The game of basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891.

Naismith was a Canadian physical education instructor at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. In December of 1891, the director of the school, Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, asked Naismith to find a physical activity to occupy a "class of incorrigibles."

Naismith may have had other motivations as well. Apparently, the class was tired of calisthenics. Naismith wanted to create a game of skill for the students instead of one that relied solely on strength. He needed a game that could be played indoors in a relatively small space. And he wanted to keep his football players in shape off-season.

Luckily Naismith and his wife, who were Christians, subscribed to a Christian Missionary magazine from Central America. In it Naismith saw the feature article about the Aztec ball game called Ollamalitzli and the Mayan game of Ulama. He had also read articles by a New Zealander called Tom Ellison who wrote about ancient Maori ball sports that required a lot of aerial handball skills. He took account of the hole that the round bouncy ball had to go through in the Central American games, and the excitement of the traditional Maori game where a round flax ball was aerially passed with speed and dexterity. With his supportive wife he then devised a game suitable for a gym.

Taking to the task at hand, Naismith rounded up two peach baskets (the janitor didn't have any boxes handy) and a soccer ball. Next, he developed 13 rules for the new game. He divided his class of 18 into 2 teams of 9 players each (the team today would be the equivalent of 3 guards, 3 centers, and 3 forwards) and set about to teach them the basics of his new game of basketball.

The object of the game was to throw the soccer ball into the peach baskets nailed to the lower railing of the gym balcony. Every time a point was scored, the game was halted so the janitor could lug out a ladder and retrieve the ball (the bottoms of the peach baskets were intact at first). Of course, that didn't happen too often -- the score of the very first basketball game ever played was an amazingly low 1-0.

The first public basketball game was in Springfield, MA, on March 11, 1892.

Basketball has grown into a game that more than 300 million people play worldwide. Springfield is now where you will now find the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Ball

Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball. The first balls made specially for basketball were brown, and it was only in the late 1950s that Tony Hinkle, searching for a ball that would be more visible to players and spectators alike, introduced the orange ball that is now in common use.

Facts about Dr. James Naismith

James Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario in 1861.

He was educated at McGill University and Presbyterian College in Montreal. He was the physical education teacher at McGill University (1887 to 1890) and at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts (1890 to 1895). At Springfield College (which was then the YMCA training school), James Naismith, under the direction of American phys-ed specialist Luther Halsey Gulick, invented the indoor sport of basketball.

As an interesting aside, Naismith, the inventor of basketball, was the only coach to ever have a losing record in his sport at the University of Kansas. Three years after inventing the game, he was hired as the chaplain and physical education instructor at KU. While here he also developed the first football helmet. He is buried in Lawrence, in the same cemetery as his succesor the legendary coach Phog Allen, the man who brought Wilt Chamberlin to Kansas.

Naismith died in 1939.

James Naismith was a coach and his athletes had no sports to play during the winter so they started to get out of shape. So he invented the sport of basketball, which could be played indoors.

Women's Basketball

Women's basketball began in 1892, at Smith College, when Senda Berenson, a physical education teacher, modified Naismith's rules for women. The first official basketball game was played in the YMCA gymnasium on January 20, 1892 with nine players, on a court just half the size of a present-day NBA court. "Basket ball", the name suggested by one of Naismith's students, was popular from the beginning.

YMCA

Not only was basketball invented by a YMCA institution, but the game's first professional team came from a Y. The Trenton (N.J.) YMCA had fielded a basketball team since 1892 and in 1896 its team claimed to be the national champions after beating various other YMCA and college teams. The team then severed its ties with the Y. It played the 1896-97 season out of a local Masonic temple, charging for admission and keeping the proceeds.

Basketball's early adherents were dispatched to YMCAs throughout the United States, and it quickly spread through the country. By 1896, it was well established at several women's colleges. While the YMCA was responsible for initially developing and spreading the game, within a decade, it discouraged the new sport, as rough play and rowdy crowds began to detract from the YMCA's primary mission. However, other amateur sports clubs, colleges, and professional clubs quickly filled the void. In the years before World War I, the Amateur Athletic Union and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association (forerunner of the NCAA) vied for control over the rules for the game.

Kansas Jayhawks. The coaches were Phog Allen and James Naismith. The first basketball teams were:

• 1891,Dec21 - 18 students play 1st college basketball game (Springfield College, Massachusetts).
• 1892, Jan20 - The first official basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA YMCA Training School.
• 1894, Jan27 - The University of Chicago played its first college basketball game, defeating the Chicago YMCA Training School 19-11. The University of Chicago was the first basketball team to play a full schedule of games, winding up with a 6-1 record.
• 1895, Feb09 - The first college basketball game was played as Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated the Porkers of Hamline College, 9-3.
• 1896, Jan16 - The first five-player college basketball game was played at Iowa City, Iowa. The University of Chicago defeated the University of Iowa by the score of 15-12.
• 1896, Dec10 - Intercollegiate basketball was played for the first time as Wesleyan University defeated Yale, 4-3, in New Haven, Connecticut.

Basketball has changed dramatically from when it was first invented by James Naismith in 1891.

Here are some of the ways it has changed:

• There are many more rules. It originally had 13.

• The baskets are not peach baskets like they were in the beginning. Now the basket includes a rim, a net, and a backboard.

• The ball is a basketball, and not a soccer ball.

• The number of players was changed. Originally there were 9 people on the court, 3 guards, 3 centers, and 3 forwards. Now there are five.

• Naismith had a janitor get the ball every time a basket was made.

• These days almost every American school has a girl's basketball team and a boy's basketball team. Many schools have different levels and grades.

• The three point line was invented.

• The "three second" rule was added.

• The shot-blocking rule was added.

• The players uniforms have changed from really short shorts to like, almost pants.
• The arc below the basket in the key is added for charges
• Many stats like technical fouls and flagrant fouls were recorded as official stats
• And originally you couldn't move with the ball or it would be traveling. Eventually people started dropping the ball to be able to move with it and dribbling was invented

While there is no way to know for sure which NBA team has the smallest fan base, one good measure to judge that is to take in account how full the team's arena is when playing at home. Using that method, here are some possible options:

• Charlotte Bobcats. They are the newest team added to the NBA (back in the 2004-2005 season) and have struggled mightily since their formation. They have often been the laughingstock of the league and have only made the playoffs once in their 9 year history. The team has always been in the bottom of the league in attendance (in regards to how full the arena is).
• Atlanta Hawks. Despite having a legitimate playoff team for multiple years (starting in the mid-2000s), the Hawks have failed to draw many large crowds or sellouts. Even in the playoffs, where tickets go quickly, the attendance was noticeably sparse. If an exciting playoff team cannot even draw sellouts, that speaks volumes for their fans.
• Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, despite having one of the league's elite teams over the past few seasons, have struggled to sell out games. As with the Hawks, the crowds were even short in some playoff games. While they are picking up steam this season (ranked around 10th in the league in percent full), this is still shocking for arguably the best team in the NBA. It really tells just how poor a fan base they have.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder would be a logical choice considering their recent move from Seattle, their fans in Oklahoma City have been very abundant and supportive, selling out nearly every home game thus far. They have also been a big draw on the road, with fans from all over the country now sprouting up.