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Basketball is invented
Dr. James Naismith, while searching for an activity developed an early version of what he called "Basket ball". The game was played with a soccer ball, and the goal had a net with a bottom, so the ball had to be retrieved manually each time a basket was made. -
First intercollegiate game played
On February 9th, 1985 the first intercollegiate basketball game took place between Hamline University and the School of Agriculture. -
New baskets
Backboards were now used to prevent fans from interfering with shots from players. This unintentionally added the element of rebounding to the game -
NBA Created
The Basketball Association of America merged with the National Basketball League to create the NBA. -
NBA and ABA merge
In 1976, the NBA merged with the ABA and essentially eliminated all competition from the market. This is when the NBA established itself as the globabl icon it is today.
