How many basketball fans are there in the world

Most Popular Sport by Country 2022

The appeal of sports is effectively universal across all of the world's countries, regardless of whether those countries are the world's richest or poorest, whether their citizens prefer coffee or beer, and whether they are located in the Arctic or the Caribbean. While many modern sports are relatively recent inventions—for example, basketball and auto racing were both conceived in the 1890s, barely a hundred years ago—others, such as archery, wrestling, and gymnastics, have been played for millennia.

Football/Soccer

While it may not be apparent in the United States, association football—also known as soccer—is the most popular sport in the world by a vast margin. Soccer is king in virtually all of Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia. The sport has roughly 3.5 billion fans worldwide and 250 million players across 200 countries around the world. The next most popular sports in the world are cricket (2. 5 billion fans), basketball (2.2 billion fans), and field hockey (2 billion).

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the administrative body for association football, futsal, and beach soccer in Europe and consists of 55 national association members. UEFA is one of the six continental confederations of world football’s governing body, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association or International Federation of Association Football). UEFA represents the national associations of Europe and runs national and club competitions such as the EUFA European Champions, UEGA Champions League, UEFA Nations League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup.

Only a few European countries favor a sport other than football/soccer. In Austria and Estonia, the most popular sport is skiing. In Latvia and Lithuania, basketball is king, while ice hockey is the most popular in Finland. In Ireland, Gaelic football is the most popular sport. Everywhere else, it is association football.

Similarly, association football is also the most popular sport in all but a few Asian countries. The few exceptions include table tennis being king in China, archery in Bhutan, kickboxing in Laos and Cambodia, and basketball in the Philippines. The most popular sport in Mongolia is wrestling and the most popular sport in the Indian subcontinent (India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh) is cricket.

Moving on to Oceania, association football is the most popular sport in Indonesia and Fiji, while rugby is the most popular in Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and some other Polynesia island nations. Australians tend to favor Australian rules football or cricket.

Association football/soccer again takes the top spot in Mexico, where men’s association football has been played professionally since the early 1900s and the Mexican Federation of Soccer was founded in 1927. Mexico’s national football team first played in the World Cup in 1930 and has participated in 16 World Cups. The first women’s professional football league in Mexico was announced in December 2016 and played its inaugural season the following year. The Mexico national football team plays its home games at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Although association football is again the favorite throughout most of Central and South America, the citizens of Panama, Nicaragua, and Venezuela prefer baseball. Cricket is the most popular sport in Guyana, likely a reflection of the country's history as a British colony, which also led to it becoming the only one of the world's native English-speaking countries located in South America.

Cricket

The formerly British-controlled countries of India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh also count cricket as their favorite sport. Cricket is one of the few aspects of Indian life that unites the whole country. The first recorded cricket match in India took place in 1721, and India became the sixth member of the "elite club" alongside England, Australia, South Africa, the West Indies, and New Zealand in 1932.

India’s inaugural match against England attracted 24,000 people. India recorded its first victory in 1952, the same year that Pakistan joined the club. Two years later, Pakistan had its first victory against England. Since then, cricket has been beloved by those on the Indian subcontinent, with India and Pakistan as the leading cricket rivals in the region. The Indian-Pakistan rivalry creates some of the most anticipated matches and the most-watched television broadcasts in India.

American (NFL) Football

In the United States, the most popular sport is American football. Football is one of the most-watched sports in the U.S. and has about 390 million to 410 million fans worldwide, the majority of which are in the United States. American football’s leading league is the National Football League (NFL), consisting of 32 teams divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC).

The NFL's regular season is 17 weeks long, during which each team plays 16 games and has one off, or "bye" week. As in most sports, the regular season is followed by end-of-the-season playoffs. The NFL's ultimate championship game, the Super Bowl, is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world. The winner receives the coveted Lombardi trophy, which is named after seminal coach Vince Lombardi, whose Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls.

While the NFL is easily the most successful American football league in the U.S., it has had plenty of competition. The following is a non-exhaustive list of alternate leagues that have existed over the decades.

