Basketball

Lore & Background

Seeking a vigorous indoor game for a rainy day, he nailed a peach basket onto an elevated track and wrote basic rules. The first game used a soccer ball, and the basket's bottom was initially intact, requiring manual retrieval of the ball after each score; Naismith soon removed the bottom to allow the ball to be poked out with a long dowel. The sport spread quickly through YMCAs and schools. Senda Berenson, an instructor at Smith College, learned the game from Naismith and organized women's games with adjusted rules. The first official women's interinstitutional game was played 11 months later between the University of California and Miss Head's School.

Reader's Guide

Basketball's significance lies in its global reach and evolution from a simple indoor activity to a major professional and international sport. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most significant professional league in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition, drawing most of its talent from U.S. college basketball. Outside North America, top clubs compete in continental championships such as the EuroLeague and the Basketball Champions League Americas. The FIBA Basketball World Cup and Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament are major international events attracting top national teams. Women's basketball is similarly organized, with the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, women's Olympic tournament, the WNBA, and the EuroLeague Women. The sport's core elements—two teams of five, scoring via field goals (two or three points) and free throws, and overtime for tied games—remain consistent across levels.

Did You Know?

• The first basketball game used a soccer ball with laces, making dribbling unpredictable.
• The original peach baskets had their bottoms intact, requiring manual ball retrieval after each score.
• Dribbling was not part of the original game; passing was the primary means of ball movement.
• The orange basketball was introduced in the late 1950s by Tony Hinkle for better visibility.