How did the game of basketball get started

Where Basketball was Invented: The History of Basketball

Where Basketball Originated

It was the winter of 1891-1892. Inside a gymnasium at Springfield College (then known as the International YMCA Training School), located in Springfield, Mass., was a group of restless college students. The young men had to be there; they were required to participate in indoor activities to burn off the energy that had been building up since their football season ended. The gymnasium class offered them activities such as marching, calisthenics, and apparatus work, but these were pale substitutes for the more exciting games of football and lacrosse they played in warmer seasons.

James Naismith, The Person Who Invented Basketball

The instructor of this class was James Naismith, a 31-year-old graduate student. After graduating from Presbyterian College in Montreal with a theology degree, Naismith embraced his love of athletics and headed to Springfield to study physical education—at that time, a relatively new and unknown academic discipline—under Luther Halsey Gulick, superintendent of physical education at the College and today renowned as the father of physical education and recreation in the United States.

As Naismith, a second-year graduate student who had been named to the teaching faculty, looked at his class, his mind flashed to the summer session of 1891, when Gulick introduced a new course in the psychology of play. In class discussions, Gulick had stressed the need for a new indoor game, one “that would be interesting, easy to learn, and easy to play in the winter and by artificial light.” No one in the class had followed up on Gulick’s challenge to invent such a game. But now, faced with the end of the fall sports season and students dreading the mandatory and dull required gymnasium work, Naismith had a new motivation.

Two instructors had already tried and failed to devise activities that would interest the young men. The faculty had met to discuss what was becoming a persistent problem with the class’s unbridled energy and disinterest in required work.

During the meeting, Naismith later wrote that he had expressed his opinion that “the trouble is not with the men, but with the system that we are using. ” He felt that the kind of work needed to motivate and inspire the young men he faced “should be of a recreative nature, something that would appeal to their play instincts.”

Before the end of the faculty meeting, Gulick placed the problem squarely in Naismith’s lap.

“Naismith,” he said. “I want you to take that class and see what you can do with it.”

So Naismith went to work. His charge was to create a game that was easy to assimilate, yet complex enough to be interesting. It had to be playable indoors or on any kind of ground, and by a large number of players all at once. It should provide plenty of exercise, yet without the roughness of football, soccer, or rugby since those would threaten bruises and broken bones if played in a confined space.

Much time and thought went into this new creation. It became an adaptation of many games of its time, including American rugby (passing), English rugby (the jump ball), lacrosse (use of a goal), soccer (the shape and size of the ball), and something called duck on a rock, a game Naismith had played with his childhood friends in Bennie’s Corners, Ontario. Duck on a rock used a ball and a goal that could not be rushed. The goal could not be slammed through, thus necessitating “a goal with a horizontal opening high enough so that the ball would have to be tossed into it, rather than being thrown.”

Naismith approached the school janitor, hoping he could find two, 18-inch square boxes to use as goals. The janitor came back with two peach baskets instead. Naismith then nailed them to the lower rail of the gymnasium balcony, one at each end. The height of that lower balcony rail happened to be ten feet. A man was stationed at each end of the balcony to pick the ball from the basket and put it back into play. It wasn’t until a few years later that the bottoms of those peach baskets were cut to let the ball fall loose.

Naismith then drew up the 13 original rules, which described, among other facets, the method of moving the ball and what constituted a foul. A referee was appointed. The game would be divided into two, 15-minute halves with a five-minute resting period in between. Naismith’s secretary typed up the rules and tacked them on the bulletin board. A short time later, the gym class met, and the teams were chosen with three centers, three forwards, and three guards per side. Two of the centers met at mid-court, Naismith tossed the ball, and the game of “basket ball” was born.

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

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

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

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

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

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

“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

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

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.

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

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

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.

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

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.

Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

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.

Read This Next

Why Western Australia’s coast rivals the Bermuda Triangle

• Travel

Why Western Australia’s coast rivals the Bermuda Triangle

At least 1,600 shipwrecks—and countless tales of pirates and plunder—lie offshore, under Indian Ocean waters. Now maritime explorers are diving down to reveal their secrets.

Jane Austen never wed but she knew the rules of the marriage game

• History Magazine

Jane Austen never wed but she knew the rules of the marriage game

While the author stayed single, Austen used her keen powers of observation to fill her novels with juicy insights into how the gentry flirted, courted, and coupled in 19th-century England.

