The game of Basketball is often accredited to one man named James Naismith. There are many interviews and documented evidence on how he developed the game that is loved by millions worldwide.
He was born in Ontario and during his life studied to become a priest among other things, but in 1890 he became a teacher at the YMCA. While he was there he invented a game that could be played indoors during winter. He invented a game called Duck on the Rock where boys threw stones at a boy who stood on a rock to guard the duck. The fun was on gathering the stray shots and this was an important part of basketball to come.
The first game was played in 1891 when Naismith organized a match in the Armory Street court. There were 9 against 9 and they used a football and each team had a basket. This was the very beginning and the game developed from this. For example, the hoops used today were introduced in 1906 and the football was replaced by a Spalding Ball like the one in use today. In the first game, players couldn’t move or dribble which they can do today.
The YMCA and its outreaches throughout the world saw members bringing the game from Canada to Europe and further afield to China. The first European match was played in Paris in 1893.
With the First World War and the US Army joining it in 1917, the troops spread the game very quickly throughout their postings and it continued to grow from there.
The game spread like wildfire through the American colleges and soon students were playing inter-collegiate games. The first game was between the Minnesota State School of Agriculture and Hamline University. The former won 9-3 and this was played in 1895.
The formation of the NBA was a major step as it brought together several different leagues into the league that we know today. During the years there have been teams added to the league and it is expending the game worldwide. There are several foreign stars in the NBA which help make basketball a world sport.