• The AFC conference was originally a rival league, the American Football League, that merged with the NFL in 1970.
• The United States Football League (USFL) played three seasons, from 1983 to 1985.
• The World Football League existed from 1974-1975 and again from 2008-2011.
• In 1991, the similarly named World League of American Football attempted to bring American football to the wider world by debuting teams in Barcelona, Spain; Frankfurt, Germany; and London, England. It was rebranded as NFL Europe in 1998, but shut down in 2007.
• The Arena Football League, which played on a shortened field and had a faster pace, operated from 1987 to 2019.
• The XFL was a short-lived league founded by World Wrestling Entertainment executive Vince McMahon, which operated in 2001 and again in 2020 before its season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. McMahon then sold the XFL to a group that included former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. As of mid-2022, the XFL is planning to relaunch in February 2023.

Ice Hockey

Canada’s most popular sport is ice hockey, which originated in Montreal and is the official winter sport of Canada. The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) was formed in 1975 and represents the three Canada-based major junior hockey leagues. The three member leagues are the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. There are 60 teams total, 52 of which represent nine Canadian provinces and eight of which represent four American states. The Memorial Cup is the CHL’s top award for the championship team.

Canadian hockey teams also participate in the National Hockey League (NHL), the U.S. hockey league, in an annual effort to win the prized Stanley Cup. Canadian NHL teams are the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Vancouver Canucks.

Baseball

The most popular sport in Japan is baseball. American Horace Wilson first introduced baseball to Japan in 1872, and the first professional competitions emerged in the 1920s. The first Japanese professional league formed in 1936 and grew large enough to divide into two leagues by 1950: the Central League and the Pacific League. The professional league is known as Nippon Professional Baseball for Puro Yakyū (“professional baseball”).

Baseball in Japan is slightly different from Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States: the ball, strike zone, and playing field are all smaller; game lengths are limited; and ties are allowed. High school baseball is also extremely popular in Japan. More than 50,000 people watch the national High School Baseball Championship in person at Koshien Stadium, and millions more watch it on television.

Australian rules football

The most popular sport in Australia is Australian rules football. Australian football is a contact sport played by two teams, each with 18 players. The game is played on an oval-shaped field with an oval-shaped ball to kick the ball between two goalposts. The Australian Football League (AFL) is the sport’s only fully professional competition and is Australia’s wealthiest sporting body. The AFL Grand Final has the highest attendance of any club championship in the world.

How Many Fans Does Basketball Have?

Basketball is such a fast-growing sport that it wouldn’t be a surprise if it will have the distinction as the most popular sport one day. Today, it is said to be the third most popular sport in the world behind football and cricket. How many fans does basketball have?

Well, to answer that question directly, it is estimated that basketball has billions of fans worldwide. Basketball fans demographics are mainly blacks (47%), with Caucasians (34%), Hispanics (11%), and Asians (8%) right behind. Unsurprisingly, most casual basketball fans are from 18-34 years old, and most avid fans of the sport are from ages 35 to 44 years old.

This article will take a closer look at basketball’s popularity and how they stack up with the world’s most popular sport. We will also examine how the NBA contributed to the sudden rise of the sport’s popularity and the top countries where basketball is most popular. Let’s get right into it.

Ricky Rubio, a Spanish NBA point guard with the Minnesota Timberwolves, chose to play basketball over soccer because of one reason: It’s fun! If it’s not fun, then why would anyone want to play it?

Unlike football (or soccer) that changes possessions without scoring for hours, basketball’s fast pace and pace make it very exciting. All players on the court transition between defense and offense in a bat of an eyelash. In the modern game, the concept of positionless basketball makes basketball even more appealing to new fans.

Aside from the fact that basketball is fun, consider more reasons why basketball is so popular:

