Basketball In time By Mamjr Jan 1, 1813 Iron hoops with open-ended nets were invented Jan 1, 1891 • James Naismith invented basketball Dec 21, 1891 • The first game was played Jan 1, 1893 • Women’s basketball was introduced Jan 1, 1894 • basketballs were produced Jan 1, 1894 • Free throws were first introduced Jan 1, 1932 • The midcourt line was established in 1932 to eliminate stalling. Jan 1, 1936 • In 1936 the three second area was created Jan 1, 2016 • 2016 Basketball is the most popular sport in the world Dec 24, 2016 citation