The game of basketball has been around for over 100 years, it was invented by a Canadian man by the name of James Naismith who was born in Ontario, Canada.
How long has basketball been around? Basketball has been around for over 128 years and was invented in 1891. Although the game of basketball we see today wasn’t what it was when it was first invented. Many forms and changes have been made to the game to establish what it has become in this day in age.
Basketball gained a lot of popularity, local teams, professional leagues, and national leagues all started to compete in their respective classes. It all started with a basket and a ball.
James Naismith
The game of basketball when it was first invented by James Naismith who was a physical education teacher for the local YMCA. Naismith was directed by his superintendent to create a game to occupy the students in his class,
Naismith who felt pressured to keep his job thought it was a daunting task so he looked for inspiration from other games at the time such as rugby, soccer, and football to see if he can come up with some mockup of a game.
That game that he created was called basketball. The game was played a lot different back then with 18 players as that was how many students he had in his class. The players were split up into two teams, 9 vs 9 that used a soccer ball to shoot baskets with into a peach basket. There was no dribbling or running with the ball and the courts were much smaller too.
The game quickly gained popularity and rules needed to be in place on the YMCA door to the Gymnasium.
Some of those rules were at the time:
- The ball may be passed in any direction with your hands
- The ball may be batted in any direction with hands not fists.
- The player may not run with the ball. Must stop immediately after running and catching the ball.
- The ball must be held with hands and no other body part.
- No hitting, pushing etc. The first offense is a foul, second is player is disqualified until the team scores.
- A goal is made when the ball stays in the basket, Not allowed to disrupt the basket or it counts.
- Three consecutive fouls count as a goal for the opposing team.
- The ball is inbounded into the field of play, the player only has 5 seconds with the ball. Held longer it is the other team’s ball.
- Time is two 15 minute halves with a five-minute rest in between.
- The side that makes the most goals in that time is the winner.
- The judge decides all calls.
How Long Has The NBA Been Around?
The NBA was founded in New York City although was not called the NBA at the time. In 1946 The B.A.A. is known as the Basketball Association Of America. In 1949 the league merged with it’s rival Nationa Basketball League, then being named the National Basketball Association otherwise known as the NBA.
At the height of its popularity in the 1960s, the NBA saw a competitor come into the limelight and a new league was born called the ABA. The America Basketball Asociation looked promising at the time they had a number of high flyers that played above the rim, one player that is a universal name even today is Julius Erving. He was the face of the ABA league.
After almost 10 years the ABA merged with the NBA and brought over 4 of their most successful franchises that could clearly afford to compete with the big leagues and salary cap. These teams consisted of the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs.
How Long has College Basketball Been Around?
The first college basketball game team was founded in 1893 by the Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt didn’t actually play another college team, but a game was scheduled against the locals of the YMCA.
It wasn’t until 1895 when Hamline University faced Minnesota A & M, Minnesota won the game 9 to 3 with 9 players on each side.
First International Game
1919 was the first international game of basketball, between 3 countries the USA, Italy, and France. The USA played Italy and won. Then Italy played France and won, immediately I thought they must have traveled by boat as flying wasn’t common for the average person during that year.
How Long Has Fiba Been Around?
What is FIBA?
Fiba is an organization that is in charge of international play and governs the authority of countries to compete against each other. They are responsible for putting on the Fiba World Cup of Basketball and other tournaments. Fiba has its own set of rules that govern most basketball leagues around the world in different countries.
F.I.B.A. ~ Federation International Basketball Association
To put in simple terms to understand FIBA and who they are, think of what FIFA is to Soccer. FIBA is the FIFA of Basketball. FIBA was formed in 1932, shortly after in 1936 basketball was recognized as an Olympic sport. Credit goes to the board of directors for the work they put into making basketball an Olympic sport in such a short time.
How Long Has Professional Basketball Been Around?
The first professional basketball league started in 1898 called the NBL which stood for National Basketball League.
It consisted of 6 teams:
Three of those teams were in Philadelphia Called the Clover Wheelmen, Germantown Nationals, and Hancock Athletic Association. While the other three teams consisted of teams in New Jersey Called Millville Glass Blowers, Camden Electrics, and Trenton Nationals.
The league lasted until 1904 before folding due to investors backing out and legal issues.
How Long Have Women Been Playing Basketball For?
Some may be surprised that shortly after the game was invented in 1982 women played basketball just like the men did in the era. To put it simple women did not have a lot of rights and were not allowed to vote, it just goes to show that sports in general back then was for everyone.
Who Was The First Women Basketball Player?
Lusia Harris became the first Women’s professional basketball player ni 1977 when she was drafted by the New Orleans Jazz. While playing at the Delta State University where she held the record at the time of 55 points in a single game, Lusia who played center didn’t even know she would be drafted.
Lusia thought it was a joke and although she was 6’3 she was undersized as she played the center position and couldn’t shoot very well. She also was pregnant when she heard the news and had no intention of playing. Some thought it was a joke and publicity stunt, but regardless everyone knew she could play.
How Long Ago Did Women Start Playing Professional Basketball?
The WBL is known as the Women’s Basketball League was founded in 1978 that consisted of 8 teams which included Chicago, Iowa Houston, Milwaukee, New York City, New, Minneapolis Jersey, and Washington D.C.whic set out to play a 34 game season. Unfortunately, the league folded in 1981.
How Long Has The WNBA been Around?
The WNBA know as the Women’s National Basketball Association, emerged in 1996 with 8 teams:
- Charlotte Sting,
- Cleveland Rockers
- Houston Comets
- New York Liberty
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Phoenix Mercury
- Sacramento Monarchs
- Utah Starzz
Some household names at the time were Lisa Lesley, Cynthia Cooper, and Cheryl Swoops.
The WNBA has been facing some problems in attendance and viewers, that had to be addressed as the WNBA players association were expressing concern about their pay. The average WNBA player is paid $50,000 ayear thats not bad to play basketball in my opinion. But I am a bad example as I would probably play for free and starve if I could.
Commissioner Adam silver had to address the issue with contracts and stated the WNBA is losing millions of dollars each year. Silver is really saying they are lucky to have jobs.
This concludes this article it is amazing to see that basketball has come a long way and still I feel it is only going to get better, I am excited about the future of the sport. Hope you enjoyed this article, please check out my other articles down below.