Basketball began with its invention in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith as a less injury-prone sport than football. Naismith was a 31-year-old graduate student when he created the indoor sport to keep athletes indoors during the winters. The game became established fairly quickly and grew very popular as the 20th century progressed, first in America and then in other parts of the world. After basketball became established in American colleges, the professional game followed. The American National Basketball Association (NBA), established in 1946, grew to a multibillion-dollar enterprise by the end of the century, and basketball became an integral part of American culture.
Early history
Invention of the game Among other things, a game of skill is described in which balls must be thrown against a target woven from twigs, mounted high on a pole in the middle of a large playing field. There is a small reward for the player if the target is being hit.
The game of basketball as it is known today was created by Dr. James Naismith in December 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, to condition young athletes during cold months. Naismith was a physical education instructor at YMCA International Training School (now known as Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts. Upon the request of his boss, Naismith was tasked to create an indoor sports game to help athletes keep in shape in cold weather. It consisted of peach baskets and a soccer style ball. He published 13 rules for the new game. He divided his class of eighteen into two teams of nine players each and set about to teach them the basics of his new game. The objective of the game was to throw the basketball into the fruit baskets nailed to the lower railing of the gym balcony. Every time a point was scored, the game was halted so the janitor could bring out a ladder and retrieve the ball. After a while, the bottoms of the fruit baskets were removed.
The first public basketball game was played in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 11, 1892.
Naismith's original rules
There were only thirteen rules of "basket ball": 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. 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 who catches the ball when running at good speed. The ball must be held in or between the hands, the arms or body must not be used for holding it. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed. 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 substitute. A foul is striking the ball with the fist, violation of rules 3 and 4, and such as described in rule 5. If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count a goal for opponents. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from grounds into the basket and stays there. If the ball rests on the edge 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 person first touching it. In case of a 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. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in-bounds, and 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 fifteen-minute halves, with five-minute rests between. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In the case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.
The first basketball game
On December 21, 1891, Naismith published rules for a new game using five basic ideas and thirteen rules.Arceri-Bianchini, p. 18-19. That day, he asked his class to play a match in the Armory Street court: 9 versus 9, using a soccer ball and two peach baskets. Frank Mahan, one of his students, was not so happy. He just said: "Harrumph. Another new game".Associated Press, Newly found documents shed light on basketball's birth, ESPN.com, November 13, 2006, Sports.espn.go.com. Someone proposed to call it "Naismith Game", but he suggested "We have a ball and a basket: why don’t we call it basketball?"Arceri-Bianchini, p. 18.
The eighteen 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 1–0.Arceri-Bianchini, p. 21. The goal was scored by Chase.Arceri-Bianchini, p. 22. There were other differences between Naismith's first idea and the game played today. The peach baskets were closed, and balls had to be retrieved manually, until a small hole was put in the bottom of the peach basket to poke the ball out using a stick. Only in 1906 were metal hoops, nets and backboards introduced. In 1894 the soccer ball was replaced by a ball Naismith contacted Spalding to make.Arceri-Bianchini, p. 20.Glenn, Dickey. The history of professional basketball since 1896. New York: Stein and Day, 1982.
Women in basketball Shortly after, Senda Berenson, instructor of physical culture at the nearby Smith College, went to Naismith to learn more about the game. Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could teach, she started to organize games with her pupils, following adjusted rules. The first official women's interinstitutional game was played just 11 months later, between the University of California and Miss Head's School. In 1899, a committee was established at the Conference of Physical Training in Springfield to draw up general rules for women's basketball. Thus, the sport quickly spread throughout America's schools, colleges and universities with uniform rules for both sexes.
YMCA, U.S. Army spread development YMCA had a major role in spreading basketball throughout the United States, Canada, and the world. In 1893, Mel Rideout arranged the first European match in Paris, in Montmartre. At the same time, Bob Gailey went to Tianjin, China,Arceri-Bianchini, p. 79. Duncan Patton to India, Genzabaro Ishikawa to Japan, and C. Hareek to Persia.Arceri-Bianchini, p. 80.
