Basketball History in the Making

Basketball History in the Making

The history of basketball paved the way to a lot of
significant events and people who made countless
contributions for the evolution of basketball. Thanks
to the very efforts of its founder, Dr. James
Naismith, an instructor and a student in a Canadian
school, basketball came into being.

Early History

It is said that the first court for basketball was
situated in a YMCA Training School now known as
Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Dr.
Naismith needed something to pump up the energy level
of his students and put them in proper shape as winter
came.

He had numerous ideas but then after realizing how
poor it suited the gymnasiums, he decided to establish
the rules first. His idea of the first ring is a peach
basket that is nailed on a 10-foot elevated track. But
this peach basket didn’t have a hole at the bottom.

That’s why balls have to be manually retrieved every
once in a while every time the ball had hit a score.
However, this proved to be tiring and inefficient for
proper and fun gaming. Due to this, he decided to poke
a hole into the bottom for the ball to go down
whenever it is shot through it.

The ball that was used was the soccer ball. Whenever
the ball gets into the basket, a point is given to the
entire team. The team who has the most number of
points wins.

This basket was used until the year 1906. On that
year, they replaced the basket with hoops made of
metal and supported by backboards. As this proved to
be more convenient for the ball just literally passed
through the hoops, it was adapted until now.

According to the handwritten diary by Dr. Naismith, he
became nervous with his game for he fret that it would
fail like those that he did before. It also said that
he associated the rules from the game Duck on a Rock
that is typically a children’s game. After which he
named the game as Basket Ball.

Basketball’s Firsts

It was during January 20, 1892 that the first game was
officially played and was held at the gymnasium of
YMCA. The game comprised 9 players and had a 1-0
result. This winning shot was made at a 25 feet
measurement and the court was only half the size of
the present day NBA court.

Basketball was not only meant for men. Women also
indulged in the sport. The first women basketball game
was held in Smith College during the year 1892. Senda
Berenson, also a physical education teacher like
Naismith modified some of the rules that were intended
for women.

She also organized the first basketball women’s
collegiate game that was on March 1893. Her freshmen
women played against the sophomore women. She then
became fascinated by the values and skills the sport
could impart.

YMCA was wholly responsible for the development and
spread of the game. By 1895, it reached Canada and
parts of the US that was then adapted at some high
school for women.

The National Basketball League, known as the very
first pro basketball league, was established in 1898.
The league’s responsibility is to protect the players
from being exploited and make it safer for the benefit
of its members. However, this lasted for only 5 years.

Since these evolutions, basketball had been widely
accepted and had become the new trend in sports.