History of Basketball

Basketball Game

• 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.

History and Development

• 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.

Global Popularity

• 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.

Olympic History

• Basketball was introduced to the Olympics for men at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
• Women's basketball was added to the Olympics in 1976 at the Montreal Games.
• International world championships began in 1950 for men and in 1953 for women.

Professional Leagues

• 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.

Women in Basketball

• 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.

History of Wheelchair Basketball

• 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 in Jamaica

• 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.