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James Naismith
Basketball was founded by James Naismith. The name basketball was crafted by James who said, "We have a ball and a basket, we don’t we call it basket -ball." Basketball started out with eighteen players on the court, nine players on each team. -
First Game of Basketball
The first game was held at the Armory Street court. They played 9 versus 9 using a soccer ball and two peach baskets. James Haismith made 13 rules to the game. -
Spreading the Game
The YMCA and the U.S. Army helped spread the game. In 1893, Mel Rideout arranged the first European basketball game in Paris, in Montmartre. -
American Colloges
The first organized college basketball game was agianst Geneva College and New Brighton YMCA on April 8, 1893, in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Geneva College won 3–0. -
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Leagues and Teams
The first professional league was founded in 1898. Six teams were in the National Basketball League. The first champions were the Trenton Nationals, New York Wanderers, the Bristol Pile Drivers and the Camden Electrics. The league was abandoned in 1904. The Original Celtics are sometimes mistaken as the current Boston Celtics of the NBA and they only share a name as today's Celtics. Also Today's Celtics were not founded until 1946. -
History of the NBA
The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946. The league was first called:the Basketball Association of America (BAA).The league later came up with the name National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL).
