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Dr. James Naismith
The roots of basketball are firmly embedded in Canada. In 1891 the game was invented by Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian who hailed from Almonte, Ontario. He wrote the original basketball rulebook, founded the University of Kansas basketball program -
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Timeline of basketball
Basketball -
First Game
The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany, New York with nine players. The game ended at 1–0; the shot was made from 25 feet (7.6 m), on a court just half the size of a present-day Streetball or National Basketball Association (NBA) court. -
Olympic Event
An official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. -
Birth of International Basketball FIBA
The International Basketball Federation, more commonly known as FIBA. FIBA defines the international rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, regulates the transfer of athletes across countries, and controls the appointment of international referees. -
Birth of NCAABM
Birth of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. (Currently 68 teams) -
The Basketball evolution
A molded version of the early basketball was invented in 1942. From 1967 through 1976, the American Basketball Association (ABA) used a distinctive red, white and blue basketball that is still seen from time to time. Not till the 1990s the ball was made from leather and able to be more effenicient. In 2006 Spalding became NBA offical basketball. -
Philly Warriors first champions
A big shot by the Warriors' Howie Dallmar in the final minute clinched the first title in the league that would later become known as the National Basketball Association. -
Merge of NBA and NBL
The Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League merge to create the National Basketball Association. -
African Rights
Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton may not have been able to eat in certain restaurants or live in certain hotels in 1950, but the trio entered the NBA that year and became pioneers for today's African-American basketball players. -
1st NBA All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association All-Star Game was first staged at the Boston Garden. From that year on, the NBA has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference against the best players in the Western Conference. -
Most minutes played in a playoff game
67 by Red Rocha and Paul Seymour, Syracuse Nationals at Boston Celtics (4 OT) -
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics win the first of their eight consecutive league championships. -
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, is named in his honour. -
NBA Record For Most Rebounds In A Game
Wilt Chamberlain holds, all things considered, is his mark for most rebounds in a game: 55, captured against Bill Russell's Celtics early in the 1960-61 season. -
100
Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points in one game aginest New York. -
Lew
Lew Alcindor is drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks. In 169, he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. . He is the all-time leading NBA scorer with 38,387 points, having collected six championship rings, six regular season MVP and two Finals MVP awards, fifteen NBA First or Second Teams, a record nineteen NBA All-Star call-ups -
Longest winning streak
By beating the Hawks on January 7, 1972, Jerry West and the Lakers set an NBA record for most consecutive wins with 33. -
NBA Record For Most Shots Blocked In A Game
Elmore Smith led the league in total blocked shots twice (in 1974 and 1975), and holds the NBA record for most blocked shots in a game since 1973, with 17 -
ABA Slam Dunk Contest
Halftime of the 1976 ABA All Star Game saw the first-ever Slam Dunk Contest, which was won by Julius Erving of the New York Nets (who took off from the free throw line for his dunk) over David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets, Artis Gilmore of the Kentucky Colonels, and George Gervin and Larry Kenon of the San Antonio Spurs. -
NBA Record Most Steals in a Game
Kendall Gill and Larry Kenon are tied for most steals in a regular season NBA game with eleven. -
Most offensive rebounds in a game
15 by Moses Malone, Houston Rockets vs. Washington Bullets (OT) -
3-Point Line
The NBA introduces the three-point line. The Boston Celtics' Chris Ford makes the first three-pointer on October 12, 1979. -
Rebirth of the Slam Dunk Contest
The NBA reintroduced the Slam Dunk Contest in 1984 at its birthplace in Denver. Erving's dunk from the free throw line that year remains one of the most memorable slam dunks in NBA history but it did not result in him winning the competition; instead, Phoenix's Larry Nance won. -
MJ
Michael Jordan is drafted by the Bulls with the third overall pick. During his first season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting. He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas, and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star is Born" just over a month into his professional career. -
David Stern
He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien. He is credited with increasing the popularity of the NBA in the 1990s and 2000s. -
First Canadian
Bill Wennington from Montreal, Qubec. Selected 16th overall. who won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. A center, he was also a member of two Canadian Olympic Basketball Teams (1984 and 1992) and the 1983 World University Games team that won gold against the USA. -
Air Jordan
Air Jordans were first released for public consumption in 1985 (Jordan himself first wore them as a rookie in 1984) -
Tallest Player to ever play in the NBA
