history of basketball research

• HISTORY & CULTURE

Here's the history of basketball—from peach baskets in Springfield to global phenomenon

The first game used baskets as hoops and turned into a brawl. Soon after, basketball evolved into a pillar of American sports.

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.  

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.

“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.”

FREE BONUS ISSUE

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.

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.

You May Also Like

Your daily life is probably shaped by these 12 people—do you know their names?

Antifreeze in ice cream? These unusual ingredients are found in everyday products

Meet the inventor of the Bloodmobile

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.

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. )

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.

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.

Related Topics

• WINTER SPORTS

This ancient society helped build the modern world.

What's inside Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks?

Thomas Edison didn’t invent the light bulb—but here’s what he did do

The Viking origins of your Bluetooth devices

IVF revolutionized fertility. Will these new methods do the same?

• History & Culture
• Photography
• Environment
• Paid Content

History & Culture

• History Magazine
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

THE PLIGHT OF THE PRE-PENSION PLAYERS Find out how the league's pioneer players are getting the short end of the stick. For more information on the Pre-1965 NBA Players Association, or to order copies of Vintage NBA from the Pre-1965 NBA Players Association [for only $20, including shipping], write to: Bill Tosheff XNBA.org The Pre-1965 NBA Players Association 1455 2nd Ave. Suite 1402 San Diego, CA 92101 619-899-2504 & 619-234-3500

BASKETBALL LOGO INDEX PAGE Major leagues [NBA, ABA, ABL, etc.], minor leagues [CBA, USBL, etc.], women's leagues [WBL, WNBA, ABL, etc.]

HISTORICAL BASKETBALL STATISTICAL DATABASE Online statistical database for the BAA/NBA, NBL and ABA [Courtesy of Bob Chaikin]

NBDL National Basketball Developmental League 2001-02 to Present NBL National Basket Ball League 1898-99 to 1903-04 NBL National Basketball League 1926-27 NBL National Basketball League1929-30 NBL National Basketball League1932-33 NBL National Basketball League1937-38 to 1948-49 NBL National Basketball League [Canada] 1993 to 1994 NPBL National Professional Basketball League 1950-51 NRL National Rookie League 2001 to Present NEBA New England Basketball Association 1904-05 NEBL New England Basketball League 1903-04 NEL New England League 1946-47 NYSL New York State League 1911-12 to 1916-17, 1919-20 to 1922-23 NYSPL New York State Professional League 1946-47 to 1948-49 NABL North American Basketball League 1964-65 to 1967-68 PCPBL Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League 1946-47 to 1947-48 PSL Pennsylvania State League 1914-15 to 1917-18, 1919-20 to 1920-21 PBL Philadelphia Basket Ball League 1902-03 to 1908-09 PBLA Professional Basketball League of America 1947-48 SBL Southern Basketball League 1947-48 to 1948-49 SBL Southwest Basketball League 1997-98 to Present ABA/EBA/UBA Atlantic Basketball Association/Eastern Basketball Alliance/United Basketball Alliance 1993-94 to Present USBL United States Basketball League 1985 to Present WBA Western Basketball Association 1974-75 WBA Western Basketball Association 1978-79 WMBL Western Massachusetts Basket Ball League 1903-04 WPBL Western Pennsylvania Basket Ball League 1903-04 WPBL Western Pennsylvania Basket Ball League 1912-13 WPBL Western Pennsylvania Basket Ball League 1914-15 WNBA Women's National Basketball Association 1997 to Present Women's Professional Basketball 1936 to Present  · AllAmericanRedheads.com [John Molina]  · EdmontonGrads.com [John Molina]  · History of Women's Basketball [John Molina]  · Machine Gun Moll - WBL Legend [John Molina]  · Women's Basketball League [John Molina] WBL Women's Professional Basketball League 1978-79 to 1980-80 WBL World Basketball League 1988 to 1992

PRO BASKETBALL LISTS Team Abbreviations 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century 10 Greatest Teams of the 20th Century ABA/NBA Exhibition Games Al Hoffman's Adjusted Stats - Introduction  · 1946-1967 · 1967-1976 · 1976-1988 · 1988-2000 · 1967-1976 · 1976-1988 · 1988-2000 · 1967-1976 · 1976-1988 · 1988-2000 All-Star Game Participants All-Time Greats Bill Spivey's Professional Career Highlights History of Basket Bowl A fictional account of the ABA/NBA championship game Deceased Players European League Champions Hall of Fame Inductees Left-Handed Players Most Teams in a Career and a Season NBA/ABA Attendance History BAA/NBA/ABA Finals/Championship Series Participants Most Games With One Franchise Entire Career With One Franchise Relatives in the NBL/BAA/NBA/ABA Wilt Chamberlain Career Retrospective

BARNSTORMING TEAMS AND PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENTS Harlem Globetrotters All-Time Roster Harlem Globetrotters - Minneapolis Lakers Box Scores Jackie Robinson and the Los Angeles Red Devils 1941 Rosenblum Tournament World Professional Basketball Tournament World Series of Basketball

AMATEUR BASKETBALL LISTS Amateur Athletic Union/National Industrial Basketball League History Olympic Games NCAA All-American NCAA Annual Awards NCAA Tournament NCAA Yearly Final Polls BAA/NBA/ABA DRAFT HISTORY BAA/NBA

• 1946-47 to 1959-60
• 1960-61 to 1969-70
• 1970-71 to 1979-80
• 1980-81 to 1989-90
• 1990-91 to 2000-01
• 2001-02 to 2010-11

Basketball Origins, Growth and History of the Game

Beginning in springfield:.

Dr. James Naismith With many sports, it's hard to trace an exact origin; ball games are fairly universal to cultures around the globe, and finding a specific inventor can be difficult to impossible. Basketball, on the other hand, does not have that same problem. The game millions watch today had its definite beginnings in the small town of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the mind of Dr. James Naismith. Naismith was a 30-year-old instructor at the local YMCA training school, and, in 1891 was tasked with coming up with an activity to be played indoors during winter, and given 14 days to do so. Naismith went through indoor versions of soccer, lacrosse and football, and they all failed (with the irony being all three of those sports would eventually have indoor versions), primarily because each try caused damage, particularly to windows. Naismith set out to create a game with less violence, one that was less a contest of strength and more a contest of skill. Late at night on the final before the final day of the two weeks he was given, he created a set of 13 rules for Basket Ball. He established many things still in use today, including the concept of "travelling," "goaltending," fouls, and even the rule that a ball must be thrown in-bounds within five seconds. He set up peach baskets attached to both ends of a gymnasium balcony, and used a soccer ball (using an "Association foot ball" was even part of his original rules). The name "Basket Ball" came from a student who first learned the game.

Growth Through YMCA Basketball's spread was helped a great deal by the YMCA itself; students who learned the game from Naismith took it across the country and even the world on Christian missions. Naismith himself taught the game in Springfield, in Denver at the YMCA there, and then at the University of Kansas, where he taught the game (as a teacher of physical education) from 1898 until shortly before his death in 1939. While Naismith's rules do not cover everything about the modern game, many aspects were picked up almost instantly; one of the key rules (the 3rd) said that no player could run with the ball, but did not introduce the concept of dribbling, fundamental to today's game. However, many of his players soon figured out that dribbling wasn't against Naismith's rules, and adopted it. Naismith himself liked the invention, and dribbling was made part of the official rules in 1898. Wooden backboards were added in 1896, while the number of players on the court was limited to five in 1900, after some games had gotten out of control, with reports of more than 50 people trying to play on the court at once. The game was also one of the first sports to be played by women as well as men; only 15 months elapsed between the invention of the game and the first women's game, played at Smith College in 1893.

The Sport Grows:

College Basketball Early 1900's The spread was made possible primarily through two avenues; first, as mentioned, the YMCA gave the game an outlet that was not only nationwide, but worldwide, in addition to spreading it among young people, helping it grow through time. The second avenue was college; college basketball was far more widespread and popular than any early professional leagues. That is not to say, however, that the early professional leagues did not matter; they were simply poorly organized. The first pro basketball league, the National Basketball League, formed in 1898 and folded just six years later. From that point on, for a period of about 45 years, professional basketball in the U.S. was a series of loosely organized leagues primarily in the northeast. Many of the professional teams during this period were "barnstormers," pro teams that travelled to play local teams for money. None of the teams in existence today come from those old leagues, though one team, the Original Celtics from New York, helped inspire the naming of the Boston Celtics, while the Harlem Globetrotters, just an exhibition team (not in a professional league) came into existence in 1927. Still, while the teams did not last, some of the changes they brought did. In 1908, the rule of a player being ejected from a game after five fouls was introduced (five fouls is still the standard in college basketball, while the pro game now uses six). 1915 first saw dribblers being allowed to shoot the basketball. In 1938, they eliminated a jump ball at center court after each basket (speeding up the game and creating higher scores). The Original Celtics, and in particular one of their players, Nat Holman, brought passing to a new level in the 1920's , while ball-handling became an art under Marques Haynes of the Globetrotters.