• It doesn’t need special equipment to start playing. Basketball is the cheapest major North American sport to play. All you need to have is a hoop and a ball; no gloves, no pads, helmets, and other special equipment. You can play alone, go two-on-two, three-on-three, and so forth. Aside from the usual scoring games, you may also play HORSE, basketball tag, Around the World, etc.
• It is fun to watch. Quite a large number of basketball fans do not play basketball, and yet, they watch it! Why? It’s because the excitement transfers from the players to the viewers with its fast-paced play. The modern NBA game, for example, encourages a lot of scoring, shooting, and creativity, which is precisely why it is gaining so much popularity over the years.
• You can play basketball anytime. Basketball is an all-season sport, and that type of accessibility no doubt contributes to its surging popularity. It doesn’t matter if it’s summer or winter. You can hook up at any covered basketball gym and play.
• It is easy to get started. If you’re just a beginner, basketball is not really rocket science. You may have trouble with the dribbling and traveling rules at first, but you’ll get the hang of it in no time.
• Basketball is an excellent way to work out. If you play basketball, you get many health benefits, including weight loss and decreased cardiovascular diseases. Some basketball players do not actually follow the sport religiously. Instead, they are just in it for the exercise, and I can’t blame them. An hour of playing hoops could easily burn 800 calories!

Basketball is primarily an American sport, but it has done a fantastic job of widening its roots. It indeed has become a global phenomenon! As a testament to basketball popularity worldwide, consider these three facts:

A.) The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) estimates that 450 million people in the world play basketball.

B.) Out of 195 countries globally, 100 of them have national basketball teams or have their own national basketball league. Some of them even participate in regional basketball associations like the Euroleague.

C.) Basketball is the No. 1 most popular sport in five countries: Philippines, Lithuania, Marshall Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas.

If we’re talking basketball fans, the estimate is about two billion fans. Out of these two billion, 450 million play basketball, and around 70,000 of them play basketball professionally.

There is no doubt that the NBA almost singlehandedly lifted basketball’s popularity to new heights. From the era of the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry to the glory days of Michael Jordan, NBA rescued basketball and made it a worldwide phenomenon.

From there, the NBA amassed millions and millions of fans, easily making it the best and most-watched basketball league in the world. Even with the 17% decrease in viewership in the 2020-21 season, NBA games are still watched by an average of 1.34 million viewers in the United States. NBA popularity, while not at an all-time high, is still at its peak!

Now, what NBA team has the most number of fans? Based on their social media presence, the top 5 are:

• Los Angeles Lakers– 38.25 million Facebook and Instagram followers
• Golden State Warriors– 28.69 million Facebook and IG followers
• Chicago Bulls– 23.34 million Facebook and IG followers
• Houston Rockets– 20.52 million Facebook and IG followers
• Miami Heat– 19.65 million Facebook and IG followers

1. United States

The U.S. is the birthplace of basketball, so it’s only fitting that it carries the torch as far as making it popular is concerned. As you may know, it is home to the NBA, the premier basketball league on the planet. It is also considered to be among the four major sports in North America, including American football, baseball, and ice hockey.

2. Canada

Basketball’s inventor, Dr. James Naismith, is Canadian, so it’s not a surprise if we see his birth country among the top basketball nations in the world. Not too long ago, Canada had two NBA teams– one in Vancouver and one in Toronto. The Grizzlies franchise relocated from Vancouver to Memphis, leaving the Raptors the only Canadian team in the NBA. Toronto won the NBA championship in 2019, adding to the popularity of the sport in the country.

3. Argentina

Make no mistake about it, Argentina is still a football country, but basketball is slowly catching up. With that being said, the sport is more popular in the provinces than in the cities. The country struck gold in Athens in 2004 and has remained one of the highest-ranked countries when it comes to basketball year in and year out. Argentina has a premier pro basketball league designed like the NBA, called Liga Nacional de Basquet.

4. China

Football is still popular in China, while it is one of the world’s powerhouses in table tennis and volleyball. But because of its population, the country has the most basketball fans in the world in terms of sheer volume. China is estimated to have 625 million basketball fans, and 143 million of them are considered to be hardcore, or avid, fans. That’s quite a lot!

5. Philippines

Despite the Filipino’s average height of five feet and five inches, the country’s adoration for basketball is borderline obsessive. According to an unofficial survey, 81% of the population consider themselves basketball fans, and 50% consider themselves “avid” fans. Even Nike has taken into account the importance of the Filipino basketball market, having released sneakers with Filipino-themed colorways such as the limited edition Jordan 4 “Manila” and the LeBron “Agimat.”

