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Basketball History 1890 - 2020
The History of Basketball -
Invention by James Naismith
Naismith was a Canadian PE teacher working in Springfield, Massachusetts. He developed the sport to play between the fall season of football and the spring season of baseball. -
Peach baskets
The original game was played by shooting the ball into a peach basket. -
Basketball for Girls
Girls and young women began playing the sport in PE classes. -
Metal rims
Metal rims replaced peach baskets in 1906. -
First All African American Team - The "Rens"
The first all African American team was the Harlem Renaissance from New York. -
Savoy Big Five
This team began with businessman Abe Sapperstein in Chicago. The team was named after the Savoy dance ballroom where they played many of their games. They went on to become the Harlem Globetrotters. -
Basketball Spreads Around the World
FIBA (Federation of International Amateur Basketball) formed. This grew the sport internationally. -
Basketball Becomes an Olympic Sport
The US Olympic basketball team won a gold medal over Canada with a score of 19-8. The game was played in the rain outdoors on a clay court in Germany. -
Basketball Association of America (BAA)
The BAA began in 1946 with a game between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Huskies. Ossie Schectman scored the first basket. -
First Jumpshot
Kenny Sailors shot a jump shot on January 1946. The new way of one handed shooting was better than the flat footed set shot. -
NBA
The NBA started after the NBL ("National Basketball League") and the BAA ("Basketball Association of America") joined. -
Slam Dunking
"Dunking" was unsportsmanlike in the early days and not allowed. The rule was later dropped because fans loved watching them. Wilt "the Stilt" Chamberlain made them famous. -
Wilt Chamberlain Sets A Record
Wilt "the Stilt" Chamberlain is considered to be one of the most dominating players in NBA history for scoring and shot blocking. In 1962 he scored 100 points in a single game. His team the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the New York Nicks 169 - 147. He became the 5th highest scorer of NBA history: 31 419 points in 16 seasons. He developed the unstoppable "fadeaway" shot. -
The Longest Game
Game 5 of the NBA finals was won 128-126 by the Boston Celtics over the Phoenix Suns. The thrilling game was tied so many times and needed three overtime periods to see a winner. Some say it was the most exciting game to watch in NBA history. -
Julius Erving "Dr J"
Erving is considered one of the best dunkers of all time. He could takeoff from the foul line and still have enough height to dunk the ball. His amazing jump made other moves possible such as the famous "No Way even for Dr J" layup during the 1980 NBA finals. -
Highest Scoring NBA Game
The Detroit Pistons defeated the Denver Nuggets 186 - 184 in triple overtime December 13, 1983. -
The tallest and shortest NBA players
Manute Bol (7 feet 7 inches) and Muggsy Bogues (5 feet 3 inches) were teammates. -
Michael Jordan
Jordan played for 15 NBA seasons and became the 4th leading scorer of all time with 32 292 points. He was 6 feet 6 inches tall and could jump 48 inches (122 cm). This made him an exciting player to watch for his shooting, soaring slam dunks, and double pump layups. "Air Jordan" made basketball popular around the world with his exciting play. -
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Jabbar retired in 1989 after playing 20 years in the NBA. He is the all time leading scorer with 38 387 points. Many of his baskets were scored with his unstoppable "sky hook" shot. Jabbar was 7 feet 2 inches tall. -
Olympic Dream Team
The 1992 Barcelona Olympics allowed professional athletes to compete. The USA "Dream Team" included Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, Clyde "the Glide" Drexler, Scottie Pippen, and Patrick Ewing among others. They won the gold medal after beating every team they played by at least 44 points. -
Womens NBA League Begins
A league for women basketball players began in 1997. It is called the WNBA. In 2017 the league had 12 teams. Sheryl Swoopes was the first female player to have a shoe named after her: Nike Air Swoopes. -
Basketball Becomes Popular in Asia
Yao Ming from China was the number one draft pick for Houston Rockets in 2002. He made basketball a popular sport in Asian countries. -
Karl Malone "the Mailman"
Malone played 19 NBA seasons and was the second all time leading scorer with 36 928 points. His nickname referred to his ability to consistently deliver points. -
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. Kobe is the third highest NBA scorer: 33 643 points over 20 seasons. -
Stephen Curry - The Great Shooter
Stephen Curry began his NBA career in 2009 with the Golden State Warriors. His accurate shooting at close or long distances have led people to consider him as one of the greatest shooters of all time. Curry appears to shoot almost effortlessly from near half court. He is the only player in history to score 400 three pointers in regular season. (The next closest was Klay Thompson with 276 three pointers.) -
Allen Iverson Retires
Allen Iverson was a fun player to watch for his shooting and dribbling quickness. His best move became known as the "Iverson crossover." In 1997 he crossed and scored over Michael Jordan with his move. -
NBA Champions
Golden State Warriors won the NBA league. The power house team was led by Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson.