International Popularity Early 1900's Basketball's domestic growth was nearly equaled by its international growth. The Christian missions that brought the game around the world helped make basketball one of the world's first truly global games; the first international basketball tournament was the Inter-Allied Games, played between the U.S., France and Italy in Paris in 1919. FIBA, the Fédération Internationale de Basketball, the governing body of the sport internationally, was formed in Geneva, Switzerland in 1932, almost 20 years before the National Basketball Association, the game's governing body in the U.S. Just four years later, basketball became an Olympic sport, only furthering its worldwide popularity (though its first exposure in the Olympics came even earlier, in 1904 as an exhibition). Interestingly, the U.S. was not one of the original members of FIBA; it joined two years later, in 1934. The founding eight countries were Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland.

Visit our 1950's Section

1950s Prices including inflation prices for homes, wages etc,

Baby Boomers raise families following 20 years of unrest ( Great Depression and World War II ) the peak of the Baby Boomer Years

Includes Music, Fashion, Prices, News for each Year, Popular Culture, Technology and More.

College Championships:

Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Princeton While the sport grew internationally and the professional game was stalled by a distinct lack of organization, the college game showed no signs of slowing down. Early in the game's history, colleges began to play games against each other, with some of the earliest college leagues formed by Ivy League schools like Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Princeton. Some of today's basketball staples, including the layup, the one-hand shot and the dunk, were created by college players.

National Invitational Tournament, or NIT In 1938, a group of sports writers in New York wanted to introduce the concept of a national college basketball champion. They brought six teams to play at Madison Square Garden in the National Invitational Tournament, or NIT. Bradley, Colorado, Long Island, New York University, Oklahoma A&M and Temple competed for the first NIT title, with Temple besting Colorado 60-36 in the championship game. The NIT would grow over time, eventually becoming a tournament of 40 teams in 2002, and is still played today, though the tourney is now considered a consolation prize when not making the NCAA tournament.

National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA The success of the NIT led the National Collegiate Athletic Association to form its own basketball championship tournament only a year later. In 1939, the first NCAA basketball championship tourney was played between Brown, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah State, Villanova and Wake Forest, with Oregon beating Ohio State for the title, 46-33. Like the NIT, the NCAA tournament would grow over time, most recently expanding to 68 teams.

Professional Basketball Comes Together:

Early Pro Leagues In 1937, the National Basketball League (NBL) was created by three corporations: General Electric, Firestone and Goodyear. This was not to be confused with any of the previous five incarnations of the National Basketball League (apparently, that particular title was not very lucky). Most of the teams in the league played in the Midwest, and the league remained in existence for over ten years. In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed, with 11 teams the first season, some of them playing in stadiums like the Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium and Madison Square Garden (with almost all the teams playing in venues that also hosted hockey). Though the NBL boasted more talent, the BAA was seen as more successful, and in 1948, four of the NBL's best teams - Fort Wayne, Rochester, Indianapolis and Minneapolis - moved to the BAA. A year later, the NBL folded, and the remaining teams jumped to the BAA, forming the National Basketball Association.

National Basketball Association NBA The new league's early success was helped by what was arguably professional basketball's first superstar, George Mikan. The 6'10'' Mikan, out of DePaul University, was a giant on the court - at the time, being 6'10'' meant you towered over almost everyone else. Mikan averaged 27.4 points per game (ppg) and led the Minneapolis Lakers to the first NBA title over the Syracuse Nationals. Mikan was not the most exciting player to watch, but he dominated the game, leading the league in points, rebounds and shots, his team winning the title 7 straight years (dating back to the NBL and BAA). The NBA began to change its rules to mitigate the Mikan factor, widening the three-second lane, an area in the center of the court by the basket where a player cannot stand for more than three seconds before being whistled for a violation. By removing Mikan from under the basket, it allowed teams to score more easily against him.

Breaking the Color Barrier:

Early Players College Teams Black basketball players were nothing new. African-Americans dotted the college basketball landscape - George Gregory Jr. became the first black All-American basketball player at Columbia University in 1931, William Garrett broke the color barrier of major college basketball programs by becoming the first black player in the Big Ten Conference when he joined the Indiana Hoosiers in 1947, and in 1948, Clarence Walker became the first black player to play in a national college basketball championship tournament when he stepped on the court for Indiana State University at the National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) tournament. Teams like the Globetrotters and the New York Rens (for Renaissance, a barnstorming team from the 1920s and 30s) had been playing games against all-white teams for years. But black basketball players had yet to make their way into any professional basketball league when 1950 rolled around.

Chuck Cooper First NBA Player Chuck Cooper was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1950, the first black player in the NBA. Two other black players joined him that same year; Nat Clifton actually became the first African-America to sign an NBA contract when New York signed him away from the Globetrotters for $25,000 (in today's money, $223,000). Earl Lloyd, playing for Washington, became the first black player to play in an NBA game, as his team was scheduled to begin the season before Clifton or Cooper's teams.

Holding the Ball, Killing the Game:

TV rights to NCAA While pro basketball continued on the Fifties, college basketball was where the fans were. The quality of basketball was often higher in the college ranks, and in 1954, NBC paid $7,500 for the first national broadcast TV rights to an NCAA title game; converting that to today's dollars, that first televised title game cost just under $60,000. At the time, that was a good deal of money for a sporting event; today, the most recent agreement between the NCAA and television networks to broadcast the Final Four tournament cost $10.8 billion dollars. Even in college, where players aren't paid, big business has drastically changed the game.

Fans Turned Off By Changing Game In the NBA, the Minnesota Lakers had a dynasty going; led by Mikan, they won championships in 5 of 6 seasons from 1949 to 1954. Even as the league changed its rules, and as Mikan's scoring dipped, the Lakers rolled. However, the game itself was becoming harder to watch. The league had a distinct lack of rules regarding foul limits and stalling; games became knockdown, drag-out affairs, with the end of games often becoming free-throw shooting contests. The 1953 playoffs averaged 80 free throws per game; today, the average is a little over 50. In a famous 1950 game, Fort Wayne beat Minnesota 19-18, while a five-overtime game between Rochester and Indianapolis saw the team with the ball at the start of the period hold it the entire time, shooting only at the last second in an attempt to win, for all five OT periods. These methods were turning away fans.

Jack Molinas Caught Gambling As a further blow to the league's public image, Jack Molinas, a rookie for Fort Wayne, was caught betting on his own team, the first time something of that nature had surfaced in professional basketball. Even though Molinas was banned from the sport, and the president of the league, Maurice Podoloff, prohibited gambling in the sport, the damage was done.

Shot Clock Introduced in Pro Game In 1954, the league, and more specifically one man, helped revolutionize the sport and save pro basketball. Danny Biasone, owner of the Syracuse Nationals, introduced the concept of the team foul limit and the shot clock. The team foul limit said that only a certain number of fouls could be committed in a single quarter, and after the limit had been reached, any foul would lead to free throw shots, rather than just shooting fouls (fouls committed while a player is in the act of shooting the ball). This helped the sport, but it was the shot clock that really changed the game. Biasone created the 24-second clock, which counted down at the start of each possession. The team with the ball had to shoot it within that 24 seconds, or give the ball to the other team. If someone shot the ball, it hit the rim, and was rebounded by the same team, the shot clock would reset; fouls also restarted the clock. The results were immediate: scoring increased from 79.5 ppg to 93.1 ppg in the shot clock's first season. Average scoring cracked the 100 mark by 1958.

Biasone arrived at 24 seconds by examining some of his favorite games over the years. He discovered they generally had around 60 shots by each team for a total of 120 shots. If you shoot every 24 seconds over a 48-minute game, you arrive at 120 shots. Meanwhile, college basketball would not institute the shot clock until 1985, with a 45-second clock (which it reduced to 35 in 1993).

