The origins of basketball may be traced back to a chilly December evening. The history of basketball began to take shape in the winter of 1891 when James Naismith, a Canadian-American physical educator from the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, invented an indoor sport that could be played instead of football and baseball. Basketball was created by Naismith as a sport with fewer injury hazards than football and baseball as well as to aid athletes stay in shape during the cold winter. Played as a global sport today, basketball evolution has seen its fair share over the decades. Initially, the game basketball was played using a soccer ball, and peach baskets were used to score a basket. It was first called Naismith’s game but the name “basket ball” was given to the sport since it was played with a ball and a basket. The main goal of the game was to launch the ball into the fruit baskets that were mounted to the gym balcony’s lower railing. The game was stopped every time a score was made so the caretaker could get a ladder and get the ball since the ball was bound to get stuck in the basket. The fruit baskets’ bottoms were eventually taken off so the ball could drop down from the basket itself after a score. As a new sport, the first basketball game was publicly played on 11th March 1892 in Springfield, Massachusetts with the following thirteen rules only:
With one or both hands, the ball can be launched in any direction.
- Using one or both hands, the ball may be hit in any direction.
- Players are not allowed to run with the ball. They are instructed to throw it from the spot where they caught it, except the players who caught the ball while sprinting.
- The players are not allowed to use their arms or body to hold the ball. They are allowed to use their hands only.
- Pushing, tripping, shouldering, holding, tugging, or other forms of physical contact with an opponent are strictly prohibited. The violation of this regulation more than once will be considered a foul and the player will be ineligible to play until the next goal is scored, or the entire game if there was clear intent to cause harm.
- A foul is when someone strikes the ball with their fist, runs with the ball, uses their arms or body to hold the ball, or does something else as specified in rule 5.
- Three fouls made consecutively by one team means an automatic score for the other team.
- A goal is scored when the ball is launched into the basket and remains there. if the ball is resting on an edge and is moved by a player of the opposite team, that too shall count as a score.
- The player who touches the ball first when it crosses the line of play must toss it into the field and play it in five-seconds time. If the thrower keeps the ball for over five seconds, the opponent will win. The umpire will declare a foul on a team if they keep causing the game to be delayed. In a dispute the umpire is required to hurl the ball directly into the playing field.
- The referee is notified when three consecutive fouls have been committed, and the umpire serves as the judge.
- The referee will judge the ball, in bounds, determine when it is in play, and which team it belongs to, as well as keep a record of the scores made by each team and time.
- The time will be divided into fifteen-minute halves, followed by five-minute breaks.
- The winning team will be the one that scores the most goals within that period. In case of a tie, the captains may decide to extend the game until a goal is scored.
Being an emerging team sport, basketball started to gain popularity as more people started playing it, not only in Springfield but outside it too as it expanded to other YMCA facilities and college campuses around the United States. A pivotal point in basketball history was the First World War. Before American soldiers enlisted in the war in 1917, basketball was not a popular sport outside of the United States. During the world war, soldiers brought their leisure activities and games with them, including the new sport, basketball, brought by American soldiers. Being a team sport, military authorities gave their approval to partake in these games to promote fun among the soldiers while also fostering a sense of collaboration and camaraderie. Moreover, basketball was also used as a rehabilitation sport to help wounded troops recover after the war. Basketball was played by soldiers and civilians from various nations during the war. When they came home, they brought basketball’s enjoyment with them, and in that way, it spread from the United States across the globe to Canada, Europe, China, Brazil, and many other countries using the same thirteen rules.
Basketball also became popular among women in 1892. Senda Berenson, a physical education teacher at Smith College modified the original 13 basketball rules for women. Senda went to Naismith to learn more about the game shortly after she was hired at Smith, becoming an integral part of Women’s basketball history.
Although the initial 13 rules of basketball now surpass over 100, the principles of the original rules are still in use today. Significant changes in the rules and regulations over the years include the number of players, fouls, scoring, dribbling, free throws, boundaries of the court, passing, mid-court line, the elimination of the center jump, three-court arena, dunking, etc. Inter-sectional competition led to a standardization of rules throughout the country in the mid-1930s. Basketball was introduced to the Olympics in 1904, in 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed which merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1946.
In terms of basketball development, the rules are not the only thing that changed the very ball that the game is played with has also changed considerably over the years. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball but considering the nature of the game, soccer balls were hard to bounce and dribble. In 1929, the balls were re-designed into bigger and lighter balls that were easy to bounce and dribble, making them more suitable to play with.
Naismith’s invention, basketball, is the second-most played sport around the world, enjoyed by both men and women. It is a sport of inclusion, representing different cultures in the diverse nationalities represented by the NBA.