In 1985 Bol 7'7 was drafted as the seventh pick in the second round by the Washington Bullets (31st overall). He played in the NBA for ten years. In 1987, the Washington Bullets drafted the 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) point guard Muggsy Bogues, pairing the tallest and shortest players in the league on the court. -
3 Point Contest
First 3 Point Contest held in an All Star game in Dallas, TX. Larry Bird was the first winner with the final score of 22. -
Playoff Record
MJ scores a playoff record 63 points in a loss to the Celtics. -
Len Bias
He was selected by the Boston Celtics as the 2ndoverall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft on June 17, but died two days later from cocaine overdose. He is considered by some sportswriters to be one of the greatest players not to play at the professional level. -
Bird Picks Pistons' Pockets
Larry Bird stole an inbounds pass thrown by Detroit's Isiah Thomas and fed it to a cutting Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup in Game 6 of the East Finals. -
Shortest Player ever to play in the NBA
Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues, he shortest player ever to play in the NBA, the 5 ft 3 in Bogues played point guard for four teams during his 14-season career -
Heroic Isiah Hobbles to Record 25-Point Quarter
The Pistons ultimately lost Game 6 to the Lakers, but it was no fault of the battle-weary Thomas. He finished the night with a jammed left pinkie, a poked eye, a scratched face, a ballooned ankle, 43 points, 8 assists, 6 steals, and enough respect to last a lifetime. -
Shootout in Boston Garden
In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird went head to head down the stretch in an unforgettable scoring shootout. Wilkins ended up with 47 points, shooting a brilliant 19-for-23 while Bird who finished with 34 points on 15-for-24 from the field, 20 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. -
The Shot
It came down to the closing seconds, and as he would so many times in his career, Jordan had the ball with the game on the line. Most memoborable moment when it comes to Cleveland besides Lebron departure. -
Soviet Union to particpate first time
Sarunas Marciulionis and Alexander Volkov became the first players from the then-Soviet Union to participate in a regular season NBA game. Marciulionis scored 19 points as Golden State lost to Phoenix 136-106, and Volkov was held scoreless as Atlanta was defeated by Indiana 126-103 -
1st to play outside NA
The Phoenix Suns defeated the Utah Jazz, 119-96, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Japan in the first regular season game played outside North America by any major professional sports league. The teams also met the next afternoon in Tokyo, with the Jazz winning, 102-101. -
NBA Record For Most Assists In A Game
Scott Skiles made NBA history by dishing out an NBA-record 30 assists during the Magic's 155-116 victory vs. the Denver Nuggets. -
Dream Team
Dream Team Many consider it the greatest team ever assembled -- the original Dream Team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. USA Basketball announced the "Dream Team" for the 1992 Olympics: Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton. USA Basketball named Christian Laettner and Clyde Drexler to the team on May 12, 1992. -
MJ retirement & return
On October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement and commited to a baseball career. He did not perform well. citing a loss of desire to play the game. 1995 he made a return with the Bulls with a struggling record, 31-31 -
AND 1
Founded in 1993, the company's headquarters were located in Paoli, Pennsylvania before being relocated to Aliso Viejo, California. Streetballers played with basically no rules or restrictions. -
Rookie vs. Sophomores
The Rookie Challenge, established in 1994, was originally competed by two randomly selected teams composed entirely of first-year players. -
71 Points
David scored 71 points on the Clippers and won the scoring title in the very last game of the regular season, averaging 29.8 points for the year. Shaq finished the season averaging 29.3 points. Only four other players have scored over 70 points in NBA history – Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, David Thompson and mostly recently Kobe Bryant. -
NBA Lockout 1995
The 1995 NBA lockout was the first lockout in the history of the NBA. It lasted from July 1, 1995 to September 12, 1995. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls defeating the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals to win the franchise's 4th championship. -
Toronto and Vancouver
The Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies joined the NBA beginning in the 1995-96 season, becoming the first non-U.S. cities to join the league . -
Kobe Bryant
He declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Allen Iverson, a sophomore from Georgetown, was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. -
NBA Lockout 1996
The 1996 NBA lockout was the second lockout in the history of the NBA. It lasted for a couple of hours on July 10, 1996. The lockout was imposed after the league and the player's union could not reach an agreement involving $50 million in profit sharing from the television revenue. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls defeating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals to win the franchise's 5th championship. -
WNBA
The league was founded on April 24, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA). League play started in 1997; the regular season is currently played from June to September with the Finals in October. -
The Flu Game
With food posioning the day before Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He finished the game with 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block and hit the game winner. -
NBA Lockout 1998
