Informally known as Hoops, Basketball is a team sport, game is mostly played in-doors and played on a rectangular court. Two teams consisting of five players each; try to shoot a basketball through an elevated hoop of the defending team. The hoop is approximately 9.4 inches in diameter and is elevated 10 feet above the ground. The defending team tries to stop the opposing team from shooting the ball through the hoop. Each field goal is worth two points, but if the basket is made from outside the three-point line, then it is counted for three points. Like any other game, the team with the most points wins the game; when the game-time is over.
The players carry the ball by bouncing it while running and make passes to the teammates. The fiver players of each team have their distinctive positions. The tallest member of the team is the center, the second tallest is the power forward, the agile player is the small forward, this is how he assists the power-forward, and the player who has the most control over the ball is the shooting guard and manages the execution of the defensive and offensive play. Informally the game is played one-on-one too.
Fun facts about Basketball
The basketball wasn’t played, as it is played now; in its early years. The game was just a training exercise to keep the gym class active on a rainy day. Here are some fun facts about basketball which found intrigue you.
History: The game of basketball was played at the International Young Men’s Christian Association Training School, today known as Springfield College, for the first time. A physical education professor and instructor, by the name of James Naismith, is accredited as the founder of the game. On a rainy day, the professor was trying, to keep his gym class active, so he thought of a game that could be played indoors. After testing many ideas and rejecting them, due to some reason, he composed a set of rules and nailed a peach basket to the pole.
Peach Basket Instead of a Hoop: Initially, a peach basket; was used instead of a hoop. Unlike the modern basketball net, the basket had it’s bottom intact, and the ball was retried manually every time a basket was shoot. This proved to be problematic for the players, so later on the base of the basket was removed and the ball was retrieved from the basket using a long dowel.
Soccerball: Basketball was originally played, with a soccer ball. The soccer ball, at that time, had stitches which insured that the inflatable bladder stayed inside the covering protecting it from damage. This caused a lot of problems while dribbling the ball as the stitches would get in the way, and the dribbling became unpredictable. The founder of the game, Naismith, is also accredited with creating the ball for the game as well.
Dribbling Was not allowed: Although it sounds strange, however in the initial years, the players were not allowed to dribble the ball. The players were not even allowed to carry the ball while dribbling, they had to stand still, and throw the ball over to each other. In 1897, the rules of the game were slightly changed, and the players were allowed to advance the ball by just one single dribble, and the game was played, at Yale. This change was made official after four years.
Basketball outside the US:Canada; was the first country to play basketball outside the U.S. Later on, the sport was introduced to France, in 1893. England started playing the game in 1894 with China, India, and Australia. Basketball reached Japan in 1900.
Color of the Ball: Back in the days, basketball was brown. This made it difficult for the player and the fans to see the ball. Coach Tony Hinkle of Butler University gave the idea of developing an orange ball for the game, making it easy to see as orange is a sharp color.
Federation Internationale de Basketball Amateur (FIBA): The eight founding nations of the FIBA are Argentina, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia. FIBA was founded, in Geneva on June 18, 1932.
The unspecified number of players: The number of players was unspecified when the game was created. Naismith invented the game to keep the players active during the long and cold winters of Massachusetts. He didn’t put a check on the number of players, because he wanted this to be a fun activity, which can be played by many people and who so ever can join the play. For some time, each team had nine players. This was the number of players who played the game on the 1st day.
Fouls: Shouldering, pushing, tripping, and hilding was not considered fouls until 1920. But these activities were not allowed during the game. The player to commit these fouls was disqualified from the game, but this total was raised to five in 1946, and again raised to 6 the next year.
Used of Watches: The referees of the game were supposed to keep an eye on the time as it was their official duty. Standard watches were used to keep time, the game was played in two halves of fifteen minutes, which had a break of five minutes for rest, so the ref didn’t have much time to keep. The 24-second shot clock was actuated in 1954.
1979 NCAA Tournament: To this day, college tournaments remain popular but the game played between Michigan State and Indiana State, in the year 1979, is still considered the best game of the sport’s history. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had never played against each other before this game, and this game marked the beginning of having NBA stars.
Growth of Basketball: In 1963 the sport was aired on the national television channels, which made it popular. By 1980, the three major channels were telecasting the sport, which made it more popular in colleges during; the season of November to March.
Possession Rules 1913: Before 1913, the referee would pick up and throw the ball down the court if the ball was out-of-bounds, the first player to touch the balls would retain possession of the ball. This rule was changed and the possession of the ball was given to the player, who had the last contact with the ball. The rule was changed; because the players started getting injured; to get the first touch of the ball.
Micheal Jordan Fined: Michela Jordan, a living legend and one of the most popular; players of the sport, was fined for wearing the Air Jordans to a game. Back then, these shoes were against the dress code of the game. Micheal paid a fine to the NBA for playing in those shoes every time he got on the court, but h didn’t change his shoes.
Women Basketball: Clara Baer accidentally made new rules for the sports which influenced women’s basketball. When she got the diagram of the court from Naismith, she misinterpreted it. She thought that the dotted lines were restraining lines instead of being indicators of the areas in which the players can perform good teamwork.
Basketball Association of America (BAA): National Basketball Association, as we know it, was called the Basketball Association of America and was founded on June 6, 1946. After merging with the rival National Basketball League on August 3, 1949, the name was changed to National Basketball Association.
First collage tournament: the first college tournament didn’t happen until 1937. The group that held the first tournament, later on, became the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The tournament was held in Kansas City.
Longest Game: The longest game of basketball was played for 78 minutes between Indianapolis Olympians and Rochester Royals. The game was played in Edgerton Park Arena in New York on January 6, 1951. The game had 6 over-times.
Tallest Basketball Player: The tallest basketball player was Suleiman Ali Nashush standing at a record height of 8.05ft. He played for the Libyan team in 1962. He was born in 1943 and died in 1991.
Tallest NBA Player: Manute Bol played for the Washington Bullets in 1985 and later joined the Miami Heats in 1994. He is the tallest player in NBA history, and his height was 7.7ft. In his lifetime, he played a total of 624 games.
Conclusion
Basketball, from the time of its invention to the day, remains an interesting game. Fans are always enthusiastic to watch, their favorite players play the sport. Players, like Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryant; have given so much to the sport. Their names are written in the pages of history forever. Basketball wasn’t started, as a proper sport but still, it is one of the most popular sports in the world, and every day new players join the ranks in search of glory.