6. Australia

The NBA’s 2020-21 NBA season features at least seven Aussies, saying a lot about the quality and popularity of Australian basketball. Of those seven, six are bound to Tokyo for the 2021 Olympics. It is estimated that at least 1 in 3 Australians admit liking basketball and about a million play the sport. When it comes to team sports, basketball is only second to rugby in terms of participation in the country.

7. Russia

In terms of popularity, basketball is behind football, hockey, and MMA in Russia. Still, basketball has a massive fanbase in the country, many thanks to its national team’s success in international competitions. Russia has won bronze in the 2012 Olympics, and although they don’t have a popular NBA player representing them right now, no avid fan will forget dudes like Andrei Kirilenko or Timofey Mozgov anytime soon.

8. Spain

Spain has been playing second-fiddle to the United States for the past few major International competitions. That, again, says a lot about the popularity and quality of basketball played in the country. Its Spanish ACB Liga is considered the best basketball competition outside of the NBA. Not to be understated is their vast contingent in the NBA. They have players in the big league such as Ricky Rubio, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka (naturalized), and the Hernangomez brothers. And who can forget about former Laker Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Jorge Garbajosa?

9. Brazil

Like any South American country, Brazil lives and breathes football, but basketball is also very popular. They are consistently among the best in their continent and have historically done well in the FIBA World Cup, collecting two championships there in the 60s. What’s more, Brazil has consistently supplied the NBA with its homegrown talent, among them Tiago Splitter, Leandro Barbosa, Nene, Anderson Varejao, Raul Neto, and Bruno Caboclo.

10. Serbia

Serbia is considered to have the best National basketball team in the Balkans, so no wonder why it’s popular. Naturally, your people support you when you play really well, and that is what’s happening here with the Serbs. They have the reigning NBA MVP in Nikola Jokic and a slew of serviceable players such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, Boban Marjanovic, Milos Teodosic, Nemanja Bjelica, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Alen Smailagic.

Basketball has a lot of catching up to do with football to become the most popular sport globally, but it has come a long way. To answer how many basketball fans are there, it is estimated to be at 2 billion. Out of the 2 billion, 450 million play the sport, and over 70,000 play basketball professionally.

What contributes to basketball popularity worldwide? For one, the sport is just so exciting and fun to watch. There are a lot of exhilarating plays happening, and watching the best athletes run up and down the court is a beauty to behold. Many also begin playing basketball because of its health benefits and the fact that you don’t need any special equipment to start playing.

The NBA has also done its share in promoting basketball. They have produced the biggest stars such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and more. At one point, all of these players have not just become ambassadors of the sport; their reach has become global, and their contributions are embedded in society and pop culture.

Again, compared to football’s four-billion following, basketball has a lot of ground to make up. But then again, it doesn’t matter how many fans does basketball have. What ultimately matters is that the people have one more sport to enjoy, cheer, and watch out for.

120 years of basketball. Total Recall - Basketball diaries - Blogs

Remembering the entire history of basketball is not an easy task. In the year of the birth of the beloved game, the Basketball diaries blog on Sports. ru takes up this work and remembers the founders of the game, milestones in the development of basketball, the most important records and celebrity stories. December 21, 1891 It happened in Springfield. Young teacher James Naismith decided to revive the gymnastics lesson - he attached two fruit baskets without a bottom to the railing of the balcony, into which it was necessary to throw a soccer ball.

- 18 people took part in the first match (played 9 on 9), the game ended with a score of 1-0.

1892

- On January 15, Naismith published the first rules of basketball in the school newspaper. It included 13 items. The match consisted of two halves of 15 minutes, dribbling was not allowed: it was possible to move around the court only without the ball, and having received it, the player had to stop and either pass the ball to a partner or throw it into the basket. The number of players in the team was arbitrary (up to 50 in each team), but necessarily equal to the number of players in the opposing team. The player with the ball could not be attacked - it was only possible to prevent him from disposing of the ball. In case of violation of this rule, a foul was recorded, a repeated foul led to the disqualification of the violator - until the goal was scored. Three fouls in a row committed by any team were recorded as a "goal" in its basket - provided that the opponents themselves did not commit a single foul during this time. At one time, the team also had a goalkeeper guarding the basket.

– The first matches under the rules just published caused the first changes – the fans on the balconies caught the flying balls and tried to throw them into the opponent's basket, so the backboards appeared, which became the protection of the basket.

