Facts about Basketball

Basketball is a popular game in North America. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the major sports leagues, of which USA and Canada are members. The origin of basketball can be traced back to 1891. Dr. James Naismith founded this game. The sport came into existence as a result of his efforts to find some indoor recreational activity. Naturally, Dr. Naismith became the first coach of this sport, and went on to specialize in sports physiology.

Basic Basketball Facts

In the sport of basketball, the main objective is to score points by placing the ball in opponent's basket. This basket is placed at a height of 10 ft. There are 5 five players each, in both the teams.

Scoring is done by shooting the ball in the basket, while dribbling helps the players to advance towards the opponent's basket. Passing is also an important move in basketball, because it helps cover the distance quickly. There are many rules and regulations in basketball that discourage unfair moves by players.

The total time duration of a basketball game played at international level is divided in quarters of 10 minutes, while in the NBA League, the quarters are of 12 min each. The court size is 28m by 15m (in an international game); while the NBA League uses 29m by 15m size courts.

The basketball positions for players in this game have been specifically named after 1980 and are as follows:

• Point guard
• Shooting guard
• Small forward
• Power forward
• Center

Interesting Facts about Basketball

The sport has grown a lot over the years. There are many facts to know about this fast-paced game. Let's glimpse into the interesting ones.

First Game of Basketball
The first basketball game was held on 20th January, 1892. The court was half the size of courts used at today's the NBA League games. Only one point was scored in the whole match. In this game, there were nine players in each team.

Basketball Soars to Popularity
People from different regions flocked to the YMCA Training school to learn this new sport. It was the place where this game had originated. Basketball became popular in the USA and Canada in a short span of time.

College Basketball
In the first inter-college match, the School of Agriculture from the University of Minnesota defeated Hamline School of Hamline University.

Women's Basketball
It started in 1892 at the Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Senda Berenson who learned basketball from Dr. James Naismith made some changes in the rules, so as to make the game suitable for women. The first women's intercollegiate game was held on 21st March, 1893, between the Berenson's freshmen and the sophomore class.

Basketball in High Schools
In USA, basketball has always been a popular sport from the beginning itself. Before the television started covering national level matches, school basketball was the most popular sport.

National Basketball Association (NBA)
NBA stormed into the world of American and Canadian basketball and everything changed thereafter. This league produced new heroes and grew constantly. Today, NBA is the best league in terms of talent, money offered to players and popularity. Started in 1946, the NBA was earlier known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).

Basketball Goes International
In 1932, the International Basketball Federation was formed by Italy, Greece, Argentina, Portugal, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, Romania and Switzerland. Its acronym is actually FIBA and was taken from French Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur. Basketball was introduced at the Berlin Olympics in 1936.

Michael Jordan
He is considered a legend in the world of basketball. The record score of 5,987 that he had set is still unbroken in the NBA. Exceptionally talented, Michael Jordan has led the US team in Olympics which won gold medals in 1984 and 1992. With his spirited comebacks in the NBA league, the name Michael Jordan has become a synonym for the word resilience.

Backboard was Added
The reason behind adding backboard to the basket is quite interesting. The audience who watched the game from the balcony used to interfere by handling the ball. Incorporation of the backboard prevented any such interferences by the audience.

Brown and Orange Balls
Earlier, the basketballs were brown in color. This color however, hampered the visibility and necessitated the use of some other color. Tony Hinkle began the search for such a new color in the 1950s. The orange color was finally selected.

Variations of Basketball
The game of basketball is played in many different forms. Examples of these basketball variations are as follows: beach basketball, water basketball, wheelchair basketball, unicycle basketball, streetball, slamball and dunk hoops.

Basketball has evolved a lot after its inception in 1891. The basketball tips and tricks like shooting, dribbling and passing developed with the game. Originally restricted to few countries, basketball has now become popular worldwide.