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

See More

Basketball: history, rules, inventory, playground

Basketball (from English basket - basket, ball - ball) is an Olympic sport, a sports team game with a ball, the goal of which is to throw the ball into the opponent's basket more times than the opposing team does at the set time. Each team consists of 5 field players.

Contents

• The history of the emergence and development of basketball
• Basketball rules (briefly)
• Basketball field
• Basketball
• Basketball hoop and backboard dimensions
• Refereeing in basketball
• Basketball Federation

The history of the emergence and development of basketball

In 1891, in the United States of America, a young teacher, a native of Canada, Dr. James Naismith, trying to "revive" gymnastics lessons, attached two fruit baskets to the railing of the balcony and suggested throwing soccer balls into it. The resulting game only remotely resembled modern basketball. There was no question of any management, the players threw the ball to each other and then tried to throw it into the basket. The team that scored the most goals won.

A year later, Naismith developed the first rules of basketball. The very first matches under these rules caused their first changes.

Gradually, basketball from the United States penetrated first to the East - Japan, China, the Philippines, and then to Europe and South America. After 10 years at the Olympic Games in St. Louis, the Americans organized a demonstration tour between the teams of several cities. The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed in 1946. The first match under her auspices took place on November 1 of the same year in Toronto between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers. At 19In 1949, the association merged with the US National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 1967, the American Basketball Association was created, which for a long time tried to compete with the NBA, but merged with it 9 years later. Today, the NBA is one of the most influential and well-known professional basketball leagues in the world.

The International Amateur Basketball Federation was founded in 1932. The federation includes 8 countries: Argentina, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania. Sweden, Czechoslovakia. Based on the name, it was assumed that the organization would only lead amateur basketball, however, at 1989, professional basketball players received admission to international competitions, and the word "amateur" was removed from the name.

The very first international match took place in 1904, and in 1936 basketball entered the program of the Summer Olympic Games.

Basketball rules (briefly)

The rules of the game of basketball changed several times until 2004, when the final version of the rules took shape, which is considered relevant to this day.

1. Basketball is played by two teams. Usually a team consists of 12 people, 5 of which are field players, and the rest are considered substitutes.
2. Basketball dribbling . Athletes in possession of the ball must move around the field, hitting the floor with it. Otherwise, "carrying the ball" will be counted, and this is a violation of the rules in basketball. Accidentally touching the ball with a body part other than the hand is not considered a foul, unlike purposeful play with the foot or fist.
3. A basketball game consists of 4 periods or halves, but the time of each half (play time) varies depending on the basketball association. So, for example, in NBA a match consists of 4 halves of 12 minutes each, and in FIBA ​​each such half lasts 10 minutes.
4. Short breaks are provided between periods, and between the second and third periods, the break time is increased.
5. The ball thrown into the basket can bring a different number of points to its team. If the ball is scored during the free throw, the team earns 1 point. If the ball is thrown from an average or close distance (closer than the 3-point line), then the team is given 2 points. A team earns three points if the ball is scored from behind the three-point line.
6. If in regular time both teams scored the same number of points, then a 5-minute overtime is assigned, if it ended in a draw, then the next one is assigned and so on until the winner is determined.
7. 3 Second Rule - A rule that prohibits any player from the attacking team from being in the free throw area for more than three seconds.
8. Basketball Two Step Rule . The player is only allowed to take two steps with the ball, after which he must either shoot or pass.

Basketball field

The playing field for basketball has a rectangular shape and a hard surface. The surface of the site must not have any bends, cracks or any other deformations. The size of the basketball court must be 28 meters long and 15 meters wide (standard). The height of the ceiling must be at least 7 meters, and on professional sites, ceilings are raised to a height of 12 meters and above. The lighting on the field must be designed so as not to interfere with the movement of the players and must evenly cover the entire court.

Until the end of the 60s, tournaments could be organized outdoors. However, now basketball games are played only in closed areas.

Site marking

1. limit lines. Pass along the entire perimeter of the site (2 short front lines and 2 long side lines).
2. Central line. It is drawn from one side line to another and at the same time it is parallel to the front lines.
3. The central zone is a circle (radius 1.80 m) and is located exactly in the center of the basketball field.
4. Three-point lines are semi-circles with a radius of 6.75 m, drawn to the intersection with parallel (front) lines.
5. Free throw lines. The free-throw line is drawn 3.60 m long parallel to each end line so that its far edge is located at a distance of 5.80 meters from the inside edge of the end line, and its middle is on an imaginary line connecting the midpoints of both end lines.

