-
In Springfield Illinois 1891 a Canadian physical educator, James Naismith created basketball.
-
On December 21, 1891, Dr Naismith’s class played the first game of basketball. A 9 v 9 game with a soccer ball and two peach baskets. The baskets had no holes so they had to retrieve it manually.
-
The National Basketball League was formed in 1898 to help promote the game. Six teams took part in the league
-
Basketball truly becomes a world sport. On June 18th, 1932 the first international organization was formed. Many countries come together to form the International Basketball Federation.
-
On June 6th, 1946 the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league later merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to create The National Basketball Association(NBA)
-
The Basketball Hall of Fame was created to honor people that had significantly contributed to the game. Players, coaches, refs.
Even international players as well. -
ABA was formed. The American Basketball Association was created as an alternative to the NBA. It had a different style to the game. Most notable player was Julius Erving.
Later merged with the NBA in the summer of 1976 -
Basketball in the 70s had suffered a huge drop in popularity but it Boomed in the 1980s due to the epic Rivalry between the Lakers and The Celtics led by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
-
In the 1990s Michael Jordan came into the scene as the new top dog in the league. His highflying athleticism helped further the popularity of the game. In the 1990s he won 6 nba championships and was regarded as the best player of all time by his career end.
-
The NBA after Jordan’s retirement was left in good hands with players such as Kobe Bryant (RIP), Lebron James, Steph Curry, etc helping keep basketball a world wide phenomenon and being the most popular in its history. The most recent NBA champion was the Toronto Raptors.
