Basketball History

Basketball History in the Making



The history of basketball paved the way to a lot of

significant events and people who made countless

contributions for the evolution of basketball. Thanks

to the very efforts of its founder, Dr. James

Naismith, an instructor and a student in a Canadian

school, basketball came into being.



Early History



It is said that the first court for basketball was

situated in a YMCA Training School now known as

Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Dr.

Naismith needed something to pump up the energy level

of his students and put them in proper shape as winter

came.



He had numerous ideas but then after realizing how

poor it suited the gymnasiums, he decided to establish

the rules first. His idea of the first ring is a peach

basket that is nailed on a 10-foot elevated track. But

this peach basket didn’t have a hole at the bottom.



That’s why balls have to be manually retrieved every

once in a while every time the ball had hit a score.

However, this proved to be tiring and inefficient for

proper and fun gaming. Due to this, he decided to poke

a hole into the bottom for the ball to go down

whenever it is shot through it.



The ball that was used was the soccer ball. Whenever

the ball gets into the basket, a point is given to the

entire team. The team who has the most number of

points wins.



This basket was used until the year 1906. On that

year, they replaced the basket with hoops made of

metal and supported by backboards. As this proved to

be more convenient for the ball just literally passed

through the hoops, it was adapted until now.



According to the handwritten diary by Dr. Naismith, he

became nervous with his game for he fret that it would

fail like those that he did before. It also said that

he associated the rules from the game Duck on a Rock

that is typically a children’s game. After which he

named the game as Basket Ball.



Basketball’s Firsts



It was during January 20, 1892 that the first game was

officially played and was held at the gymnasium of

YMCA. The game comprised 9 players and had a 1-0

result. This winning shot was made at a 25 feet

measurement and the court was only half the size of

the present day NBA court.



Basketball was not only meant for men. Women also

indulged in the sport. The first women basketball game

was held in Smith College during the year 1892. Senda

Berenson, also a physical education teacher like

Naismith modified some of the rules that were intended

for women.



She also organized the first basketball women’s

collegiate game that was on March 1893. Her freshmen

women played against the sophomore women. She then

became fascinated by the values and skills the sport

could impart.



YMCA was wholly responsible for the development and

spread of the game. By 1895, it reached Canada and

parts of the US that was then adapted at some high

school for women.



The National Basketball League, known as the very

first pro basketball league, was established in 1898.

The league’s responsibility is to protect the players

from being exploited and make it safer for the benefit

of its members. However, this lasted for only 5 years.



Since these evolutions, basketball had been widely

accepted and had become the new trend in sports.