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Invention
Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith because he wanted to condition athletes in the winter months and to create a less dangerous alternative to football. It started with peach baskets and a ball similar to a soccer ball. He published 13 rules for the new game -
The First Game
Naismith asked his class to play a new game that he came up with. They had two teams, nine on each team, faced each other. They came up with the idea to call it basketball during this first game. -
Beginning of College Basketball
The first known U.S. college to field a basketball team against an outside opponent was Vanderbilt University. -
Popularity Spreads
The YMCA and US Army played a large role in spreading the sport. Especially during the first world war. The first European match was in Paris. -
Beginning Of Professional Leagues
The first professional league consisted of six teams. It was called the National Basketball League and was created in 1898. It was abandoned in 1904. -
First All African American Game
The amateur, all-black Olympian Athletic League was formed in New York City. The first inter-city basketball game between two black teams was played between the Smart Set Athletic Club of Brooklyn and the Crescent Athletic Club of Washington, DC. -
NBA
The Basketball league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America. The league adopted the name National Basketball Association (NBA) after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL). The NBA remains the most significant professional basketball league in the United States. -
Michael Jordan
It was because of the play of Michael Jordan basketball started to reach international audiences, especially on the Olympic Team, known as the Dream Team. He played for the Chicago Bulls. -
Allstars Following Jordan
After Jordan retired there was anticipation for the next big stars. But then, Kobe Bryant would go on to win three straight championships from 2000-2002 with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping make basketball more popular in many places around the world, most noticeably China. However, in 2015, he announced the following season would be his 20th and last. -
Present Day
Lebron James is a popular player today who was taken as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and has worked his way to become the face of the NBA and basketball around the world. He left the Cavaliers in 2010 to join the Miami Heat along with fellow stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in what become known as the controversial decision. But they went on to win back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. He is now playing with the Cavaliers.