Basketball

The basketball is spherical, painted an approved shade of orange, and has a pattern of eight inlays and black stitching.

Basketball hoop and backboard dimensions

The height of the basketball hoop from the floor level is 3. 05 meters (standard). The diameter of the basketball hoop ranges from 45 cm to 45.7 cm. The ring itself must be painted bright orange. A special net with a length of 40-45 cm is attached to the ring. The basketball hoop is located at a distance of 15 cm from the backboard.

The shield to which the ring is attached also has a number of important parameters. Basketball backboard size: width - 1.8 m, height - 1.05 m. Modern basketball backboards are made of tempered glass.

Refereeing in basketball

At the basketball game there are:

• senior judge and judge;
• timekeeper;
• secretary;
• assistant secretary;
• operator 30 seconds.

Judge uniform:

• gray shirt;
• long black trousers;
• black basketball shoes.

Basketball Federation

• International Basketball Federation (FR. Fédération Internationale de Basketball, FIBA).
• Russian Basketball Federation (RBF).

FAQ

🚩 How long is a basketball match?

Game times vary by basketball association. In the NBA, the match consists of 4 halves of 12 minutes, and in FIBA ​​each such half lasts 10 minutes.

🚩 What is the 3 second rule in basketball?

A rule that prohibits any player on the attacking team from being in the free throw area for more than 3 seconds.

🚩 How does basketball affect height?

No way.

We tried to cover the topic as fully as possible, so this information can be safely used in the preparation of messages, reports on physical education and essays on the topic "Basketball".

Basketball history. Who invented and when did it appear

in Summer sports

Basketball is a team sport. The name comes from two English words: basket - basket and ball - ball. The goal of the game is to throw as many balls as possible into the opponent's basket with your hands. The United States is considered the birthplace of basketball.

In 1891, James Naismith, a physical education teacher at Springfield Christian College, came up with an unusual game. The goal of the game was to develop in children not only strength and dexterity, but also coordination of movements. Dividing the students into two teams, he tied fruit baskets without a bottom to the balconies of the gym so that the ball would fall through them. Instead of basketballs, he used ordinary footballs. At that time, the game bore little resemblance to modern basketball. The players simply threw the ball to each other, remaining standing still. After a successful throw, one of the players on the team had to climb a ladder onto the wall to get the ball out of the basket. Rumors about the extraordinary game began to spread quickly throughout the city and country. A year later, Naismith decided to develop the first 13 points of the rules. In the same year, the first rules for women's basketball were developed by a gym teacher at the Women's College in Northampton. And already at 1894 in the United States adopted the official rules of the game. Half of America is immersed in Basketball Madness. The fast-paced game is quickly gaining popularity around the world. The game first conquers the East, penetrating Japan, the Philippines and other countries, then Europe and South America.
In 1924 and 1928, basketball was first introduced to the program of the Summer Olympic Games, although so far in the form of a demonstration sport.
In 1936, he was officially included in the program of the Summer Olympics in Berlin. The victory in the final match was celebrated by the "ancestors of basketball" - athletes from the United States. Women's basketball will be included in the Olympics, only at 1976 year.
In 1919 the first men's and in 1923 the women's international tournament took place.
In the 1920s, National Associations began to be created in many countries.
In 1932, FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, was created, which included 8 countries.
In 1946, the BAA (Basketball Association of America) was formed.
In 1949, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League. This merger resulted in the formation of the NBA.
In 1950 Argentina hosted the first world championship among men's teams, and three years later in Chile among women's teams.
The US team is the most titled in modern basketball. The Americans won the Olympic Games 15 times, won the World Championships 5 times.
In Russia, the first basketball team appeared in 1906. She became the "Mayak" from St. Petersburg.
In 1909, the first international basketball match is held. The rivals of the Petersburgers are either members of the American organization of Christians, or sailors from a merchant ship. In any case, the team from Russia won.
In 1923 the first championship of the USSR was held.

Learn more

• 
  How to shoot a basketball like larry bird
• 
  How to calculate fantasy basketball points
• 
  How much does a division 3 basketball coach make
• 
  How to train yourself in basketball
• 
  How to become a basketball referee in maryland
• 
  How basketball relates to math
• 
  How does the money line work in basketball
• 
  How to run a successful basketball camp
• 
  How to make a basketball stand
• 
  How to put basketball lines on driveway
• 
  How to have a better grip on the basketball