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 this sport, the main objective is to score points by placing the basketball in the opponent's basket which is kept 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 to cover the distance quickly. There are many rules and regulations in basketball that discourage any unfair moves by players.

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

The positions of players in basketball after 1980 have been specifically named 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 and there are many facts about this fast-paced game. Let's glimpse into some interesting facts about basketball.

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

Basketball Soars to Popularity: To learn this new sport, people from different regions flocked to the YMCA Training school, where the 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 and popularity. Started in 1946, it 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 has 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, Michael Jordan has become a synonym for the word resilience.

Backboard was Added: The backboard was added to the regular set up of the game because of an interesting reason. The audience who watched the game from the balcony used to interfere in the game by handling the ball. The incorporation of the backboard prevented such activities.

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