Who invented basketball and why? The popularity of basketball is increasing day by day because beginner players find this game easy to play. There are not too many strict rules in this game. Now, there are approximately 2.2 billion fan followers of basketball all over the world.
Basketball is a famous sport because of several reasons: Junior Players get a lot of fun while playing with their friends and family members. Famous athletes in the world are basketball players.
The main reason for the popularity of basketball is that now you can play basketball at home because there are several basketball hoops are available in the market.
As you can buy an In-Ground basketball hoop if you have ample space in the backyard or driveway, but if you want a basketball hoop, of which location you can change, then you can go with a portable basketball hoop.
Furthermore, if you don’t have much space in the backyard or driveway to mount the basketball hoops then, you can also go for a wall-mount or over-the-door basketball hoops.
In this article, we will let you know that who was the inventor of this fantastic sports, when and why he invent this game.
Who invented basketball?
James Naismith was a Canadian American physical educator and sports coach. He was also an inventor of basketball, and he invented this fantastic sport in 1891.
James Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada, on November 6, 1861. He studied and taught physical education at Mc Gill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Why James Naismith Invent Basketball
In December 1891, James Naismith was a teacher in a college. He had a problem that his students forced him to make an indoor game because of winter. It was too cold outside if they play baseball or football, and it was also dangerous to play these games in indoor.
The school told James Naismith that, please invent an indoor sport. He thought, what about a game in which players throw balls? and the team with more scores would win.
Naismith gives the name to this sport, “Basket Ball.” He also wrote 13 rules. At that time, the equipment used in this game was a soccer ball and two baskets.
James Naismith put these two baskets on both ends of the gym, at the height of 10 Feet. On December 21, 1891, the first game of basketball was played in Springfield, Massachusetts.
13 Rules of Basketball
James Naismith wrote 13 rules of basketball in 1891. If you want to learn those rules, then click on the link and get detail information about it. There we also discuss why the rules and regulations are essential while playing basketball
6 Notable Evolutions in the History of Basketball
There are six notable evolutions we have seen after the invention of basketball, which will describe below:
Baskets
In 1906, peach baskets that were used as a goal were replaced with steel rims with the hole at the bottom, and in 1912, nylon nets became part of the basketball goal.
Backboard
The best evolution came in basketball when the backboard became part of the basketball hoop in 1906. Initially, backboards were made with the help of wires, but when the technology became more advanced then, the companies started to make the backboard with the help of glass, wood or plastic. The backboard makes it easier for the players to make a goal.
Basketballs
In the beginning, soccer balls were used as the equipment of the basketball game, but in the late 1950s, Tony Hinkle searched for a ball that would be more visible to the players, so the first basketball ball was made in brown color.
College Basketball
The first college basketball game was played on January 18, 1896. This match was played between the University of Chicago and the University of Lowa. Each team had five players and this match was won by the team of the University of Chicago.
Professional Basketball
In the late 1900s, College and YMCA basketball teams were expanded to professional basketball teams. The real advancement in the field of basketball was started in 1932 when the first international basketball league was invented and named FIBA (International Basketball Federation). After that, in 1949, National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded. This league is composed of 30 teams. This league is considered a premier men’s league, and it is also the national governing association of basketball in the United States.
Women’s Basketball
The first women’s basketball game was played on March 22, 1893, at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. On April 24, 1996, the association was established to govern the women’s basketball teams named as Women National Basketball Association (WNBA). There are 12 teams in WNBA.
Amazing Facts About Basketball
Olympic Sport
In 1936, Basketball Sport became the official part of the Olympics in Berlin, Nazi Germany, and the first tournament was played between August 7 to August 14, 1936.
Hall of Fame
James Naismith was inducted at Hall of Fame as an inventor of a Basketball game in 1959. This hall is also known as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Dribbling wasn’t Allowed
This fact may surprise you because now dribbling has become an essential part of basketball. Initially, dribbling was not allowed. At those time, when the player was thrown the ball, you have to catch it and was thrown it to other players to keep the game moving on. However, dribbling was introduced in 1901.
Basketball Played with Soccer Ball
Initially, basketball was played with soccer balls, and peach baskets were used instead of steel rims.
Shorter Games
In the early days, the time of basketball games was shorter as compared to now. Naismith proposed with 15 minutes halves, with 5 minutes of rest.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. How did James Naismith Invent basketball?
Answer. There was only two basketball game equipment at that time: a Soccer ball and two peach baskets. He put these two baskets at each end of the gym and started throwing the ball in the air for the first tipoff.
Q2. What country invented the basketball?
Answer. James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Canada.
Q3. What basketball was first called?
Answer. Initially, the name of basketball was “Basket Ball.”
Q4. How long is the NBA season?
Answer. If you don’t know that, how long is the NBA season and wondering about that, you can visit our detailed article, in which we have discussed every single thing about the NBA season.
Q5. Is basketball skill or talent?
Answer. Definitely, basketball is a skill and requires much more effort to become an expert player in the future. It would be best if you had to learn different and impressive techniques of playing basketball. The fundamental skills are Dribbling, Running, Jumping, Dunking, Passing, Defense, and Shooting.
Conclusion
Want to become a basketball expert? The 13 rules of basketball help you a lot before going for practice in a basketball gym.
In this article, we have discussed in detail about the inventor of basketball, 6 Notable evolutions in the history of basketball, and amazing facts about basketball after its inventions. We hope that you understand this topic in the perfect way.
If you still have any questions regarding this topic, you can ask us in the below comment section without any hesitation.