Basketball has been one of the most, or if not, the most played type of sport for decades. It doesn’t matter if you’re a player or a fan because basketball has come a long way. It started as an activity for winter, but everyone seems to be watching and playing basketball today. In addition to that, it also became a professional sport. Well, whether you’re a fan or a player, you can’t deny the fact that basketball has changed your life and everyone’s lives.
Today, some of the biggest and popular brands started because of basketball, such as Adidas, Jordan, Nike, and many others. Despite the popularity, there are still a lot of people who don’t have the slightest idea about it. So get your head on the game and fill your thoughts with these basketball facts.
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The Person Who Invented Basketball
As mentioned earlier and probably one of the most popular basketball facts is that this sport came from just a simple winter activity. The physical education instructor James Naismith started or rather created this sport to provide an indoor activity for the athletes during winter. This all happened in 1891, and originally, basketball has been introduced as a less-injury pron sport than football.
Once basketball was introduced, it rapidly gained popularity throughout the 20th century. It started on the YMCA or the international Young Men’s Christian Association. After that, basketball became a globally popular sport that we know of today.
Basketball Boosted the Membership of YMCAs
In the early days of basketballs, basketballs courts are really hard to find and weren’t globally available yet. So most people who are curious to know the popular sport started applying for a membership at the YMCA. Therefore, many have joined the association to play for the institution’s gyms. Despite the rapid growth of popularity, basketball was outlawed by so of the associations as the players ended up taking over gyms.
The First Country Who Played Basketballs
Basketball was first introduced in France in the year 1893. The following year, it was introduced to England together with China, India, and Australia. Because of its popularity, it soon reached southeast Asia and was first introduced in Japan in the year 1900. So the first-ever country who played basketballs outside of the United States is Canada. Where up to this day, they already have three professional basketballs teams who played for the country. The first is the Huskies, then soon became Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors, which currently got their championship title by playing on the National Basketballs Association (NBA) under Canada.
The First Professional Basketball League
The National Basketballs League or NBL was first formed in 1898. The league held games that are totally different from college basketballs. A typical NBL court setting was surrounded by a chicken-wire where it separates fans from the players. Well, the reason is some fans get hostile because of the game. It was also during this time where people referred to basketballs players as “cagers.”
The Longest Basketball Game
Until today, Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Olympians’ teams still hold for the longest basketballs game ever played. Both are American teams which played at Edgerton Park Arena in Rochester, New York. The game happened on January 6, 1951, with six overtimes, resulting in the longest basketballs game at 78 minutes. The Olympians also won the game 75-73.
Takeaway
There’s so much to know about basketballs. The facts listed above are just some of the primary information about basketballs. Today, more and more are still playing the popular sport, and most athletes aim to become professionals and play for one of the NBA teams.
