History of Basketball

Study Notes

A basketball game involves two teams of five players each, aiming to score more points than the opposing team by shooting a ball through a raised goal called a basket.

The first game of basketball was played on December 21, 1891, at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.
Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor, developed basketball to keep his students active during the winter.
The first basket was made from peach baskets, and metal hoops were introduced in 1906.
Men and women started playing basketball at the college level in the early 1890s.
The first professional basketball league for men in the United States was formed in 1898.

Basketball has grown to become one of the most popular and widely played sports in the world.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) estimates that at least 450 million people worldwide are playing basketball today.

The NBA grew in popularity in the 1980s, with more games televised than ever before.
Outstanding players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan attracted many new fans.
The Basketball Africa League (BAL) was established in 2019, featuring 12 club teams from across Africa.
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) began in 1997.

FIBA's Strategic Priority 2 focuses on increasing the role of females at all levels of the sport.
The Women in Basketball Survey was completed in 2020, and the priority was strengthened in 2023 for another four years.

Wheelchair basketball was first played in 1945 at two USA World War II veterans' administration hospitals.
The first national wheelchair basketball tournament was held in Illinois, USA, in 1949.
The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) was formed in the USA in 1949.
Wheelchair basketball was one of the sports at the inaugural Rome 1960 Paralympic Games.

Basketball was introduced to Jamaica in the 1940s by the Chinese, who formally organized the sport.
Two prominent basketball clubs in the 1940s were United Chinese and Minh Chee.
Black people became prominently involved in the sport in the 1960s, with pioneers like Mr. Douglas Forrest and Mr. Ken Neale creating the first school basketball league.
Jamaica won its first international game in the 1980s, defeating the visiting Belize national team 3–0 in a 3-game series.
The sport has grown rapidly over the last 10 years, now ranking in the top five in terms of participation and popularity on the island.