1893

- Iron rings with mesh appear.

1894

- The first official rules are published. The game is becoming more and more popular and penetrates first to the East (Japan, China, Philippines), and then to Europe and South America.

1895

– Introduction of the free throw. Distance – 5 m 25 cm.

1897

- The first basketball game between student teams took place. The University of Iowa beat rivals from Chicago with a score of 15:12.

1898

- Creation of the first league - NBL (National Basketball League). However, this league was not destined to exist for long - after 5 years it collapsed.

1901

- The emergence of basketball in Russia. The first mention belongs to George Duperron from St. Petersburg, a well-known Russian propagandist of physical culture and sports. He is, by the way, the founder of Russian football and the first Russian football referee.

1902

– A year later, a description of the game and its rules called the ball in the basket appears in the collection “Mobile Games”.

1904

- Team USA played the first demonstration basketball games at the Olympic Games.

1908

- A new rule is introduced - for 5 personal fouls a player is sent off the floor.

- In the spring of 1908, basketball, along with football and gymnastics, was included in the program of regularly held classes at the sports grounds of Krestovsky Island.

1910

- In February-March 1910, competitions for the Mayak Cup were held, the winner of which was the Lilac team (according to the color of the athletes' T-shirts) consisting of: Vasiliev, Vladimirov, Burykin, Nurdman, Machikhin.

1912

- The book of the famous sports figure G.A.Duperron "Football and other outdoor games of the same type" played a significant role in popularizing the game, where basketball also occupied a worthy place.

1916

- Basketball is gaining popularity in Europe - demonstration games are held, several collections concerning this game are published.

1919

- A basketball tournament was held between the army teams of the USA, France and Italy.

1920

- In 1920, the Supreme Council of Physical Education introduced basketball as an independent subject to physical education institutions: the Moscow Institute of Physical Education, the Main Military School of Physical Education for Workers, the District School of Sports Instructors and Pre-Conscripts.

1921

- On February 21-22, 1921, the first public basketball management body was created in our country - the Basketball Section of Petrograd, one of the first decisions of which was the holding of the Petrograd Championship.

1932

- On June 18, the International Federation of Basketball Associations was formed in Geneva, in Russian transliteration - FIBA The Latvians became champions, in the final they beat the Spanish team with a score of 24:18.

1936

- Men's basketball makes its Olympic debut in Berlin. Gold was taken by the US team, who defeated Canada in the final with a score of 19. :8, bronze went to Mexico.

1937

- Kansas, Missouri hosted the first national college basketball tournament.

- In the same year, the National Basketball League (NBL) returned to America. 12 teams participated in the first season, and in just 12 years of the league's existence, 38 teams managed to play in it.

1938

- NCAA education. The Ohio State became the champion of the newly formed league.

- For the first time the European Women's Basketball Championship was held. The first winner of the competition was the Italian team.

1940

- On February 20, the first basketball game was shown on television.

1945

- Wheelchair basketball originated in the USA. Former basketball players, during the Second World War, who received serious injuries and injuries on the battlefields, did not want to part with their favorite game and came up with "their" basketball.

1946

- In June, prominent sportsmen met at the Commodore Hotel in New York to discuss the possibility of creating a professional basketball league. Most of them owned sports palaces and hockey clubs. As a result, 11 cities entered the league. It became known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).

- Dick Fitzgerald (27, Toronto Huskies) became the youngest coach in league history.

1947

- There were 80 players in the first-ever BAA Draft. Of those, 10 left in the first round, with Clifton McNeely going to Pittsburgh as the first pick in the first draft.

1950

– Argentina hosted the first FIBA ​​World Cup. The champions were the hosts, who defeated the American team in the final with a score of 64:50.

1951

- Boston hosted the first All-Star Game in league history. The East confidently beat the West with a score of 111:94, and Ed Macaulay, who scored 20 points, received the title of the best player of the meeting.

- In the regular season game between Indianapolis and Rochester, 6 extra five minutes were played, which was an NBA record.

1953

- The first Women's World Basketball Championship was held. The Americans won, having defeated the hosts of the tournament, the national team of Chile, in the main match, with a score of 49:36.

