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James Naismith invents Basketball
The invention of basketball took place Inside a gymnasium at Springfield College, located in Springfield, Mass.. where Naismith was the instructor. This industry pioneer was assigned to create an activity that would appeal to the young men in his class. He had many goals to reach such as it had to be interesting enough to play, athletic, and it had to be playable in side as well as outside. Word of this new game spread very quickly as it was an instant success. -
Women's basketball is initiated
A year after basketball was created, Women's basketball was introduced. Gymnastics instructor Senda Berenson Abbott adapted James Naismith's basketball rules for women and introduces the game at Smith College. -
The Original 13 rules
James Naismith published his rules for the game a year after the creation. The original game was played under these rules and it was quite different from the one played today as there was no dribbling, dunking, three-pointers, or shot clock, and goal tending was legal. -
The first basketball is marketed
A soccer ball was used for the first two years for the sport. Later on the first basketball was marketed. -
The free throw is introduced and the 3 pointer is evolved
The free throw was not mentioned among the original 13 rules when basketball was first introduced. Naismith recognized that it was too severe of a penalty, and adjusted it so that all field goals were three points, and all fouls were an automatic one point. Further evolving it, Naismith decided that victims of a foul should instead be rewarded with a 20-foot shot, the first version of the free throw. If that 20-foot shot was made, it counted as a field goal. -
First College basketball game
The University of Iowa invited student athletes from the new University of Chicago for an experimental game. This would be the first college game in history. The final score was: Chicago 15, Iowa 12. -
First Professional basketball game
Played in Trenton New Jersey between the Trenton YMCA and the Brooklyn YMCA, this was the first professional game played ever. The game was played at the Trenton Masonic temple. Each player received $15 dollars except nine-teen year old Fred Cooper who received $16 dollars, and became the first highest paid player. The ending score placed Trenton as winners with a score of 15-1. -
The NCAA is founded
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletes from 1,268 North American institutions and conferences. It was founded by president Theodore Roosevelt. -
FIBA is founded
Founded in 1932, FIBA brings together 213 National Basketball Federations from all over the world. They organise and oversee international competitions that include the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the Olympic Basketball Tournament and 3x3 basketball. -
Basketball is introduced to the Olympics
The summer games in Berlin, in 1936 is when men's basketball was first introduced to the Olympics. 21 nations competed, and the games were played on converted tennis courts and lawns. The United States earned their first title winning the tournament. -
First televised basketball game
The first basketball game is televised, from Madison Square Garden; Fordham vs the University of Pittsburgh. It was over NBC's experimental station in New York, W2XBS. The game, in which Pittsburgh beat Fordham 50-37. -
The BAA and NBA is founded
The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was founded in 1946 with Maurice Podoloff named as the leagues president. Following its third season, in 1948–49, the BAA and the National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association. -
The NBA color barrier is broken
Earl Lloyd is known as one of the first African-American players in the NBA. He broke the League’s color barrier when he entered the game for the Washington Capitols against the Rochester Royals (Now the Sacramento Kings). Two other black players Chuck Cooper and Sweetwater Clifton also made their debuts in the 1950 season, shortly after Lloyd. -
Boston Celtics win their first Championship
During the 1957 NBA World Championship Series, the Boston Celtics won the first of their 17 championships with a ending score of 125-123 with a double-overtime at the Boston Garden against the St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks -
Wilt Chamberlain Scores 100
Considered one of the greatest records in basketball, industry pioneer Wilt Chamberlain set the NBA single-game scoring record by scoring 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 victory over the New York Knicks. He played as a center. -
The Dunking ban(The Alcindor rule)
When Kareem Abul-Jabbar, formally known as Lew Alcindor, played for UCLA, the heads of NCAA felt his ability to dunk the ball at will was an unfair advantage. In this, they banned dunking altogether from 1967 to 1975. Because of this Alcindor had to find a different way of scoring in the post. -
The All Black Starting five
The first black line up in NCAA history, Texas Western's five black starters didn't catch the eyes of the audience until they went up against the all-white Kentucky team in the national championship. The five starters were Bobby Joe Hill, Orsten Artis, Willie Worsley, Harry Flournoy and David Lattin. -
First Woman is draft pick in the NBA
Denise Long Rife was the first woman drafted by an NBA team when Golden State Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli picked her in the 13th round of the NBA draft. Growing up in a small down in Iowa, Long played forward, and was known for her long-distance shots. She once scored 111 points in a single game and passed the century mark on two other occasions. -
Pistol Pete sets NCAA scoring record
Pete Marvich also know as Pistol Pete, was an all-time NCAA Career Scoring Leader with 3,667 points, an average of 44.2 points for 83 games. Ranking first, fourth and fifth for most points in a single season in NCAA history. Averaged 44.5 points in 1970, 44.2 points in 1969 and 43.8 points in 1968. He played for the LSU tigers and the Utah Jazz. -
Moses Malone drafted straight from highschool
A three-time MVP with the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers, he was the first player to go straight from high school into the pros. Malone’s lack of experience never hurt him as he went on to enjoy a 20-year career in the NBA. -
Highest Scoring game
The highest-scoring regular season game in NBA history is the triple-overtime game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets.The two teams combined to score 370 points, with the Pistons defeating the Nuggets 186–184. -
Kareem Abul-Jabbar sets scoring record
After dunking was banned, another industry pioneer, NCAA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his skyhook are still no.1 on the all-time scoring list in NBA history. With 38,387 points, Abdul-Jabbar set the lead. -
"The Greatest of all time"
Micheal Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He holds the NBA records for career regular season scoring average 30.12 points per game and career playoff scoring average 33.45 points per game. He was named the 20th century's greatest North American athlete by ESPN. He's also known for his product endorsements such as the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which have remained insanely popular today. -
Pro Players go interntional
USA Basketball was organized in 1974 and known as the Amateur Basketball Association of the United States of America (ABAUSA). -
WNBA is formed
The Women's National Basketball Association is a professional basketball league in the United States currently composed of twelve teams. The league was founded as the women's "counterpart" to the National Basketball Association, and started to play in 1997. -
NBA 2k is Made
The original NBA 2K was initially released in November 1999 with Allen Iverson as the cover athlete. The first four games in the NBA 2K series feature commentary from fictional announcers Bob Steele and Rod West, portrayed by Bob Fitzgerald and Rod Brooks respectively.
