training manual for beginners was created by the famous athlete and coach Tsetlin.
Basketball in the post-Soviet period
The last Olympics, in which a team from the USSR took part, took place in 1988 in Seoul. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the best athletes began to go abroad, continuing their careers in foreign clubs. A similar situation occurred in the women's teams. In general, sports in the post-Soviet period were in a severe decline, and basketball is no exception.
In 1991, instead of the previously held USSR Championship, CIS competitions began to be organized. In 1992, FIBA recognized the federation from Russia as the successor to the Soviet one. The men's team won silver at the European Championships in 1993 and 1994.
How did Olympic basketball develop?
Basketball became an Olympic sport in 1935, and a year later it was added to the program of the Berlin Games. Teams from 21 countries came to the first Olympics. At the same time, FIBA held its first congress and adopted a unified charter.
The Olympic Games with Basketball have been held 17 times. Over the years, the Americans have won 13 times in them. In 1972 and 1988, the gold went to the USSR team. Teams from Yugoslavia and Argentina also became winners.
Among women competitions were held 9 times. The first two championships were won by Soviet athletes, and in 1992 the CIS team won. In other matches, the victory most often went to American basketball players.
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HOW DID THE SHOT IN BASKETBALL CHANGED? - maaario's blog
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The face of any team is the player with the most points. The player, who over and over again decides the outcome of matches with his accurate hits, even on the bus feels like a leader.
And today we will analyze how the throw has developed over the course of half a century, and we will also take into service the best that different generations of great snipers have given us.
So, let's begin.
Let's start with the 70s of the last millennium. Basketball has not yet begun to acquire those delights that are familiar to our eyes. Basically, points were scored either by passes or accurate throws. At the same time, having received the ball, the sniper did not try to beat the defender or remove him by showing, he simply made a throw. A simple scoring shot. All the preparatory actions were done by his teammates, bringing him to a comfortable position with the help of combinations. But at 79th year something happened that changed basketball forever. The NBA officially introduced the three-point shooting rule.
And we are moving on to a new era, to the 80s. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and others sparkled here. Throws have become noticeably more diverse. The snipers weren't shy about taking over the game. The expectation of twisting the combinations began to give way to individual actions. You could already see throws with deviations, with turns and after incredible jumps. Marking with a sniper has become much more difficult. It is also worth noting a significantly increased number of passes under the ring. Basketball has become contact.
Further 90s. Great era. The heyday of the cast and its diversity. Highlight the legendary Michael Jordan and the good guy Reggie Miller. Jordan has not just become an icon of basketball and an idol even for those who have not caught his game. He began to invent a variety of types of throws. In a jump, with a deviation, from above. In the 90s, snipers hit from everywhere. The three-point line is already in full use. Basketball is incredibly touchy, perhaps the most touchy in history. Defenders forced snipers to look for new options for throws. And we must pay tribute to the latter. They successfully found them. Jordan, Miller and other leaders of their teams almost single-handedly won matches. And Michael also championships.
Goes to zero years. Here, the throw confidently made friends with dribbling, and now these two elements are difficult to imagine separately. Players such as Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki and many, many others appear. There are more and more players who prefer to focus their training efforts only on three-point shots. During this period, snipers confidently attack through two opponents and after mind-blowing runs. Throws are getting faster. There is a throwing technique in one movement. It becomes a large number of combinations with the withdrawal of the sniper to throw. In teams, the coaches give a clear indication of which players will have how many attempts to throw in the match.
And we complete the journey on the segment from 2010. Here we can highlight a large number of snipers.
When the janitor came back from his search, he had two peach baskets instead. Naismith nailed the peach baskets to the lower rail of the gymnasium balcony, one on each side. The height of that lower balcony rail happened to be 10 feet. The students would play on teams to try to get the ball into their team’s basket. A person was stationed at each end of the balcony to retrieve the ball from the basket and put it back into play.
“One boy was knocked out. Several of them had black eyes and one had a dislocated shoulder.” Naismith said. “After that first match, I was afraid they'd kill each other, but they kept nagging me to let them play again so I made up some more rules.”
Some are still part of the modern game today. Naismith’s original rules of the game sold at auction in 2010 for $4.3 million.
If the ball rested on the edges, and the opponent moved the basket, it would count as a goal. When the ball went out of bounds, it was thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. The person throwing the ball was allowed five seconds; if he held it longer, the ball would go to the opponent. In case of a dispute, an umpire would throw the ball straight into the field. If any side persisted in delaying the game, the umpire would call a foul on that side.
James Naismith, a member of the university's faculty and inventor of basketball, in 1926.
The instructors played against the students. Around 200 spectators attended to discover this new sport they had never heard of or seen before. In the story published by the Republican, the teachers were credited with “agility” but the student’s “science” is what led them to defeat the teachers 5-1.
In 1950, Cooper was the first Black basketball player drafted by an NBA team.
All-black teams were often referred to as colored quints or Negro cagers. The teams flourished in New York City, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, and in other cities with substantial African American populations. They were amateur, semi-professional, and professional.
S. is coming to an end
On this day, December 21st, in 1891, the first basketball game was played in Springfield, Massachusetts.
See the original 13 rules below:
)
He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals, with any other duties that are usually performed by the referee.
In fact, it consists of two words: basket (translated as "basket") and ball (translated as "ball"). The fact is that initially fruit baskets were used for the game. 
The team that managed to score more goals won. 
The NBA is one of the most influential leagues on the planet these days. 
The rest change in any order. The number of substitutions can be any. 
Petersburg, which at that time was the capital. The Americans assembled a team and organized a tournament with Russian athletes. The domestic team was called the "Purple" for the color of the form, and she beat the Americans with a score of 28-19. 
Some educational institutions have added the game to their students' curriculum. In 1923, the first basketball championship was held in the USSR. It was attended by 12 teams: 6 men's and the same number of women. 
In 1992, FIBA recognized the federation from Russia as the successor to the Soviet one. The men's team won silver at the European Championships in 1993 and 1994. 
The player, who over and over again decides the outcome of matches with his accurate hits, even on the bus feels like a leader. 
And we must pay tribute to the latter. They successfully found them. Jordan, Miller and other leaders of their teams almost single-handedly won matches. And Michael also championships. 