1954

- At the suggestion of Syracuse National owner Danny Biason, a 24-second attack limit was introduced. The pace of the game increased, and sniper talent began to be valued no less than growth.

- That same year, Bevo Francis of the University of Rio Grande scored 113 points in a single NCAA game. Since that moment, this bar has not submitted to anyone.

1956

- Soviet basketball player Janis Krumins, a native of Latvia, started playing basketball only at the age of 23. Two years later he became the champion of the USSR, and a year later he won the silver of the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

1958

- Founding of the Euroleague, the most prestigious basketball tournament in Europe, which brings together teams from 18 countries of the "Old World".

1959

– On March 21, Louisville student Oscar Robertson recorded the first triple-double in NCAA history. The 20-year-old defender scored 39points, made 17 rebounds and gave 10 assists.

- In the same year, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame was created. It includes players, coaches and functionaries who have contributed to the development of basketball. Interestingly, not only American professional basketball players can get there, but also Europeans, as well as amateur basketball players.

1960

- Warriors rookie Wilt Chamberlain becomes the league's best player with a fantastic 37.6 points + 27.0 rebounds average per game in the regular season.

- Nov. 24, Wilt, in his second season in the NBA, sets a career-high 55 rebounds against the Celtics double Oscar Robertson averaged 30. 8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists in 1961-62.

1962

- On March 2, the great and terrible Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in the regular season game (72 from the field and 28 from free throws). This is an absolute NBA record.

- Wilt ended the season with 4,029 points on a 50.4 average. Both figures are league records.

- The tallest player in the history of the game was Suleiman Ali Nashnoush, 245 cm tall. He played for the Libyan team in 1962.

1963

- The first president (commission agent) changed in the NBA. Maurice Podoloff was replaced by Walter Kennedy.

- Tom Mesheri becomes the first player with Russian citizenship to qualify for an All-Star Game.

1966

- On April 28, the Boston Celtics of Red Auerbach, who beat the Lakers 95-93 in Game 7 of the Finals, won their 8th consecutive cup (1959-1966).

1967

- Three years in a row, John Barnhille chose a new NBA team in the expansion draft - Bulls in 1966, Rockets in 1967, Sanz in 1968.

1968

- February 17 Basketball The Hall of Fame opens to the public. For the first time in no one accept new members.

- Three-point shooting challenge added to the All-Star Game.

- In Europe, the largest number of spectators (80000) came to the final match of the European Champions Cup between AEK (Athena) and Slavia (Prague) at the Athens Olympic Stadium (Greece) on April 4, 1968

1969

– Wes Unseld became the first and so far the last player to also earn a regular season MVP in his debut season. In his first season, he averaged 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game.

- November 27, the Liner brothers, the tallest basketball twins in basketball history, were born. Both were 223 cm.

1971

- Players who have not graduated from the university are allowed to participate in the draft.

1972

- In the 1971-72 season, the Los Angeles Lakers won 33 games in a row.

- After 7 wins in a row at the Olympic Games, the US team loses first place to the USSR. In the final, the victory of our team was brought by Alexander Belov, who scored from under the basket in the last second. 51:50!

1973

- 13-year-old Mats Vermeulen from Sweden scored all the balls in one of the matches at the international tournament, his team won with a score of 272:0.

1974

- On October 18, Nate Thurmond recorded the first quadruple-double in league history. The Chicago center had 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks against Atlanta.

1975

- Larry O'Brien became the third president (commissioner) of the NBA.

1976

- Women's basketball debuts at the Montreal Olympics. The USSR team beat the USA in the final and took the gold medal.

- Draft rules change again: now a player must be 18 years old to be eligible to enter the NBA. Many are no longer surprised by the fact that they go straight from school to the draft.

1982

- Highest score in an international match (251-33) recorded in the game between the national teams of Iraq and Yemen in New Delhi during the Asian Games in November 1982. Indiana University and recent NCAA champion Landon Turner. Although he would never have played basketball after his car crash injuries, Red Auerbach chose him over other contenders, acknowledging his contribution to the game during his collegiate career. It was a friendly gesture and a tribute to the hard work of the player.