George Mikan Retires 1954 was also momentous in that it featured the retirement of its biggest star, George Mikan. Mikan left the Lakers after their fifth championship, and without the big man in the middle, the Lakers dynasty ended. That season, Biasone's Syracuse team won the title, a fitting payoff for the owner who changed the sport. A year later, in the 55-56 season, the league first began awarding a Most Valuable Player trophy, with St. Louis Hawk Bob Pettit winning the first award.

Russell and Chamberlain:

Bill Russell On April 29, 1956, Boston Celtics coach traded two players (Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan) for the draft rights to a young center out of the University of San Francisco named Bill Russell. Russell, drafted third overall by St. Louis, stood 6'10'', but somehow played even taller. His prowess around the rim led the college game to change its rules regarding offensive goaltending. But his accomplishments in college were nothing compared to what he'd do in the NBA. Russell is regularly included in the conversation for greatest player of all time - generally, only Jordan tops him. In 13 seasons, Russell won 11 championships with the Celtics (two as player-coach, the only person ever to win even one title with that role). He was an NBA All-Star 12 times; he won five MVPs, including the MVP his rookie year, and was runner-up twice; he made the All-NBA First Team three times and the Second Team eight times. He holds the records for most rebounds in a single half (32), most rebounds in a Finals game (40) and the highest rebounds per game (RPG) for the playoffs, while he is second in career RPG. More than just statistics and awards, however, Russell helped change the game. His style of play - rebounding and shot-blocking, a complimentary player, rather than one who would just take over a game - hadn't really been seen before out of a player his size. Additionally, he became one of the league's superstars, and was really one of the first black players to become that popular.

MVP trophy's But one wonders how a player that good didn't make every All-NBA First Team and win every MVP trophy. (The NBA's First and Second Teams work like this: each season, a group of basketball reporters and writers select the best player at each position - point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center - which make up the First Team. The Second Team is comprised of the next best guys for each position.) For a stretch of about ten years, the NBA was dominated by two men: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. If Russell didn't win the MVP trophy, generally Chamberlain did. From 1958 to 1968, only two MVP awards were won by players not named Russell or Chamberlain.

Wilt Chamberlain While Russell was all about the team game (evidenced by the Celtics' many titles), Wilt Chamberlain was about stats. Also routinely regarded as one of the greatest to ever play the game, the knock against Wilt was his selfishness. He is often said to care more about his numbers than wins; this is reflected in his career accomplishments. Chamberlain holds the records for career rebounds, career 50-plus point games (118), most points in a single game (the famous 100-point game in 1962), most rebounds in a single game (55), most consecutive scoring titles (7) and is fourth in career points and minutes. He was an All-Star 13 times, made seven All-NBA First Teams, three Second Teams, won the '60 Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, and added four more MVPs before his career ended. But Wilt only won two titles, and one, with the Lakers in 1972, was at the tail end of his career, when he was no longer the best player on the court in any given game.

Philadelphia Warriors Play Boston Celtics Perhaps the best example of the differences between the two comes from the very first game they played against each other. November 7, 1959, Wilt's Philadelphia Warriors came to Boston to play Russell's Celtics. Wilt outscored Russell 50 to 22, but Russell outrebounded him 35 to 28, and the Celtics won the game. Still, despite the arguments made for either side in the debate over who was better, these two players, different as night and day, helped put the NBA on the map, popularizing the sport to levels it hadn't even approached before they came along.

Labor Issues:

Television Revenues Increase As the league began coming into its own, its popularity increased, and with that popularity came increased revenue, both from higher attendance and, in particular, television revenues. (Chamberlain helped this a great deal: following his spectacular rookie season, in which he surpassed all expectations, NBC expanded its coverage to include Saturday and Sunday matinees.) With more money coming in, rifts between players and owners started to worsen.

1963 - 1964 Season Clash Between Owners and Players In the 1963-64 season, things came to a head. Leading into the All-Star Game in Boston that year, the players' grievances included low wages (hardly any players made over five figures, whereas today the rookie minimum is $300,000), extended travelling and no pension. The night of the game, the All-Stars informed commissioner Walter Kennedy two hours before tip-off they would not play the game without a pension plan in place with the owners. ABC, who was broadcasting the game, told Kennedy they would scrap their entire contract if the players didn't play, and Kennedy, just fifteen minutes before the game started, told the players he would facilitate an agreement. It was the first major victory for the NBA Player's Association (which had actually been founded back in the 1950s), and really, the first victory for a player's union in American sports history. The NBA Player's Association became the first player's union to engage in a collective bargaining agreement with its league's owners.

A Growing League:

NBA Growth Though Russell and Chamberlain dominated the sport, the NBA in the 1960s was not without other stars. The breaking of the color barrier in 1950 saw African-Americans in the game, and a decade later, the game's biggest stars were almost entirely black. With the retirement of Bob Cousy, a legendary white Celtic player, in the 1962-1963 season, and the retirement of legendary coach Red Auerbach (who won a then-record nine titles with Boston), the only big NBA stars who were white were Jerry Lucas and Jerry West. Otherwise, the game was dominated by its black stars, guys like Russell, Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Oscar Robertson (who, in the 61-62 season, averaged a triple-double, meaning he finished the season averaging double-digits in three statistical categories, in this case points, rebounds and assists. No player had done it before or has done it since). The American public did not respond to these changes entirely positively; while the 60s were a time of great integration in the U.S., it was still a deeply divided nation, and while the American audience was largely white, the game of basketball was becoming more black, creating a disconnect. Still, the game nonetheless began to really flourish, with attendance topping 2.5 million and ABC signing a contract worth $4 million for a five-year TV deal. (Today, that's worth roughly $27 million. In the most recent TV contract, ABC/ESPN and TNT agreed to pay the league $7.4 billion over eight years.)

Lew Alcindor Even as some of its stars began retiring (Russell in '69 and Chamberlain in '72), one of the games biggest and greatest players emerged. A young man named Lew Alcindor had played for UCLA for three years (at that time, freshman couldn't play college basketball). He was a part of a UCLA squad that, over the three years Alcindor played, won 88 games and lost only two, with one of those losses coming against the University of Houston in the first-ever nationally televised regular season college basketball game. He won three championships with the Bruins, and college basketball even outlawed the dunk for nine years because of Alcindor's domination with the shot. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks as the first overall choice in the 1969 draft, and in his first season was second in the league in scoring and third in rebounding, winning the Rookie of the Year award. The next season, Alcindor won the first of his record six MVP trophies, as well as his first NBA title. Prior to the following season (71-72), Alcindor converted from Catholicism to Islam, changing his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the name he is more commonly known as. By the time Jabbar finished his career, he held the record for points, blocked shots, playoff games and total games played. He still holds the records for points, with 38,387.

The Rival League:

New League The ABA or American Basketball Association In 1967 , a league popped up that would rival the NBA for attention and, more importantly, players, the American Basketball Association (ABA). Eleven franchises - in New York, Pittsburgh, Indiana, Minnesota, Oakland, Virginia, Anaheim, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston and Denver - formed to join the ABA, with the goal of luring away NBA stars and rookies out of college. The NBA, as a response, expanded, adding five more teams over three years and then three more teams in just the 70-71 season alone.

New League Forces Player Wages Up With the challenge of the ABA to NBA supremacy, perhaps the biggest change was in salaries. The late 1960s saw an explosion in player contracts, with some top rookies now getting deals in the range of $250 to $300 thousand dollars (in today's money, around $1.5 to $1.7 million, getting far closer to modern standards of rookie contracts). The NBA, desperate to keep the players in their league and away from the ABA, felt they had no choice but to pay increasingly high salaries.

Spencer Haywood However, it was the ABA's signing of a rookie in 1969 that ultimately forced a change. To that point in history, the NBA had a clause that forced its players to play four years of college basketball before they could be drafted into the NBA. The ABA had no such rule, so when University of Detroit star Spencer Haywood tried to leave school after his sophomore year and was denied by the NBA, the ABA swooped in to claim him. The NBA saw this as giving the ABA a huge advantage in signing away top players, and a merger was agreed upon in 1971. Ten of the eleven ABA teams (all but Virginia) joined the NBA, and in return, the ABA withdrew their antitrust suit against the NBA. However, the Player's Association objected to the merger, with a lawsuit (nicknamed the Oscar Robertson suit, because Oscar was one of the most high-profile names involved) filed that would last five years. Primarily, the legal action was a challenge to the NBA's reserve clause, identical to Major League Baseball's. Haywood, meanwhile, jumped to the NBA after only a year in the ABA, and after successfully challenging their ban on drafting players without four years in college, was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics, permanently ending that ban. A few years later, in 1974, Utah drafted Moses Malone, a center out of high school, ending the ban on drafting high school players, something that would last for over 30 years.