The First World War broke out in 1914, and the U.S. Army started fighting in Europe in 1917. During World War I, the American Expeditionary Force took basketball wherever it went. Together with the troops, there were hundreds of physical education teachers who knew basketball. Naismith also spent two years with YMCA in France in that period.Lesile Colbeck et al., The Basketball World, FIBA, Monaco, 1972, quoted by Arceri-Bianchini, p. 81.
Early professional leagues, teams, and organizations
The first professional league was founded in 1898. Six teams took part in the National Basketball League, and the first champions were the Trenton Nationals, followed by the New York Wanderers, the Bristol Pile Drivers and the Camden Electrics. The league was abandoned in 1904.Hoosierhistorian, National Basket Ball League, "Hoopedia", May 9, 2008, in Hoopedia.nba.com Then, many small championships were organized, but most of them were not as important as some teams who played for money against challengers.
The Original Celtics, for instance, are considered the "fathers of basketball"Arceri-Bianchini, p. 37. and were presented as "World’s Basketball Champions"; the players had to sign a contract to play with them, and Jim Furey organized matches as a circus, moving daily from town to town. The Celtics became the strongest team, and their successes lasted from 1922 until 1928, when the team disbanded due to ownership problems. The Original Celtics are sometimes incorrectly thought of as forebears of the current Boston Celtics of the NBA; in reality, they share only a name, as today's Celtics were not founded until 1946, nearly two decades after the demise of the Original Celtics. In 1922, the first all–African American professional team was founded: the Rens (also known as New York Renaissance or Harlem Renaissance).Arceri-Bianchini, p. 38. The Rens were the Original Celtics’ usual opponent, and for their matches a ticket cost $1.Arceri-Bianchini, p. 39. They took part in some official championships and won the first World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1939. The team disbanded in 1949.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Eastern Basket Ball League (founded in 1909),Hoosierhistorian, Eastern Basket Ball League, Hoopedia, May 9, 2008, in Hoopedia.nba.com. Metropolitan Basketball League (founded in 1921)Hoosierhistorian, Metropolitan Basketball League, Hoopedia, May 12, 2008, in Hoopedia.nba.com. and American Basketball League (founded in 1925)Hoosierhistorian, ABL (1925–1955), Hoopedia, May 12, 2008, in Hoopedia.nba.com. were the most important leagues.
Basketball in American colleges
The greatest level of early basketball activity outside of YMCAs was seen in American colleges. The first known U.S. college to field a basketball team against an outside opponent was Vanderbilt University, which played against the local YMCA in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 7, 1893. The second recorded instance of an organized college basketball game was Geneva College's game against the New Brighton YMCA on April 8, 1893, in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, which Geneva won 3–0.
The first recorded game between two college teams occurred on February 9, 1895, when Hamline University faced Minnesota A&M (which later became a part of the University of Minnesota). Minnesota A&M won the game, which was played under rules allowing nine players per side, 9–3. The first intercollegiate match using the modern rule of five players per side is often credited as a game between the University of Chicago and the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, Iowa, on January 18, 1896. The Chicago team, which was organized by Amos Alonzo Stagg, who had learned the game from James Naismith at Springfield YMCA, won the game 15–12. (Some sources state the first "true" five-on-five intercollegiate match was a game in 1897 between Yale and Penn, because the Iowa team, that played Chicago in 1896, was composed of University of Iowa students, but did not officially represent the University of Iowa – rather being organized through a YMCA.) By 1900 the game of basketball had spread to colleges across the country .
By 1897 the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) had taken over oversight of basketball activity from YMCA. In April 1905, representatives of fifteen colleges separately took over control of the college game, creating the collegiate "Basket Ball Rule Committee". The committee was in turn absorbed into the predecessor of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1909. The extremely popular NCAA men's basketball tournament was started in 1939.
First international games