The 1998–99 NBA lockout was the third lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It lasted from July 1, 1998 to January 20, 1999, and forced the 1998–99 regular season to be shortened to 50 games per team and that season's All-Star Game to be canceled. NBA owners reopened the league's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in March 1998, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. -
Wilts passes away at 63
NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain passed away at his home in Bel-Air, California at the age of 63. A 13-time NBA All-Star, first-ballot Hall of Famer and holder of numerous records, many of which will never be broken, Chamberlain arrived in the NBA in 1959 out of the University of Kansas (1955-58), In his first season with the Philadelphia Warriors, Chamberlain astonished the professional basketball world by averaging an NBA rookie record 37.6pts and 27reb on his way to capturing the NBA MVP and ROTY -
Hack a Shaq
Most free throws attempted in a game playoff game. 39 by Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Indiana Pacers -
Memphis Grizzles
When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, to become the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian team in the NBA. -
Yao Ming
The Houston Rockets draft Yao Ming with the #1 overall pick. He is the first International player drafted #1 to have never played US college basketball. -
Highest Paid NBA Player
Kobe became the highest paid player in the NBA. Signing a 7-Years, $136.4 Million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. Making $19,485,714 a year and $237,630.66 a game. Second highest was Kevin Garrnett 6 year 126 Million, 21,000,000 a year. -
Malice in the Palace
With less than a minute left in the game, a fight broke out between players on the court. After the fight was broken up, a drink was thrown from the stands at then Pacers player Ron Artest while he was lying on the scorer's table. Artest then entered the crowd and sparked a massive brawl between players and fans. -
Youngest to Play
The youngest player ever to play in the NBA was Andrew Bynum who played his first game at the age of 18 years and 6 days old. Bynum, who was also the youngest player ever selected in the NBA Draft, went into the NBA straight out of high school. Jermaine O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, both drafted in 1996, were the second and third youngest players. -
Kobe 81 Points on the Toronto Raptors
Kobe Bryant tallied 81 points against the Raptors in a 122-104 Lakers win. The 81 is the second highest single-game point total in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain's 100 over 40 years ago. -
Player efficiency rating
The Player efficiency rating (PER) is ESPN Insider writer John Hollinger's all-in-one basketball rating, which attempts to boil down all of a player's contributions into one number. Using a detailed formula, Hollinger developed a system that rates every player's statistical performance. -
The Big 3
June 28, aquired Ray Allen and June 30 aquired Kevin Garnett. June 17 captured their 17th NBA Championship with a win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul Pierce was named the Finals MVP. -
Jeremy Lin
First American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the league. Currently plays for the Houston Rockets. Went undrafted and graduated from Harvard. The last Harvard player in the NBA was Ed Smith in 1954. -
The Decision
During an hour-long special on ESPN dubbed The Decision, Lebron James reveals he's taking his talents to South Beach, joins the Miami Heat. -
Longest Losing streak
Set by the Cleveland Cavaliers losing 23 games in a row. They set the record for first and second most losing streak twice. -
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks defeat the Miami Heat's “Big Three,” win first NBA title in franchise history after 31 years. -
Tristan Thompson
He played with the 2010–11 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team. Thompson was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 4th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Highest Canadian to be ever drafted. -
NBA Lockout 2011
he 2011 NBA lockout was the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The owners began the work stoppage upon expiration of the 2005 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The 161-day lockout began on July 1, 2011 and ended on December 8, 2011. It delayed the start of the 2011–12 regular season from November 1 to December 25, and it reduced the regular season from 82 to 66 games. -
NBL Canada
Canadian professional men's basketball league founded in 2011. For the first season, three teams formerly of the Premier Basketball League joined, with four expansion teams officially joining to form the NBL's "Original Seven". In 2012, an eighth franchise based in Windsor, Ontario joined the league. 36 game season playoffs is best of 3. -
Lebron 1st title
2nd year with the big 3 of Wade, Bosh and Lebron entering their 9th year playing, Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1. With Lebron first title, final MVP and Miami 2nd NBA championship. -
Serve for their country
Bernard James (born February 7, 1985) is a former staff sergeant in the United States Airforce and a current professional basketball player with the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. He played collegiately at Florida State University.
The Cleveland Cavaliers took the 6-10, 240-pound Seminole in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft (33rd overall). Enter the draft at age 28. -
Jack Taylor
In NCAA Division III basketball Jack Taylor broke the NCAA record for most points in a single game. Jack Taylor scores 138 points. 52 out of 108 two-pointers, 27 out of 71 from three-point range and seven out of 10 free throws. -
30k
At 34 years and 104 days of age, Kobe became the youngest player in league history to hit the 30K, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Michael Jordan (32,292) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) as one of five players to reach that milestone.