ABA Teams Denver, New York, San Antonio and Indiana Join NBA As the Oscar Robertson suit languished in court, the ABA continued to poach players away from the NBA, becoming more and more successful over time. Between 1970 and 1974, the NBA scoring average dropped from over 116 points per game to just under 103 ppg. By the summer of 1976, the NBA was tired of waiting for the court case to end, and an agreement was reached. Only four ABA teams joined the NBA: Denver, New York, San Antonio and Indiana. They each had to pay $3.2 million dollars to enter the league, and could not receive TV money for three year or take part in the 1976 draft. The NBA agreed in the merger to get rid of the reserve clause and allow free agency. Salaries began escalating even further.

The League's Downward Slide:

Kermit Washington Punch As the league added teams through expansion and the merger, and even as some of its biggest stars took the stage, all was not well with the league. After the ABC television contract ended, they declined to renew, going instead with CBS, who did not promote the league as vigorously as ABC had (and ABC routinely countered CBS's basketball programming with college football and Wide World of Sports, both of which soundly beat basketball in the ratings). Drugs were becoming an increasing problem in the sport, particularly cocaine, and fighting was becoming more prevalent. Things escalated with the now-infamous Kermit Washington punch. In a 1977 game between the (now Los Angeles) Lakers and the Houston Rockets, a fight broke out, and Houston's Rudy Tomjanovich ran towards the brawl, only to be met with a punch by Lakers forward Kermit Washington's punch. The punch landed Tomjanovich in intensive care for two weeks, breaking his jaw, his nose, fracturing his face and cracking his skull so badly (from hitting the ground) that Tomjanovich could taste spinal fluid in his mouth. The ferocity of the punch, combined with the fact that Washington was black and Tomjanovich was white did not help the league. Attendance had already been dropping, as had television ratings. CBS routinely tape-delayed its games, even playoff games, which meant most markets saw these games on TV after midnight. The NBA was in a significant down period.

Magic, Larry and Cable Television:

ESPN and three point line added On September 7, 1979, a new cable television network called ESPN debuted, a 24-hour sports channel with a nightly program called Sportscenter. The show featured highlights from the various sporting events of the day, and significantly helped market the sport of basketball. Earlier that year, the NBA had also signed a deal with cable's USA Network to air Thursday night doubleheaders and some early round playoff games. Cable was helping basketball limp back. Additionally, the NBA introduced the three-point line in the 1979-1980 season, and though it takes a few seasons to really catch on, adds an exciting element to the game.

NBA Lifted In The 80's By Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson The 1979-80 season also saw the arrival of two players who would largely set the tone for stardom in the NBA in the coming decade. Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson had just played each other in the NCAA title game before joining the NBA with the Celtics and the Lakers, respectively. Between the two, Bird and Magic would win six MVP awards in the 1980s, with their two teams winning eight of the ten titles in the decade (the Lakers winning five, with both Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whom they acquired from Milwaukee in a trade). As Bird's Celtics and Magic's Lakers battled each other throughout the 80s, the NBA began to recover from the disastrous years of the 70s.

Salary Cap Introduced In 1983, the league and the player's union signed a new collective bargaining agreement. The new CBA introduced two important components to the game: the first was a salary cap. Players were offered bigger revenue shares in return, but the salary cap in place helped curb the runaway contracts being offered (including $25 million over 25 years to Magic Johnson in only his second season), as well as help level the playing field for smaller market teams. The other new element was a new drug policy, employing a "three strikes, you're out" method. The first strike came with a suspension, the second with a suspension and a team option of waiving the player, and the third a lifetime ban from the game (though that was reviewable every two years).

NBA Markets Itself Better At the same time, the NBA was making strides to market itself better, creating the NBA Entertainment Division and signing new TV deals. By December 1989, the NBA had signed four-year contracts with NBC and Turner worth a total of $875 million dollars (over $1.5 billion today). Those contracts replaced the old contract with CBS worth $93 million over four years (valued today at $192 million). The NBA was becoming a booming business, primarily under the guidance of David Stern, a lawyer who became commissioner in 1984 (after working for the NBA since 1966, including as its chief negotiator in the ABA merger). Stern, still running the league today, is its longest tenured president/commissioner.

March Madness:

College Basketball Audience 25 Million While professional basketball began to flourish once again, college basketball was doing just as well. In the 1980s, the viewing audience for the national championship game never dipped below 25 million. Despite no age limit on coming out of school, no players went directly from high school to the NBA Draft from 1975 until 1995 - though a few enrolled in college, but never attended. While plenty of players attended college for a year or two before leaving for the pros, their presence in the college game helped continue college basketball's popularity in the U.S.

College Teams Share Championship Spoils in the 80's Parity also helped college basketball in the 80s. In the decade, only two teams won multiple championships, Indiana and Louisville, and those championships were each separated by six years. Some of the biggest names in the NBA in the 80s were also some of the biggest names in college; Larry and Magic played each other in the NCAA title game in '79, with Magic's Michigan State squad beating out Larry's Indiana State team. The 1982 North Carolina Tar Heels won the title with two future Hall-of-Famers on the roster, Michael Jordan and James Worthy (who would win three championships with the Lakers in the 80s). 1984 champion Georgetown's star center Patrick Ewing became the number one overall pick a few weeks later. Danny Manning, considered one of the best college players of all time, won the 1988 championship with Kansas University, and was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Clippers.

College Team Underdogs College was also helped by its underdogs. Manning's Kansas team was nicknamed "Danny and the Miracles" because it wasn't viewed as a favorite going into the tournament, despite Manning's status as a top player in the game. The 1983 champs, North Carolina State, came into the title game as huge underdogs to the University of Houston, led by Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, two future NBA Hall-of-Famers. While the Lakers and Celtics dominated the professional basketball landscape, the NCAA tournament made for compelling viewing because the "best team" didn't always come out on top.

The 1984 Draft: Michael Arrives:

Hakeem Olajuwon The 1984 draft deserves its own section, if only for the enormity of the outcome. The first three picks that year went to, in order, Houston, Portland and Chicago. Hakeem Olajuwon, a 7-foot center from the University of Houston, came out a season early, after his junior year, and seemed a sure thing to go first overall. Olajuwon ended up winning two titles with Houston, including two NBA Finals MVPs, and is the all-time leader in blocks, considered one of the best centers in NBA history. Also from that year's draft were Charles Barkley, another Hall-of-Famer, drafted fifth by Philadelphia and John Stockton, taken 16th by the Utah Jazz; Stockton would go on to become one of the greatest point guards of all time, a Hall-of-Famer who holds the records for assists and steals. With those players alone, it would be an important draft. But another significant player came out of the '84 draft, one who would leave an indelible mark on the game.

Michael Jordan Draft To Chicago Bulls After Houston locked up number one overall, definitely taking Olajuwon, it was up to the Portland Trail Blazers to choose who they would pick second. At the time, they were having trouble choosing between a center out of Kentucky, Sam Bowie, and a young guard from the University of North Carolina named Michael Jordan. Portland claimed they needed a center badly, and ended up taking Bowie, leaving Jordan to Chicago. It is probably the worst draft decision of all time, perhaps in any sport, and certainly in basketball. Bowie would have a non-descript career, playing ten injury-plagued seasons without making a single All-Star team. Michael Jordan played 17 years in the NBA, won six NBA titles (and was named the Finals MVP in all of those series), was named MVP of the league five times, won 10 NBA scoring titles (for having the highest ppg average), an NBA record, won Rookie of the Year, was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in the 87-88 season, was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times (and the Second Team once, the first year of his career), was named to the All-Defensive First Team 9 times (tied for the most in NBA history), has the highest career ppg average in NBA history, the most 30-point games in NBA history, the most consecutive games scoring double-digit points (with 866), the most points scored in career playoff games, and was named ESPN's top athlete of the century. Suffice to say, Portland would go on to regret their pick.

