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Basketball is a game played by two teams of five men or women each, in a gymnasium or other large room. Its essential characteristic is the effort of each of the teams to pass the ball through a hoop or goal at the end of the court behind the opposing team. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a Scottish-Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach. At the time, Naismith was an instructor at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, and was tasked with creating an engaging indoor activity that provided safe exercise for his students, who had been forced indoors due to winter.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Dr. James Naismith |
| Year invented | 1891 |
| Month invented | December |
| Day invented | 21st |
| Location invented | Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Institution invented at | Springfield College (then known as the International YMCA Training School) |
| Position at institution | Instructor and graduate student |
| Age when invented | 31 |
| Reason for invention | Students were rowdy due to being forced indoors during winter |
| Inspiration | Childhood game of rock-tossing |
| Equipment used | Two peach baskets, a soccer ball |
| Number of players | Nine per team |
| Rules | 13 rules, including no dribbling, jump ball after each goal |
| Publication of rules | Published in January 1892 in the Springfield College school magazine, The Triangle |
| Spread of the game | Students introduced the game at their local YMCAs, rules were printed in a college magazine and mailed to YMCAs across the country |
| Recognition | Postage stamps in 1991 and 2009, inducted into Toronto's Walk of Fame in 2019, Google Doodle in 2021 |
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What You'll Learn
The creation of basketball's original rules
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. At the time, Naismith was a 31-year-old graduate student and instructor at Springfield College (then known as the International YMCA Training School) in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Naismith was asked to create a new indoor game that would provide safe exercise and entertainment for his students during the winter months. He recalled a rock-tossing game he played as a child and devised a game in which players threw a ball into a target. The game, which Naismith named "basket ball", involved two peach baskets and a soccer ball. The baskets were nailed to the walls at each end of the gym, 10 feet above the floor.
Naismith wrote 13 rules for his new game, which were published in the Springfield College school magazine, The Triangle, in January 1892. The original rules specified that each team consisted of nine players, divided into three forwards, three centres, and three backs. The game began with a jump ball between two centre players, and the winning team was the one that made the most goals. Following each goal, a jump ball was taken in the middle of the court. Fouls were called for running with the ball, and tackling the player with the ball was also allowed. The original rules did not include dribbling, so players moved the ball up the court by passing it to teammates.
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The game's early equipment
The game of basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891 at Springfield College (then known as the International YMCA Training School) in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game was invented as a way to keep students active indoors during the winter months.
The original rules specified that each team consisted of nine players: three forwards, three centres, and three backs. Players wore black, full-sleeve woollen jerseys and long grey trousers. The game began with a jump ball between two centre players.
The game quickly grew in popularity, with Naismith's students introducing it to their own YMCAs and eventually becoming teachers and coaches who spread the game further. By 1905, basketball was officially recognised as a permanent winter sport.
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Basketball's first game
Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor at the International YMCA Training School (now known as Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game was created as a less injury-prone alternative to outdoor sports that could be played during the winter months.
On December 21, 1891, Naismith published 13 rules for a new game and asked his class to play a match with nine players on each team, using a soccer ball and two peach baskets nailed to the ends of the gym. The objective was to throw the ball into the opposing team's basket, and the team with the most goals at the end of the game would be declared the winner.
The first game was played on December 21, 1891, in the Armory Street court in Springfield, Massachusetts. The players were John G. Thompson, Eugene S. Libby, Edwin P. Ruggles, William R. Chase, T. Duncan Patton, Frank Mahan, Finlay G. MacDonald, William H. Davis, and Lyman Archibald, who defeated George Weller, Wilbert Carey, Ernest Hildner, Raymond Kaighn, Genzabaro Ishikawa, Benjamin S. French, Franklin Barnes, George Day, and Henry Gelan by a score of 1-0. The goal was scored by Chase.
In the following months, the game spread beyond Springfield College as students introduced it to their own YMCAs and high schools and colleges began to adopt it. The rules were printed in a college magazine, which was circulated across the country, and by 1905, basketball was officially recognised as a permanent winter sport.
The first official game played outside of Springfield College took place in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany, New York, on January 20, 1892, with nine players per team. The game ended with a score of 1-0, and the winning shot was made from 25 feet away on a court half the size of a modern NBA court.
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How the game spread
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891 at Springfield College (then known as the International YMCA Training School) in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game quickly spread across the United States and beyond.
Naismith's students at Springfield College introduced the game to their own YMCAs, and the rules were printed in the College magazine, which was mailed to YMCAs across the country. The international student body at Springfield College also helped to spread the game to other nations.
High schools and colleges began to adopt basketball, and by 1905, it was officially recognised as a permanent winter sport. Naismith's students went on to become teachers and coaches, further spreading the game's popularity. Teams sprang up at schools across the nation, and boys and girls began playing basketball.
Naismith founded the University of Kansas basketball program in 1898, and he lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
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Basketball's Olympic debut
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The sport quickly gained popularity across the United States and spread internationally, thanks in part to the efforts of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). By 1905, basketball was officially recognised as a permanent winter sport.
James Naismith lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. The first Olympic basketball tournament was organised by Phog Allen, a Kansas Jayhawks collegiate coach, and it was played on outdoor tennis courts. Naismith, at 74 years old, attended the 1936 Games and had the honour of handing out the medals to the three North American teams that took the podium: the United States (gold), Canada (silver), and Mexico (bronze). During the Olympics, he was also named the honorary president of the International Basketball Federation.
Since its debut as an official Olympic sport in 1936, basketball has been a sport for men consistently. Women's basketball made its debut in the Summer Olympics in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball, with the men's team winning 17 out of 20 tournaments and the women's team winning 10 out of 12 tournaments.
In 2024, 3x3 basketball will make its Olympic debut in Paris. Former NBA player Jimmer Fredette will represent Team USA in this new format of the game at the Olympics.
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Frequently asked questions
James Naismith invented basketball on December 21, 1891, in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Naismith was an instructor at the International YMCA Training School, which later became Springfield College. He was asked to create an indoor activity that provided safe exercise for his students, who were forced indoors during the winter.
The original rules of basketball, also known as the "Thirteen Rules," were written by Naismith and published in January 1892 in the Springfield College school magazine, The Triangle. The game was played with two peach baskets, a soccer ball, and nine players per team. The rules were printed in a College magazine and mailed to YMCAs around the country.
James Naismith was a Scottish-Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach.
