History of Basketball

The History of Basketball The game of basketball was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith. He wanted an indoor winter sport, so the first things he used was a soccer ball and the goals were wooden peach baskets that were put on the wall. Each team had nine players. Teams of five occurred in 1897-8. College basketball was created in 1893 and people started showing a huge interest in it. The National Basketball Association started in 1898, and one of the first teams created was the Celtics. Each team played 150 games in a season. The popularity of the association suddenly dropped. Larry Bird, of the Boston Celtics, and Magic Johnson, of the Los Angeles Lakers brought the popularity of the game back. Michael Jordan was the next dominate player in the NBA. In 1959 the Hall of Fame was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts. The people included in it are outstanding players, coaches, referees, and people who helped create the game.
There were originally 13 rules when the game was created but over the years the rules extended. Dr. James Naismith created the original 13 rules which were: 1: The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.2: The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist. 3: A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at good speed.4: The ball must be held in or between the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.5: No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed.6: A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.7: If either side make three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul) 8: Goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponents move the basket, it shall count as a goal.9: When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.10: The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.11: The referee shall be the judge of the ball and decide when it is in play in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.12: The time shall be two 15-minute halves with five minutes' rest between.13: The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winners.

The equipment and clothing were a main part of the game. They used a ball with either leather or a rubber outer shell used to bounce it. The home team must provide score sheets, a clock, a scoreboard, and markers telling how many fouls each player has. The basket started out as a wooden peach basket placed ten feet high on a wall and later became more advanced, and now they are mostly have an acrylic backboard with orange or red rims. All the teams wore the same thing but different colors and each player must have a number between 4-15. The shorts are loose fitting and the shirts are sleeveless. The socks are toweled to prevent blisters and the shoes must be rubber soled.The game starts out by the referee the throwing the ball up between the two centers, who jump and try to tip it to their other team mates. Once one team has a ball they try to somehow get the ball in the basket while the other team is defending them. The main goal in basketball is to get the ball in the basket. Three throws count as one, three pointers count as two if you are behind the line beyond the arc, and any other shot is worth two points. If a team scores then one person from the other team takes the ball out of bounds and passes it in to a team mate, mostly the point guard, who dribbles down the court and runs a play. Substitutions can be made when there is a foul, jump ball, or time out. The game is two halves each twenty minutes long. If the score is tied at the end of the game then the game goes into five minute overtime.

The positions are point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center. The game starts out by the referee the throwing the ball up between the two centers, who jump and try to tip it to their other team mates. Once one team has a ball they try to somehow get the ball in the basket while the other team is defending them. The main goal in basketball is to get the ball in the basket. Three throws count as one, three pointers count as two if you are behind the line beyond the arc, and any other shot is worth two points. If a team scores then one person from the other team takes the ball out of bounds and passes it in to a team mate, mostly the point guard, who dribbles down the court and runs a play. Substitutions can be made when there is a foul, jump ball, or time out. The game is two halves each twenty minutes long. If the score is tied at the end of the game then the game goes into five minute overtime.

The game of basketball is still around today and will be for a very long time. Basketball is one of my favorite sports. I have mentioned in this essay who invented it, the rules, the equipment/clothing, and how to play. Someone can learn a lot about basketball from reading this essay. There is a lot more history that could be mentioned but I narrowed it down to the very important stuff. Basketball was one of the greatest sports to ever be created.