Michael Jordan As A Brand Jordan's impact on the game, however, went beyond just statistics. Michael became a global icon, building himself into as much a brand as an athlete. He had already inked a deal with Nike before he joined the NBA to market his own brand of sneakers (something that hadn't been seen before). Every year since 1985, Nike has released a new version of Air Jordans, and has recently created the Jordan brand, and entire line of apparel sporting the legendary Jordan logo. Jordan is known worldwide, has been a spokesperson for numerous companies and brands, including Hanes, McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Gatorade, and is now the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, the first former player to become the majority owner of an NBA team. Though Jordan set records for player salaries, including a one-year deal worth between $33 and $36 million in his last season as a Chicago Bull (worth about $44-47 million today) which at the time made him the highest paid athlete in the world, his money came more from his endorsements and business ventures. Five years after his retirement from playing basketball, Forbes listed his pay at $45 million, entirely from sponsorships and businesses. Jordan's self-branding changed the face of the NBA, setting the table for many of the stars who would come after him.

Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls In The 90's The '90s belonged largely to Michael and the Bulls. They won their six titles in two three-peats, first from '91-'93 and then '96-'98. In between, Olajuwon and the Rockets won their two titles. The break between championships for the Bulls coincided with Jordan's first retirement, during which he went to play minor league baseball. Many have speculated on the cause of this retirement: some say Jordan was simply bored, having no real challenge in the game, while others attribute the decision to the murder of his father the previous year, while still others (primarily conspiracy theorists) say Jordan was forced to leave the game for two years by commissioner David Stern because of Jordan's well-publicized gambling issues. Whatever the reason, Jordan's absence from the Bulls opened the door for the Rockets, only for Jordan to close it again with his return. After the '98 season, Jordan retired again, this time staying retired until the 2001 season, in which he returned to basketball playing for the Washington Wizards (with whom he had a minority stake as an owner). That return was less fruitful, as the Wizards failed to make the playoffs either season he played for them.

1992 Olympic men's basketball Dream Team The 1990s also saw the creation of the "Dream Team," the 1992 Olympic men's basketball team. Up to that point in Olympic history, basketball had been played by amateurs, primarily college players (many of whom would go on to play in the NBA). However, the NBA, seeking to market basketball globally, assembled a group of the best players in the world for the U.S. team in 1992. The roster consisted of Jordan, Magic, Bird, Barkley, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen (Jordan's Bulls teammate), Stockton, Chris Mullin, Clyde Drexler and Christian Laettner, all of them All-Stars, many of them Hall-of-Famers. The team destroyed its competition, winning by an average of 44 points at the Barcelona Games, but accomplished its primary goal: to help grow the game worldwide. Twelve years later, Argentina won the first non-American gold medal since 1988, while foreign-born players flooded NBA rosters. Hakeem Olajuwon (from Nigeria) was the first foreign-born player to win an MVP award, while Steve Nash (Canada) and Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) have won in recent years. In the 2009 NBA Finals, eight different countries were represented by players in the series (not including the U.S.).

Locked Out:

1998 Owners Lockout Players Following the 1997-98 season, tensions had grown between the owners and the players. NBA players were the highest paid athletes in the U.S. with an average salary of $1.8 million, compared to $1.2 million for baseball players, $650,000 for football players and $600,000 for hockey players. Without a hard salary cap in place, a divide was growing in the league between big-market teams who could spend freely and small-market teams who were handcuffed by financial restrictions. Unable to come to an agreement, on July 1, 1998, the owners imposed a lockout on the players (essentially, an owners' version of a strike). Though the two sides met throughout the summer, no deal was reached on a new collective bargaining agreement, and slowly, the following season began to be cancelled. The league cancelled the season incrementally, hoping to play at least some of the games if a deal could be reached. David Stern imposed a January 7th deadline, called a "drop dead" day, saying that if no agreement was reached before that day, the league would cancel the entire season. On January 6th, Stern and Billy Hunter, head of the players' union, agreed to a deal. After the deal was officially signed on January 20th, the season began on February 5th with a 50-game season (instead of the normal 82), and the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA title in June.

TV Ratings Drop Following Lockout Though no "hard cap" was ever put in place (which restricts how much many a team can spend on its players), there were salary limitations put in place, which put a cap on how high any one player's salary could be. The most damaging backlash from the lockout came in the form of public perception; public polls showed a widely negative view of the lockout by both the general public and fans of the sport. Many of the players themselves, including stars like John Stockton and Charles Barkley said publicly that it was a mistake, and a loss for the league in general. Television ratings for the sport dropped every year after the lockout for five years (though that can also be attributed to Jordan's retirement from the Bulls).

Skipping College:

Kevin Garnett First High Schooler Drafted Into NBA For 20 years In the 1995 draft, Kevin Garnett, out of Farragut High School in Chicago, became the first high schooler drafted into the NBA in 20 years. Despite the league's misgivings, there was no rule against it, and Garnett was taken 5th by the Minnesota Timberwolves. His selection would start a huge increase in high school athletes going straight to the NBA. The next year, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal were each taken in the draft. In 2001, Kwame Brown became the first high schooler taken 1st overall in the draft; he was followed in later years by LeBron James and Dwight Howard. Only two high school-to-NBA players have ever won the Rookie of the Year award: Amare Stoudamire (of the Phoenix Suns in 2003) and LeBron James (of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004).

College Game Suffers With some of the top talent in the country foregoing college, the college game suffered, with a somewhat steady drop in ratings from 1995 onward. Many believe the quality of play also suffered. At the same time, perception of the NBA suffered greatly; many of the high schoolers who came into the league did not do well, and many attributed it to immaturity. In 2005, under a new collective bargaining agreement, the league imposed restrictions on the draft; players now had to be at least 19 years old in the calendar year of the draft and be one year removed from high school. This has led most players who would've joined the NBA after high school to spend a year in college before joining the league. Some players, notably Brandon Jennings in 2008, played abroad for a year before joining the NBA. The last three Rookie of the Year award winners in the NBA (as of 2010) all played one year in college before joining the NBA, while the previous four number one overall picks did the same thing.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal Signed By The Lakers The dawning of the new millennium saw a rebirth of championship basketball in Los Angeles. The Lakers, after acquiring Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets on the day he was drafted, also signed Shaquille O'Neal in the same year, one of the most dominant centers of his era (and perhaps ever). Initially, the team failed to have great success; though a playoff team, they did not reach the NBA Finals until 2000, under the leadership of former Bulls head coach Phil Jackson. They would go on to dominate the NBA landscape for three years, winning three titles. The San Antonio Spurs, who ended the Lakers run of titles, also built themselves a bit of a dynasty in the 2000s, winning three championships in five years (2003, 2005 and 2007), anchored by Tim Duncan, who many consider the greatest power forward of his generation, and perhaps even of all time. After a down year in 2003, the Lakers had rebuilt themselves, signing aging veterans Gary Payton and Karl Malone. However, the team lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals in 2004, and the following postseason, after public disagreements between O'Neal and Bryant, the Lakers traded O'Neal to the Miami Heat. Within two seasons, the Heat, led by Dwyane Wade and O'Neal, won the NBA title. The Lakers, meanwhile, wouldn't reach the Finals for another four years.

LeBron James Signed By Cleveland Cavaliers Arguably, the most compelling player of this decade, however, hasn't won an NBA title. LeBron James was probably the most hyped young talent of all time; he received a Sports Illustrated cover story when he was still a junior in high school. Upon entering the league, he was almost immediately considered one of its top players. He has been the youngest player to achieve over a dozen accomplishments, including numerous scoring records. Most recently, he signed a new contract with the Miami Heat, leaving his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to join Dwyane Wade and All-Star Chris Bosh (who signed with the Heat from Toronto). His decision was announced in a televised one-hour special on ESPN called, "The Decision." Though the special was widely criticized, it was viewed by 9.95 million viewers, ESPN's highest rated non-NFL program of the year. Despite criticisms, however, the next decade of NBA basketball may belong to the Miami Heat; only time will tell.

From the Streets to the NBA: The Fascinating History of Basketball

Basketball is more than just a game. It’s a cultural phenomenon that has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. From the streets of urban America to the bright lights of the NBA, basketball has a rich and fascinating history that spans more than a century. The game has undergone countless changes and evolutions over the years, from its early days as a simple pastime to its current status as a global sensation. But no matter how much it has changed, basketball has always remained true to its roots as a game of skill, athleticism, and passion. 

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the history of basketball, from its humble beginnings on the streets to its rise as one of the most popular sports in the world. So grab your ball and lace up your sneakers, because we’re about to take a journey through the fascinating world of basketball.