1983

- On December 13, an NBA record for combined points scored by both teams was set. Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets, using 3 extra five-minutes, scored 370 points for two (186:184, victory for the Pistons)

1984

- Since 1984, a shooting contest has been introduced into the All-Star Weekend program above. Since then, the basketball holiday has lasted more than one day.

- David Stern, who took over as NBA commissioner at 1984, sits in his place today.

1985

- A draft lottery is introduced to fight the tricks of outsiders. Previously, a club that was doing poorly could deliberately lose the remaining matches in order to be last in the table, but to get the right to choose first. Since 1985, the order has been set by the computer.

- Longest distance shot and basket hit from 28.17m by Bruce Morris for Marshall University against Appalachian University 8 Feb 1985

1986

– June 19, Len Byas, 2nd overall pick in the 1986 draft by the Boston Celtics, dies of drugs. This is one of the biggest tragedies in basketball, as many have said, because Byas has been compared to Jordan more than once in his time.

1989

- Only 2 rounds left in the draft. That is, the number of players who get into the league has decreased, while the competition has increased.

- Sarunas Marciulionis became the first Soviet basketball player to sign a contract with the NBA team.

1992

- On January 12, Troy University scored 258 points in a single NCAA game.

- On May 11, a non-American was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame for the first time. They became the Soviet basketball player Sergei Belov.

1993

- Bruce Crevier twirled 18 basketballs at the ABC TV studio in New York (USA).

- On July 7, at the age of 28, New Jersey defenseman and one of Europe's brightest players of the time, Drazen Petrovic, died in a car accident. In 2002, he was named to the NBA Hall of Fame.

1994

- A rookie match was held for the first time in All-Star weekend history. Orlando's Penny Hardaway, who scored 22 points, became the MVP of this game, despite the fact that his team was defeated with a score of 68:74.

- The first basketball simulation was NBA Live 95, which featured 7 players from the 1994 NBA Finals between the Rockets and the Knicks on the cover.

1995

- First lockout in NBA history. It only lasted 3 months during the off-season (July 1 to September 12) so no games were cancelled.

1996

- WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) founded on April 24th

- Second NBA lockout lasted only 3 hours.

- On October 29, NBA Commissioner David Stern released a list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. It is noteworthy that the list included Shaquille O'Neal, for whom the 1996/97 season was only the fifth in his career.

- The Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson, won 72 regular season wins in 82 games.

- The 2 youngest players to play on the NBA court are Jermaine O'Neal (18 years and 53 days) and Kobe Bryant (18 years and 63 days). The first debuted on December 5, the second debuted a month earlier.

1997

- The oldest player to play in an NBA game is Robert Parish. On March 19, when he stepped onto the floor, he was 43 years and 231 days old.

- Ashrita Ferman led a basketball game 155.41 km for 24 hours at the Victory Field Track (Forest Park, Queens, NY, USA) May 17-18 1997

1998

- Many sports journalists, analysts, coaches and even athletes marked the year 1998 as the end of an era, the era of Michael Jordan. Chicago won another championship, Jordan gone, Pippen gone, Phil Jackson gone, NBA ratings plummeted... It took the parties 6 months and 20 days to come to an agreement. For the first time the season was shortened - instead of 82 games, each team played only 50 meetings. The championship began on February 2.

2000

- The highest overhand throw was made on April 1, 2000 by Michael "Wild Fing" Wilson (USA) of the Harlem Globetrotters, who threw a standard size basketball into a 365 cm basket. The record was repeated in 2001 during the Lithuanian All-Star Game. Lithuanian Rytas player Robertas Javtokas, who was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs the same year, was also able to score from above into the 365 cm hoop. 0005

2001

- Joseph Gibby (USA) made the longest overhand throw from the line. He successfully hit a basketball by jumping from a line 5.79 meters from the backboard on January 21, 2001 at Van Nuys Airport (USA).

- Elena Baranova became the first Russian basketball player to take the floor in a WNBA match.

2002

- The first woman to score a top throw was Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks. On July 9, in a match against the Miami Sol, she managed to drive the ball in from above.

2003

- On June 26, the NBA Draft was held and compared to the 1984 and 1996 drafts. A lot of talented guys came to the league who quickly became leaders of their teams: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony and others.

