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.
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
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.
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
How do you avoid jet lag? Experts weigh in
Travel
How do you avoid jet lag? Experts weigh in
Skipping time zones can mess with your body’s internal clock. But with the right gear and planning, you can adjust in no time.
These 5 ancient cities once ruled North America
History Magazine
These 5 ancient cities once ruled North America
Teotihuacan, Cahokia, and other metropolises featured striking religious centers, multifamily dwellings, and burial mounds, only to vanish. Archaeology is slowly revealing their splendid pasts.
Tonga's volcanic eruption was even more massive than we knew
Science
Tonga's volcanic eruption was even more massive than we knew
The ferocious 2021 explosion blew out 2.3 cubic miles of rock, unleashing a 35-mile-high plume and a global tsunami that sent scientists racing to understand the blast. Now they're finally putting together the pieces.
Subscriber Exclusive Content
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
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
How has basketball changed over the past hundred years?
Basketball has changed over time. The changes affected both the appearance of the form of basketball players and playing equipment, and the rules themselves.
Here are some innovations:
1893 introduction of iron ring with net
1894 - ball dimensions increased to 76.3-81.4 cm.
1895 - introduction of free throws from a distance of 4.5 meters
1896 - all options for dribbling are described and legalized.
After basketball became popular in the US, the game began to be played in other countries as well.
1891-1918 - the period of the first stage in the development of basketball as a new game. The rules of the game, published in 1894, made it possible to hold official competitions. Gradually improved tactics and technique of the game. The functions of defenders and attackers were defined. Improved techniques of throws, ball passes and rebounds. At that time, the game had a static dynamic, as all the main actions were performed while standing still.
Get new forecasts: Vkontakte and Telegram .
1919-1931 - the second stage of the formation of basketball. Basketball federations were created, which was a sharp impetus to the promotion of the game. In 1927, a school of physical education was established in Geneva. Elmer Berry, a teacher at the Springfield Athletic College, was chosen to head. Basketball has become widely popular throughout Europe. The countries of East Asia began to hold their own continental competitions. At 19In 1919, the debut international basketball tournament was held. Teams from France, Italy and America participated in it.
1932-1947 - the period of the third stage in the development of basketball. The main event of that period was the creation in 1932 of the International Basketball Federation or FIBA. It included Greece, Latvia, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Argentina, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. At the conference, all countries voted for the creation of the International Basketball Federation and the approval of the uniform rules of the game.
A significant date in the history of the game was 1935. Basketball was officially recognized as an Olympic sport. In 1936, the US national team won first place in the basketball tournament of the eleventh Olympic Games.
During the fourth stage (1948-1965) the skill level of the players increases significantly. More and more socialist countries are taking part in the Olympic Games and various international competitions.
The next stage in the development of the game began with the appearance of throwing the ball with one hand. This technique is more complex, but it improves the accuracy of the throw. As a result of the introduction of new technology, the total score of teams per game has increased. But, most importantly, the tactics of the game have changed. The offensive system was now conducted through the center player, which meant the transition from the game of each player individually, as if he was on his own, to the collective game.
One of the variations of the game was the creation of mini-basketball in 1948 by the US coach T. Archer. The game introduced reduced standards regarding the size of the ball and the height of the basket, as well as simplified rules. The game was intended primarily for children and won love around the world.
In the mid-50s. the attack was the predominant tactic of the game. At this time, tall players began to appear in the teams. Later, however, basketball lost momentum. The team that received an advantage in the score tried to keep the ball from its players as long as possible, preventing the opponents from attacking. To prevent such scenarios of game development, significant changes and additions were made to the rules.
1966 marked the beginning of the rapid development of basketball. Soviet athletes made an invaluable contribution to the development of the game.
Basketball on Slamdunk.ru: nba, news, statistics, communication
eight 5
Surprise teams at the start of the NBA season that Portland is half a step away from going into restructuring, because how badly they played at the beginning of last season, and even more so after they sat Lillard for a season with an alleged injury, clearly hinted either at the complete failure of Billups as a coach, or for undisguised tanking. In the off-season, having received only the 7th pick in the draft and making sure that Lillard would remain for a long time (and for a lot of money), the management decided to make at least some attempt to strengthen the roster and traded from the rebuilding Detroit for their most productive player that was not suitable for the timeline - Jeremy Grant. And it would seem that this is not a direct strengthening, but at least some attempts were made by the leadership. Drafted who missed the whole varsity season (and looks like Lillard in a wig)0003
fifteen 12
Record performance of the teams and their leaders at the beginning of the season
Before we had time to congratulate each other on the start of the new regular season and form fantasy lineups, a number of remarkable trends and facts were already determined at the start of the season, for example such as: the end of Simmons' career, the Lakers' failure to make the playoffs, and quite a successful last draft. But there is another interesting detail - the record performance of the teams and their leaders.
21 12
Boston offseason and first fruits questions and there was no certain certainty about what the team really is and whether it is even capable of claiming the championship and solving serious problems. After all, let's be honest, starting from the second round of PO 2022, Boston hardly overcame Milwaukee, weakened by an injury, Middleton in 7 matches, then almost gave the end of the 7th game, and with it the whole series, to the half-dead Miami, and in the final and completely believing in themselves, they decided to transfer the “Golden State”. Moreover, the further the team went into software, the more boring and primitive its game in attack became.
twenty 28
A series of scandals in the offseason. NBA, what's wrong with you?
It has long been no secret that we live in an era of propaganda of the notorious Western tolerance. The values of this colossus are rolling all over the world, sweeping away all those who disagree with its colorful and iridescent views in its path. More and more fields of activity are under the influence, ranging from science and politics to art and sports. Methodically and scrupulously, ideas are being planted in our heads that homosexuality is not only normal, but also good. Being transgender is a gift that every adult and child should definitely use. Violence is a casual glance at the opposite sex, and racism is the desire of a white man to have the same rights as a black man who calls for his exclusivity because of a 400-year-old resentment. How do you like such an imposed equality in which you will never be equal? They talk about tolerance for a different worldview, but fiercely and zealously fight for their own. They call the minority the majority, hiding behind the assessment of human rights and freedoms.
He shall have the power to disqualify men according to rule 5.
Naismith is pictured here with his wife Maude Evelyn Sherman Naismith.
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.
” 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.
But with the right gear and planning, you can adjust in no time.
S. is coming to an end
Basketball federations were created, which was a sharp impetus to the promotion of the game. In 1927, a school of physical education was established in Geneva. Elmer Berry, a teacher at the Springfield Athletic College, was chosen to head. Basketball has become widely popular throughout Europe. The countries of East Asia began to hold their own continental competitions. At 19In 1919, the debut international basketball tournament was held. Teams from France, Italy and America participated in it. 
Basketball was officially recognized as an Olympic sport. In 1936, the US national team won first place in the basketball tournament of the eleventh Olympic Games. 
Archer. The game introduced reduced standards regarding the size of the ball and the height of the basket, as well as simplified rules. The game was intended primarily for children and won love around the world. 
In the off-season, having received only the 7th pick in the draft and making sure that Lillard would remain for a long time (and for a lot of money), the management decided to make at least some attempt to strengthen the roster and traded from the rebuilding Detroit for their most productive player that was not suitable for the timeline - Jeremy Grant. And it would seem that this is not a direct strengthening, but at least some attempts were made by the leadership. Drafted who missed the whole varsity season (and looks like Lillard in a wig)0003 
But there is another interesting detail - the record performance of the teams and their leaders. 
NBA, what's wrong with you? 
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13128999/KELDON_JOHNSON_MBB2018_01_CW_600x900.jpg)