The Origins of Basketball

The history of basketball can be traced back to the late 1800s when a young Canadian physical education instructor named James Naismith was tasked with creating a new game that could be played indoors during the winter months. Naismith’s solution was to create a game that involved throwing a ball into a basket, and he hung the first baskets on the balconies of the gymnasium where he worked. The first game of basketball was played on December 21, 1891, with nine players on each team and a soccer ball as the playing ball.

Over the next few years, basketball began to gain popularity in the United States, particularly in colleges and universities. The first intercollegiate basketball game was played in 1895 between Hamline University and the University of Minnesota, and by the turn of the century, the game had spread to high schools and YMCAs across the country. As the game grew in popularity, rules were standardized and refined, and the familiar orange ball was introduced in 1950.

The Early Years of Basketball

In its early years, basketball was primarily played by amateurs and college athletes. The first professional basketball league, the National Basketball League (NBL), was formed in 1937 and consisted of 13 teams. However, the league struggled financially and was eventually absorbed by the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1949. The BAA would later become the NBA, which is now the most prestigious professional basketball league in the world.

During the early years of basketball, the game was dominated by white players. However, this began to change in the 1940s and 1950s, as African American players began to break into the professional ranks. One of the most notable early African American players was Earl Lloyd, who became the first black player to play in an NBA game in 1950.

The Growth of Basketball in the United States

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, basketball continued to grow in popularity in the United States, particularly among young people. The game was played in high schools and colleges across the country, and the NBA began to attract large crowds to its games. The 1960s also saw the emergence of some of the game’s greatest players, including Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West.

One of the key factors in the growth of basketball during this time was the development of television. The first nationally televised NBA game was broadcast in 1953, and by the 1970s, nearly every NBA game was broadcast on television. This exposure helped to make basketball more accessible to fans across the country and helped to cement the NBA’s status as the premier professional basketball league in the world.

The Rise of Professional Basketball

In the 1970s, the NBA began to experience a period of rapid growth and expansion. The league added several new teams, including the Portland Trail Blazers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and began to attract more and more fans to its games. The 1970s also saw the emergence of some of the game’s most iconic players, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, and Magic Johnson.

One of the key developments during this time was the introduction of the three-point shot. The three-point shot was first introduced in the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967 and was later adopted by the NBA in 1979. The introduction of the three-point shot helped to open up the game and make it more exciting for fans and also helped to create new opportunities for players who excelled at shooting from long range.

The Rise of Basketball Superstars

The 1980s saw the rise of some of the most iconic basketball players of all time, including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. These players helped to popularize the game even further and helped to establish basketball as a major cultural force in the United States and around the world.

Jordan, in particular, became a cultural icon during this time, thanks to his incredible skill and athleticism on the court, as well as his charismatic personality off the court. He helped to elevate the game of basketball to new heights and remains one of the most beloved and influential athletes of all time.

The Global Expansion of Basketball

The 1990s saw the NBA extend its influence beyond the borders of the United States, thanks in large part to the success of the “Dream Team” at the 1992 Olympics. The Dream Team, which featured some of the greatest basketball players of all time, including Jordan, Bird, and Johnson, dominated the competition and helped to popularize basketball around the world.

In the years that followed, the NBA continued to expand its international reach, with players from all over the world joining the league and bringing their own unique styles of play to the game. Today, the NBA is truly a global league, with fans and players from all over the world.

The Modern Era of Basketball

The modern era of basketball is often defined by the dominance of Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s. Jordan’s incredible skill and athleticism helped to elevate the game to new heights and helped to establish basketball as one of the most popular sports in the world.

Today, the NBA is more popular than ever, with fans tuning in from all over the world to watch their favorite teams and players compete. The game has continued to evolve and change over the years, with new rules, technologies, and playing styles constantly emerging.

Basketball in the 21st Century

In the 21st century, basketball has continued to grow and evolve, with new players and teams emerging to challenge the status quo. The game has become more global than ever, with players from all over the world joining the NBA and bringing their own unique styles of play to the game.

One of the key developments in recent years has been the rise of analytics in basketball. Teams and players are using advanced statistics and data analysis to gain a competitive edge, and this has led to new strategies and playing styles emerging on the court.

The Future of Basketball

As we look to the future, it’s clear that basketball will continue to evolve and change in exciting new ways. New technologies, playing styles, and rule changes will emerge, and new stars will rise to dominate the game.

But no matter how much the game changes, one thing will always remain the same: basketball is a game of skill, athleticism, and passion, and it will continue to capture the hearts and minds of people all over the world for generations to come.

Basketball has a rich and fascinating history that spans more than a century. From its humble beginnings on the streets to its rise as one of the most popular sports in the world, basketball has undergone countless changes and evolutions over the years. But no matter how much it has changed, basketball has always remained true to its roots as a game of skill, athleticism, and passion. As we look to the future, it’s clear that the game will continue to evolve and change in exciting new ways, but one thing will always remain the same: basketball is more than just a game, it’s a cultural phenomenon that has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Sports (Basel)

Improving Practice and Performance in Basketball

Basketball is ranked in the top three team sports for participation in the Americas, Australia, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific nations, making it one of the most popular team sports worldwide [ 1 ]. The physical demands and high popularity of basketball present a wide range of potential applications in society. At one end, basketball may offer a vehicle to combat high inactivity rates and reduce economic health burdens for government officials and health administrators in many countries due to the popularity of the game combined with the evidence supporting recreational basketball eliciting intense physical demands with low perceptual demand [ 2 ]. At the other end, professional basketball competitions have emerged in over 100 countries with more than 70,000 professional players globally [ 3 ], creating a lucrative business that provides legitimate career pathways for players and entertainment for billions of people. Despite the wide range in application, it is surprising how little research has been conducted in basketball relative to other sports. For instance, a rudimentary search on PubMed showed basketball to yield considerably less returns than other sports with a similar global reach and comparable returns to sports governed in less regions of the world ( Table 1 ). Consequently, we sought to edit a Special Issue on “Improving Practice and Performance in Basketball” to provide a collection of studies from basketball researchers across the world and increase available evidence on pertinent topics in the sport. In total, 40 researchers from 16 institutions or professional bodies across nine countries contributed 10 studies in the Special Issue.

Returns on Scopus for basketball relative to other sports.

Note: Search conducted on August 9th 2019 via https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ and was restricted to past five years. * The number of countries identified as members by the international governing body; † field hockey included 137 member countries, while ice hockey included 76 member countries; ‡ rugby union included 119 member countries, while rugby league included 68 member countries.

Most research conducted in basketball has focused on athletic populations. For instance, a review of the 228 studies returned on PubMed for “basketball” in 2019 (up to August 9th) indicates over 25% of studies focused on the incidence, treatment, rehabilitation, or screening of injuries, while 11% of studies described physical, fitness, or functional attributes in competitive basketball players. These trends emphasize the strong interest in understanding injury prevention and treatment in basketball, as well as attributes which may underpin successful players, both of which are oriented towards optimizing player and team performance. Regarding enhancing performance, an increasingly popular field of research in basketball is examining monitoring methods (7% of PubMed studies in 2019) to better understand demands placed on players across the season and provide evidence for decision-making regarding player management. Several reviews have recently been published highlighting the interest in quantifying game [ 4 ] and training demands [ 5 ], using heart rate monitoring [ 6 ], and applying microsensors to measure player workloads [ 7 ] in competitive basketball. Available monitoring technologies provide basketball coaches and high-performance staff with a plethora of data regarding player fitness, workloads, and fatigue status to inform decisions regarding training prescription and recovery opportunities for minimizing injury risk and optimizing performance. In turn, basketball research has readily used game-related statistics (3% of PubMed studies in 2019) to describe player and team performance, which provide an expansive reservoir of data, usually publicly available, to link outcomes of interest to performance. Consequently, our Special Issue was open to research exploring various current topics that have potential to impact practice in basketball.

In keeping with the recent trends in basketball research, the Special Issue contains two reviews with one focused on exploring the utility of various monitoring strategies to detect player fatigue [ 8 ] and the other identifying issues to consider around the extensive travelling requirements in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the premier global basketball competition [ 9 ]. Both reviews highlight the practical aspects relating fatigue and travel in basketball, including potential implications for injury, workload management, recovery, and assessment in players. Furthermore, two applied studies in the Special Issue examine workload monitoring in basketball, with one exploring the impact of game scheduling on accelerometer-derived workload [ 10 ] and the other examining changes in jump kinetics and perceptual workload across the season [ 11 ]. An additional three studies in the Special Issue identified game-related statistics explaining game outcomes and regional differences in various elite competitions (Olympics [ 12 ], EuroBasket [ 13 ], and Continental Championships [ 14 ]). The remaining three studies described physical [ 15 , 16 ] and skill [ 17 ] attributes in various player samples. It should also be noted our Special Issue addresses an important issue of increasing research in female athletes, who have traditionally been under-represented in the literature compared to male basketball players, with seven of the eight original studies (88%) containing female basketball players.

