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Origins of Basketball
By Adam Wallace -
First Basketball Game
The first basketball game was played on the same day the original rules were made and each team had 9 players. The final score was 1-0 with the one point being scored by William R. Chase. -
Creation Of Basketball
Basketball was invented in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith. It was invented to condition people during the winter. The game had 9 players on each team and was played with a beach basket. After each point was scored the game would be stopped so that the janitor can get a ladder and retrieve the ball from the basket. Back then dribbling did not exist and players could not run with the ball so the game was a lot like ultimate frisbee. -
First Game Between Two Colleges
Previously a college team would play against a YMCA team, but for the first time Hamline University faced Minnesota A&M. Minnesota A&M won the game 9-3. -
First Professional Basketball League
The National Basketball League was founded in 1898 and was composed of just 6 teams. The league was then disbanded in 1904. -
The Beginning Of The NCAA Basketball
In April of 1905, representatives of 15 colleges created the collegiate "Basket Ball Rule Committee". The Committee was later absorbed into the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1909 -
The Diffusion of Basketball
The YMCA organization is responsible for spreading basketball to many different places across the world when the 18 players that played the first game and James Naismith shared the game with others. Another thing that helped spread basketball was the first World War in 1914. There were many physical education teachers in the army that knew the game so they played it wherever they went. -
Original Celtics
The "Original Celtics" have no ties to the present Celtics of the NBA and they played almost like a circus. They were not part of a organization and they just traveled playing teams from different places.They were founded in 1922 and were disbanded in 1928. -
First All-African American Professional Team
The first All-African American professional team was the Rens, also known as the New York Renaissance or the Harlem Renaissance. They also won the first World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1939. The team was founded in 1922 and disbanded in 1949. -
The 3 Point Shot
The 3 point shot was first used at the collegiate level in a NCAA game between Fordham and Columbia in 1945 but was decided to not be kept as a rule. Although the American Basketball League started using the 3 point line in 1961. In the 1979-1980 season the NBA adopted the 3 point line as well. As of right now, Ray Allen holds the record for the most career made 3 point shots. -
NBA Founded
The league was founded on June 6, 1946, in New York City and was first called the Basketball Association of America. The league became the National Basketball Association (NBA) when they merged with the National Basketball League (NBL).
