| Mention basketball and great players like Michael | | | | most physical contact occurred while running with the |
| Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal immediately | | | | ball, dribbling or hitting it so he decided that passing was |
| come to mind. But few remember the man who | | | | the only legal option," according to the editors of |
| started it all - Dr. James Naismith of Canada. | | | | Wikipedia. |
| Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario in 1861 and was | | | | Naismith wanted to get away from the game being a |
| educated at McGill University in Montreal where he | | | | full-contact sport so he raised the goal up above the |
| later served as its athletic director. In 1890, he moved | | | | players' heads thus eliminating the need for a guard. He |
| to America and taught physical education at Springfield | | | | also required the players to lob the ball - much like the |
| College (then called the Young Men's Christian | | | | duck game - in order to score points. Finally, he settled |
| Association Training School) in Springfield, | | | | on 13 basic rules to play the game. |
| Massachusetts. | | | | The first basketball game was played in December |
| During his stint there, he tried to find different ways to | | | | 1891 and was different from the sport we know today. |
| keep rowdy students occupied and fit during the harsh | | | | Each team had nine members, a soccer ball was used |
| New England winter. What he wanted was a good | | | | and peach baskets affixed to ten-foot high railings |
| game that could be played indoors and would give the | | | | served as the goals, |
| boys a great workout as well. Dr. Luther Gulick, head | | | | The baskets retained their bottom parts so the ball |
| of physical education at the School for Christian | | | | had to be removed every time a successful shot was |
| Workers, gave Naismith 14 days to create such a | | | | made. Later, holes were drilled in the baskets so the |
| game. | | | | ball could be retrieved with a long cylindrical rod. |
| After testing several ideas, Naismith remembered a | | | | Players didn't dribble the ball at that time; they ran with |
| game he used to play as a child called "Duck on a | | | | it and tossed it over their heads to pass it to other |
| Rock." The object of that medieval game was to | | | | players. |
| throw small rocks at a duck placed on top of a large | | | | In 1893, Naismith replaced the peach baskets with |
| rock which was guarded by one person. That became | | | | metal hoops that had hammock-style baskets. But ten |
| the basis of "Basket Ball" (initially written as two words) | | | | years passed before open-ended nets that allowed |
| which Naismith invented in 1891. | | | | the ball to pass through were used. |
| "In his attempt to think up a new game, Naismith was | | | | Today, basketball remains one of the most popular |
| guided by three main thoughts. Firstly, he analyzed the | | | | sports in the world and basketball players are among |
| most popular games of those times (rugby, lacrosse, | | | | the most popular and highest-paid athletes in America. |
| soccer, football, hockey and baseball); Naismith noticed | | | | The sport has millions of followers and is enjoyed by |
| the hazards of a small fast ball and concluded that the | | | | people from all walks of life. Thanks to Naismith, |
| big soft soccer ball was safest. Secondly, he saw that | | | | basketball is here to stay. |