The immediate future of basketball research in high-performance settings is highlighted by issues faced in practice. Specifically, key players are missing games or being rested for “load management” in the NBA to reduce player injury risk, despite some initial evidence suggesting greater rest during the regular season (6 ± 1 vs 1 ± 1 games) does not reduce injury incidence or performance in the playoffs [ 18 ]. Likewise, condensed game schedules [ 19 ] and the total minutes played in individual games [ 20 ] have been shown to have no significant effects on injury risk in NBA players. In contrast, other research suggests the total number of games played in a season impacts injury risk in the NBA [ 21 ], highlighting the need for further research on this topic to gather a definitive understanding regarding the effects of managing player workloads on injury risk. In fact, more research needs to build upon the extensive descriptive evidence already available and identify modifiable factors contributing to injuries in basketball players for coaches and high-performance staff to control risk as much as possible. In addition to injury, future basketball research should seek to further examine the efficacy of logical and practical intervention strategies on player performance. For example, an increasing number of studies are examining the utility of different training approaches, including resistance training [ 22 ], court-based conditioning [ 23 ], and games-based drills [ 5 ], as well as nutritional strategies [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ] and recovery practices [ 28 ] on performance outcomes. Furthermore, it is integral for future research assessing player performance to use basketball-specific assessments. In this regard, more research is recognizing the need for greater specificity in measuring performance in basketball, with an increased number of studies exploring the utility of basketball-specific testing protocols to assess relevant physical attributes [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ] as well as in-game statistics [ 33 ] and workloads [ 34 ] to quantify player performance in a robust manner with increased application to actual competition.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The History of Basketball (13 Rules + First Basketball Game Ever)

As coaches and lovers of the game, it’s important (and fun!) to know a little basketball history and the origins of the game we all hold so close to our hearts.

Who Invented Basketball?

The game of basketball originated in December 1891 by a Canadian born man by the name of James Naismith.

Naismith was a teacher at the YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was required to train young men to become instructors at newly opened YMCA centres.

With the cold weather keeping the class indoors, in December 1891, Naismith was asked by the schools Superintendent of Physical Education, Dr. Luther. H. Gulick, to create an indoor game that would keep the young men active during the cold winter months.

Upon this request, Naismith nervously set out to create a game that his class would enjoy. In a diary found many years later he had written…

“I felt this was a crucial moment in my life as it meant success or failure of my attempt to hold the interest of the class and devise a new game”

With the help of his wife and memories of playing ‘Duck on a Rock’ during his childhood, he decided to create a game that would focus on skill rather than strength.

For those who are curious… ‘Duck on a Rock’ was a game in which players threw rocks at a certain target placed on top of a large boulder or tree stump.

The game he ended up inventing is the game we all know and love today – basketball.  

How Basketball Was First Played

Basketball required very little equipment to play… two peach baskets hanging 10 feet above the ground, and a soccer ball.

The object of the game is to work as a team to throw or bat the soccer ball into the opposing teams peach basket, while defending a score in your peach basket from the opposition team.

As you can imagine, it was a major pain getting the ball out of the peach basket when a team finally scored. Some say they used a long poll to push the ball out, others say someone was required to climb a ladder to retrieve it…

Either way, the initial players weren’t great shooters so they didn’t have to worry about this too much! Heck, in the first game ever played there was only one score during the entire game! But I’ll explain more about that game later in this article.

Originally the game involved nine players on each team… What! Why nine players? Because Naismith’s class had 18 people in it.

He also developed rules for the game known as ‘The 13 Rules of Basketball’.

The 13 Rules of Basketball

• The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
• The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.
• 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 a man running at good speed.
• The ball must be held by the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.
• No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person 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 of the game. No substitution shall be allowed.
• A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.
• If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
• 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 no touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
• When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of 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 them.
• 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 power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
• The referee shall be 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 a referee.
• The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between.
• The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner.

The First Game of Basketball Ever Played

The first game of basketball ever played on the 21 st of December, 1891, at the YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The gym was incredibly small. Only 50 feet x 35 feet, compared to current day courts which are 94 feet x 53 feet.

Naismith arrived early that day. Little did he know he was about to create basketball history…

After posting the ’13 Rules of Basketball’ on the bulletin board of the gym, he then nailed a peach basket to the lower rail of the balcony on both ends of the gym.

When the players arrived, Naismith split his eighteen students into two teams of nine players and done his best to teach them the 13 rules of basketball.

They were now ready to embark on a game destined to change sport forever…

Little did James Naismith or of any of his players realize how big this new game would become in a very short amount of time.

The players involved in the first basketball game were;

Team 1: John J. Thompson, Eugene S. Libby, T. Duncan Patton, Frank Mahan, Finlay G. MacDonald, William H. Davis, Lyman Archibald, Edwin P. Ruggles, William R. Chase.

Team 2: George Weller, Wilbert Carey, Ernest Hildner, Raymond Kaighn, Genzabaro Ishikawa, Benjamin S. French, Franklin Barnes, George Day and Henry Gelan.

The final score of the game ended 1 – 0. Team 1 were the victors.

William R. Chase scored the only goal of the game from 25 feet away from the basket… becoming the first person to score a goal during a game in basketball history!

– Coach Mac

basketball history

You may also like

What is a 5 second violation in basketball (explained), what is a 3 second violation in basketball (explained).

• Great Plains Quarterly

Hoops: A Cultural History of Basketball in America by Thomas Aiello (review)

• Wade Davies
• University of Nebraska Press
• Volume 43, Number 1, Winter 2023
• 10.1353/gpq.2023.a897857
• View Citation

Additional Information

• Buy Article for $19.00 (USD)

• Buy Complete Digital Issue for $28.50 (USD)

Project MUSE Mission

Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Forged from a partnership between a university press and a library, Project MUSE is a trusted part of the academic and scholarly community it serves.

2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland, USA 21218

+1 (410) 516-6989 [email protected]

©2024 Project MUSE. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries.

Now and Always, The Trusted Content Your Research Requires

Built on the Johns Hopkins University Campus

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.

• Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
• The History, Culture and Sociology of Sports
• Research Topics

Basketball: Culture and Society

Total Downloads

Total Views and Downloads

About this Research Topic

Basketball is a team sport with the primary objective of scoring points by putting the ball inside the basket and preventing the opposing team from doing the same. Since its creation in the USA in 1891, basketball has evolved to become one of the world’s most popular and widely viewed sports. Basketball ...

Keywords : basketball, culture, sociology, history, management, marketing, tourism, events

Important Note : All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic Editors

Topic coordinators, recent articles, submission deadlines, participating journals.

Manuscripts can be submitted to this Research Topic via the following journals:

total views

• Demographics

No records found

total views article views downloads topic views

Top countries

Top referring sites, about frontiers research topics.

With their unique mixes of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author.

• Publication
• Arts & Humanities
• Behavioural Sciences
• Business & Economics
• Earth & Environment
• Education & Training
• Health & Medicine
• Engineering & Technology
• Physical Sciences
• Thought Leaders
• Community Content
• Outreach Leaders
• Our Company
• Our Clients
• Testimonials
• Our Services
• Researcher App
• Podcasts & Video Abstracts

Subscribe To Our Free Publication

By selecting any of the topic options below you are consenting to receive email communications from us about these topics.

• Behavioral Science
• Engineering & Technology
• All The Above

We are able share your email address with third parties (such as Google, Facebook and Twitter) in order to send you promoted content which is tailored to your interests as outlined above. If you are happy for us to contact you in this way, please tick below.

• I consent to receiving promoted content.
• I would like to learn more about Research Outreach's services.

We use MailChimp as our marketing automation platform. By clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to MailChimp for processing in accordance with their Privacy Policy and Terms .

Challenging established theory: History of Japanese basketball

Basketball was introduced to Japan as early as 1902 as a sport in mission schools, according to new research by Dr Tetsuji Kakiyama, Professor of Sports and Health Sciences of Fukuoka University , Japan. His research overthrows established theories about the transfer of the game to Japan and shows how basketball was first played by girls in Japan who were taught the sport by American women missionaries.