2004

- At the Athens Olympics, the US team, which was called the "dream team", unexpectedly lost to the Argentines in the semifinals. “It was a real failure,” wrote many American publications. One has only to look at the composition of the USA: Wade, James, Anthony, Boozer, Duncan, Iverson, Odom, Jefferson, Marbury, Marion, Okafor, Stoudmire.

2005

– MBA (Youth Basketball Association) is being created in Russia.

2006

- Following the failure at the Olympics, the American team performs unsuccessfully at the world championship. Wards of Mike Krzyzewski lost everything at the same stage of the semi-final to the Greek team and took only 3rd place. 90,005 90,002 – On January 22, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto on Jan. 22, second behind Chamberlain's 100. In the 21st century, this bar no longer obeyed anyone.

2007

- Bobby Jones in the 2007-08 season managed to play for 5 teams at once: Denver, San Antonio, Miami, Memphis and Houston.

- In 2007, the Hall of Fame of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) was opened in the Spanish city of Alcobendas. The main purpose of the Hall of Fame is to perpetuate the history of international basketball and all those who have had a significant impact on it. There are currently four categories of people in the Hall of Fame: players, coaches, referees and officials. New members are admitted every two years.

2008

- On August 24, a Boeing 737-219 Advanced crashed. Among the passengers was the youth basketball team of Kyrgyzstan, heading to Tehran for competitions. Ten team members died, seven survived. This is the only "basketball" plane crash.

- The Atlanta Dream started the season with 17 losses, the worst start to a season in WNBA history.

2009

- In 2009, Michael Jordan was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, considered the best player the league has ever seen.

- The biggest streetball tournament was held in Spokane, Washington, USA. From June 27 to June 29, 26656 players took part there.

2010

- The first and so far the last NBA player to be assassinated was Lorenzen Wright, who died in July 2010. On July 18, he left his ex-wife, after which no one saw or heard from him.

- The youngest NBA player to reach 1,000 games is Kobe Bryant.

- The 2010 All-Star Game drew the largest crowd in basketball history, with 108,713 in attendance. 90,005 90,002 90,003 2011 90,004 90,005 90,002 - The Cleveland Cavaliers decided to break the league record with a 26-game loss.

- The fourth shutout in NBA history came on July 1st. It lasted 149 days, the parties signed an agreement and announced that in the 66th NBA season, each team will play 66 games in the regular season.

– Fans from six Lithuanian cities got into the Guinness Book of Records thanks to the campaign organized at the opening celebration of the European Basketball Championship. 61 thousand fans filled balls in Klaipeda, Panevezys, Siauliai, Alytus, Kaunas and Vilnius.

Top 10 most popular sports in the world: geography and number of fans

Sports are popular all over the world for a number of reasons. Someone sees in it a great way to maintain and strengthen physical health, for someone attending competitions as a spectator is entertainment. What sports are followed by the most fans?

Since time immemorial, people have admired and been inspired by motivated people who are able to accomplish grandiose sporting feats. TopTrending.ru will tell you about the most popular sports in the world.

1. Football - 4 billion worshipers

Football is the world's most popular sport, with an estimated 4 billion fans. One reason for its popularity is that, unlike other sports that require expensive equipment, all you need to play soccer is a ball and good physical health. It is played all over the world, but football is especially popular in Europe, Central and South America and Africa.

2. Cricket - 2.5 billion fans

The game is most popular in the UK and some former British colonies, especially in India, Pakistan and Australia.

3.

Hockey, both on ice and on the field, is the third most popular sport in the world. Field hockey is mainly played in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. And ice hockey is especially popular in Canada, the USA and Northern Europe. The game involves two teams trying to hit the ball into the opponent's goal with a hockey stick.

4. Tennis - 1 billion fans

Tennis is an incredibly popular and in-demand sport, watched by fans from all over the world. In addition, this game brings good money to the participants. Most of the richest female athletes in the world are tennis players.

5. Volleyball - 900 million fans

Volleyball is played by two teams on opposite sides of a stretched net. The task of the players is to throw the ball to the side of the opponents so that it touches the ground. The game is followed by 900 million people, mainly in North America and Western Europe, but also in Asia, Australia and South America.

6.

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