(click to enlarge)
James A. Naismith holding a ball and a peach basket, the first basketball equipment. (credit: © UPI)

(born Nov. 6, 1861, Almonte, Ont., Can. — died Nov. 28, 1939, Lawrence, Kan., U.S.) Canadian-born U.S. physical education instructor, inventor of basketball. He studied theology but excelled in sports. At the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Mass. (1890 – 95), he was asked to devise a new indoor winter sport. His version of basketball called for nine players (later reduced to five) per team and the use of peach baskets (later netted hoops) as goals. He was coach of the basketball team at the University of Kansas (1898 – 1937). He is also credited with inventing the protective helmet for gridiron football players. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was incorporated in Springfield in 1959.

For more information on James A. Naismith, visit Britannica.com.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.