The beginning of Japanese basketball is shrouded in mystery. New research reveals that the sport was first played by girls in Japan as early as 1902. This finding challenges the existing theory that basketball was first introduced to the Tokyo YMCA from the International YMCA Training School. The early sport equipment differed slightly from today’s version, but American women missionaries who introduced it to Japanese mission schools included it in their syllabuses and field days; the evidence for this, however, has only recently come to light, demonstrating that basketball was first played by girls in Japan.

The Japanese were deeply involved in the birth and development of basketball. On 21 December 1891, at the first basketball game at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, Genzaburo Ishikawa, a student from Japan, was one of the players. A competent artist , he sketched the first game; his sketch was published in the 15 January 1892 issue of the YMCA’s official newspaper, The Triangle , along with an introduction to basketball, and spread throughout the US. However, after attending the University of Wisconsin, Ishikawa became active in the world of international business and did not introduce basketball to Japan.

Established theories

Until recently, it was believed that Japanese basketball was introduced in 1908 by Hyozo Omori, then director of the PE department of Tokyo YMCA. He went on to be an athletics director of Japan’s first Olympic Games, the 1912 Stockholm Games. Sadly, he was to die six months later, in 1913, of pulmonary tuberculosis, and it fell to Mr FH Brown to popularise the sport from 1914 onwards. This theory now has to be challenged. The founder of basketball is Dr James Naismith, who records in his book on the subject that it was known as an important part of the programme for Japanese women as early as 1900 (Hancock, 1904).

Through recent research, Professor Tetsuji Kakiyama of Fukuoka University, Japan, has unearthed that Japanese girls played basketball as early as 1902, as part of school PE field days. His intriguing ongoing research shows how women’s basketball preceded the men’s sport by six years, and was promoted in girl’s mission schools by women missionaries from the US.

Challenges and new information

Kakiyama’s investigation began when he noticed an early basketball hoop in the background of a 1902 photograph of girls in the schoolyard of Kwassui Girl’s School in Nagasaki. This was curious, however, as it was very different from modern hoops. It was by visiting the Archives Centre of Springfield College and looking at the original Amateur Athletic Union’s (AAU) official rules that he noted how equipment specifications have changed over time. In 1896, the basket was supplemented with a wire mesh screen behind the basket. It was this wire mesh that was pictured in the 1902 photograph, the flat backboard was only introduced in 1904. Until the twentieth century, girls’ PE in Japan consisted of breaktime walks in traditional clothing and sandals. This changed with the arrival of American women missionaries and the training of Japanese female PE teachers.

Mission schools

The Aoyama Girl’s School was founded in 1895. Harriet Alling was their gymnastics teacher, appointed in 1897. A Japanese PE teacher was hired in January 1904. The school archives have nine references to basketball prior to 1907, indicating that it was established much earlier than the previous belief about the transfer of basketball to Japan.

Did Harriet Alling teach basketball? It is likely that she had learned the sport in the US before arriving in Japan, but tracing the connections is tricky. Alling had been at the University of Chicago at the same time as Amos A Stagg (one of basketball’s founders). As the sport had just been invented, he may have brought the game with him, in his role as PE teacher: from Springfield to Japan. Although it is well-established that Stagg introduced basketball to the University of Chicago, Kakiyama seeks to understand the connection between Stagg and Ms Alling. A letter dated 10 March 1892 from Stagg to his sister says: ‘I think the game could easily be adapted to girls.’

Mariana Young (1864–1932) arrived in Japan in 1898, and would go on to become the principle of Nagasaki Kwassui Girl’s School in 1900. She had previously worked as a High School teacher of Latin, and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University. Ms Young promoted PE, involving English language instructions given in time to music, with the girls wearing westernised clothing. A variety of equipment was used, including wooden circles, sticks, and dumbbells in addition to the new basketball hoop. The school also hired Japanese women who were trained as PE teachers, and Mariana Young trained Japanese students as PE teachers.

Finding a connection linking introduction of basketball to Young is more challenging. Her history includes teaching at Allegheny College between 1894 and 1896, and a role as a teaching assistant at Huling’s Hall. She could have learned basketball from Howard G Budge at Alleghey College, who was appointed as their PE instructor in 1895, and who himself studied basketball at the Oil City YMCA. Another possibility is that Mariana Young could have learnt the sport at Huling’s Hall.

Both schools were to introduce basketball with the earliest games in 1902. The first reference is in the minutes of the First Session of South Japan Women’s Mission Conference, which took place in 1899. The American Missionary of the Nagasaki Kwassui Girl’s School expressed the hope that the girls would be able to enjoy basketball within the year; but in the second session (1900) it was noted that the basketball equipment had not yet come. It was in the third session, 1901, that there is a grateful note for the delivery of a basketball. In the November 1904 edition of Kwassui Quarterly, there is a reference to basketballs alongside footballs and baseballs. These overthrow established theories about the introduction of the sport to Japan.

The Aoyama Girl’s School archive includes an English language ‘Tidings from Japan’ published by missionaries referencing both tennis and basketball games at a Field Day in November 1902. In their Japanese language records, the Alumni Association Bulletin records basketball being played during field days in 1903 and 1905, and includes a photo of a game in 1907.

Japanese women had been training in US-inspired sports since the turn of the twentieth century. In September 1899, Akuri Inokuchi, a Japanese lady, enrolled in the Smith College and Boston Normal School of Gymnastics in the US. Smith College was the birthplace of women’s basketball, and Inokuchi spent a year studying with Senda Berenson, the creator of women’s basketball. She returned to Japan in 1903 as the first Japanese female PE teacher, just as basketball was being introduced by Mariana Young, Inokuchi was deeply involved in introducing and popularising the sport.

Overthrowing established theory

Tracking down the origins of this sport has been a ten-year quest for Kakiyama. In 2013 he was awarded a multi-year grant in aid for scientific research. Since then, the grant has involved nearly 5,000,000 yen, and an additional grant from the Society for the History of Physical Education. Kakiyama has travelled to Mariana Young’s alma mater, Ohio Wesleyan University, to check their archives as well as Springfield College, Massachusetts in 2013 to view the original AAU rules. He has presented his findings at Quatar University ISHPES Congress in 2014; at the 20th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science in Malmo, Sweden, in 2015, and at NASSH in 2022.

The early photographs, which show basketball hoops different from modern styles, are blurry. Likewise, the minutes, letters, and bulletins which reference the sport are hard to read. It is only by zooming in and looking closely, as well as by understanding how the sport was originally played at that time, that Kakiyama has established that the sport was introduced in girl’s schools six years prior to the original understanding of the foundation of Japanese basketball.

The transfer of basketball to Japan at the very beginning of the twentieth century challenges existing theory. The early pioneers of the game promoted women’s basketball as early as 1902. Basketball was first played by girls in Japan, and transferred through American women missionaries at the turn of the century, working in mission schools.

Personal Response

This feature article was created with the approval of the research team featured. this is a collaborative production, supported by those featured to aid free of charge, global distribution., want to read more articles like this, sign up to our mailing list and read about the topics that matter to you the most., leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The history of basketball: from humble beginnings to global phenomenon

Part of this story

Chris 'Lethal Shooter' Matthews

Recognised as basketball’s most sought-after shooting coach, chris matthews, aka lethal shooter, is one of the sport's leading creative minds..

• 1 The early years
• 2 Late 1800s–1930s
• 3 The 1940s–1970s
• 4 1980s–present day

Chris Matthews, AKA Lethal Shooter, is a renowned basketball coach

© Koury Angelo/Red Bull Content Pool

More basketball content

3on3 basketball: dive into the thrills of this …

Train like a pro: lethal shooter, from nba rookie to all-star in 4 years: pascal siakam …, the early years, late 1800s–1930s.

Basketball has come a long way since it used peach baskets as hoops

© Shevin Dissanayake/Red Bull Content Pool

The 1940s–1970s

Basketball is now played in amazing locations around the world

© Brian Ching See Wing / Red Bull Content Pool

More Red Bull Half Court content

Dušan Bulut, the Serbian star, who's risen to the top …

These streetball courts will inspire you to up your …, relive the action at red bull half court world final …, watch the best of the action from the world’s biggest 3on3 streetball tournament in the red bull half court world finals 2022 in egypt., 1980s–present day.

The 2022 Red Bull Half Court World Final was played in Cairo

© Markus Berger/Red Bull Content Pool