The beginning of basketball
James Naismith
 Dr. James Naismith came
up with an idea for a different kind of sport in 1891 called basketball.
He called it basketball because it was originally played with a soccer ball and
two peach baskets and today it has become one of the greatest sports ever.
Mr. Naismith was a professor at Springfield College in Massachusetts and was
asked to invent a sport for the season in between baseball and football.
Naismith figured that with the weather of this season, it would be best to
invent an indoor game, basketball.
On top of inventing the game, he also was admitted to the Basketball Hall of
Fame, which none the less was also named after him. Basketball has come a
long way since Mr. Naismith, but it wouldn't have been possible without him.
Basketball
Begins to Grow in Popularity
Basketball in the YMCA
James Naismith did a great deed to the world of sports when he invented
basketball, but he went even further. With his great idea and a place to
use it, the YMCA, Mr. Naismith began to make basketball a popular sport.
He started by simply teaching the sport where he worked and eventually his idea
began to catch on. Soon colleges were adopting the sport and fielding
teams. From there, basketball as we know it began.
Basketball Goes College
Some of the first colleges to adopt a basketball program were Princeton,
Harvard, Yale, and Cornell. These teams made up what was the first
inter-collegiate basketball league. There were a total of eight teams.
As time went on, basketball changed. It started out as a game of patience
and strategy. Most of the first games had scores that never were more than
15 or 20 points. The ivy league dominated the college basketball spotlight
through the forties. As time went on many more colleges got into the swing
of things and created teams and these teams joined leagues and so on. All
of this led to the emergence of the NCAA. (National Collegiate Athletic
Association)
The NCAA
As more and more colleges began to start teams to play this inventive game a
higher order took over. The NCAA incorporates much more than basketball,
in fact it covers all sports of the Division I colleges. It's importance
in basketball, shows up mainly in the season ending tournament.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is responsible for determining the
best college team in all the land. The NCAA tournament is where the pros
of tomorrow exhibit their skills and abilities.
Basketball Becomes a Professional
Occupation
The CBA
The CBA, also known as the Continental Basketball Association, was founded
in 1946. It now serves as the developmental league of the NBA. The
calibur of players in the CBA is not what it is in the NBA, but the competition
is very intense. The CBA can be looked on as the minor leagues of
baseball. The CBA is a great opportunity for players to play and show
their talents to prospective NBA scouts.
The NBA
The NBA, the National Basketball Association, is the forerunner of modern
basketball at its highest form. This league is more than basketball, it is
a multi-million dollar business with contracts, deals, and the best players of
all time. The NBA plays a big role in the importance of college basketball
and the NCAA.
Many of the players that sign contracts in the NBA come right out of college.
Therefore, players that can prove their worth in the NCAA usually wind up very
rich individuals!!! The NBA is the parent league of the CBA and often the
players that can prove themselves in the CBA move up to NBA.
Basketball Today
Basketball As a Leisure Activity
Basketball today has become a great way for friends and family to enjoy
themselves. Around the world millions of people have basketball rims on
their driveways and in their neighborhood parks. Basketball is used for a
means of physical activity as well as for a stress reliever. James
Naismith had no idea what he had invented.
A Child's Dream
Kids across the World dream of what it would be like to be a professional
basketball player. Every kid wants to be like Michael Jordan or Magic
Johnson or whoever the new star might be. They practice religiously in
hopes of becoming the best.
Basketball has provided much more than a game that is watched and played.
It has given many children a dream.
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