James Naismith
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In December 1891, his superior named Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, the director of the school, requested Naismith to organize a vigorous recreation suitable for indoor winter play. Naismith faced with the problem of finding in 14 days of a game that could be played indoors in a relatively small space for the students at the School for Christian Workers.
When Naismith was a kid, he played a game called duck-on-a-rock. This game involved accuracy attempting to knock a "duck" off the top of a large rock by tossing another rock at it. He took account of this game he played as a kid and made it into what we are playing now called basketball. Starting from there, Naismith came out with a set of 13 rules that gave origin to the game of basketball.
Story Continues
James Naismith used a soccer ball and two peach baskets nailed at 10-feet high as goals on a court just half the size of a present day court, he divided his class of 18 into 2 team of 9 players each and taught them the basics of his new invented game of basketball. The objective of the game was to throw the soccer ball into the peach baskets and score.When every time a point was scored, the game would pause so that the janitor could climb up the ladder to retrieve the ball. At the later time, the bottoms of the peach baskets were removed. As the game caught on locally and spread to other YMCAs, Naismith decided to introduce it to the public.
In January 1892, its rules were published in the Springfield student newspaper. His students encouraged him to name the sport after himself called "Naismith ball", but he opted for "basket ball". Today, the basketball game had evolved into what we are playing now.
James Naismith with the first basketball team
Image source from Google.
The set of James Naismith original 13 rules of basketball:
1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at good speed.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.
7. If either side make three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
8. Goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponents move the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.
10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and decide when it is in play in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves with five minutes' rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winners. In case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.
Evolution Of The Game
Over the years, there are a lot of changes in the rules of the game such as the number of players, the court boundaries, dribbling, and the elimination of the center jump after made baskets. In the mid of 1930's, the inter-sectional competition led to a standardization of rules throughout the country.Team Size
Original Team Positions
When basketball game was invented, there was no set rule on the number of players. The idea of the game was that the game could be played by any number of players. However, this idea did not work out. The early games were initially played by 9 players on each side. The reason of the early games were played by 9 players on each side was because 18 of Naismith's students showed up for class. In 1897, 5 players became the mandatory team size.
Substitutions
During the early days, players were not allowed to re-enter the game. The rule changed in 1920 to allow a player to re-enter the game one time. In 1934, the rule expanded to allow players to re-enter the game twice. In 1945, the rule finally changed to permit players to return to the game unlimited number of times.Baskets
The game was originally played with peach baskets hung from the balconies of the running tracks of most indoor facilities. During that time, the basket height was established at 10 feet, which still stands today. The peach baskets slowed the game down since the ball had to be retrieved after every goal by ladder. The peach baskets were later replaced first by heavy woven wire rims in 1892. In 1893, after a year later, cast iron rims were used. In 1912, open ended nylon nets were approved for use. This was a major big step for basketball since the free falling ball after a shot was made. It dramatically increased tempo and scoring of the game.Backboards
First Basketball Court
Image source from Google.
In 1895, wire mesh backboards were introduced to prevent the spectators in the balconies from interfering with the play. In 1904, wood replaced the wire mesh backboards as it is easily dented and plate glass backboard usage was approved in 1909. The backboards were mounted flat against the walls. In 1916, a two foot gap between the backboard and the endline was implemented to prevent players from running up the walls for easy lay-ups. This gap was increased from 2 feet to the present 4 feet to allow for more movement underneath the basket in 1939.
The Ball
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| The First Basketball | NBA Basketball | WNBA Basketball |
The first basketball games were played with the soccer ball. However, it was proved to be unsuitable for dribbling and ball handling. In 1894, the first manufactured basketballs were produced by a bicycle manufacturing company. Spalding took over as the official ball maker in the late 1890's. In 1905, the choice of basketballs was left up to the teams. In 1942, molded basketballs that maintained a constant shape and size replaced the stitched balls. In 1967, American Basketball Association played with a red, white and blue basketball. Today, the WNBA and FIBA use contrasting panels. The men basketball size is 30" in circumference and the women basketball size is 29" in circumference.
Scoring
A successful shot made was originally counted as 1 point, and 1 point was also given to a team anytime three consecutive fouls were called on the opponent. In 1894, free throws were introduced. At that time, both a made field goal and a made free throw were counted as one goal. Rules were changed to count a made field goal as 2 points in 1896. In the 1967, the 3 point shot was introduced into International basketball by FIBA. In 1977, the 3 point shot was introduced into the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1980.Timing
Initially, the first games were played in two 15 minute halves. Later, the game time was increased to two 20 minutes halves. During that time, there was no provision for extending the game if the score was tied. But however, when the leagues started to be formed, ties need to be broken. The first tie breakers were the sudden death, with the first team to score a point, either a field goal or free throw, winning the game. Thus, games were decided without one team having a single ball possession. In order to provide each team with an equal chance, sudden death was then replaced by overtime periods in the 1960's.Shot Clock
The NBA instituted a 24 seconds shot clock in 1954. This was another big step for basketball since it removed the common stalling tactics that were being deployed, sometimes as early as the third period, by the teams' ahead in the game because there was no way for the team behind to catch up other than to foul. In 1956, a 30 seconds shot clock was deployed internationally by FIBA. The NCAA, the shot clock was reduced from 45 seconds to 35 seconds shot clock in 1993. In 1971, women have used a 30 seconds shot clock since going to a full court game.Fouls
The fouls were assessed for using fist, traveling and physical contact like holding, pushing, tripping, or striking of an opponent. When a player committed 2 fouls, they were disqualified until a goal was scored. Players were disqualified for the whole game if committed any flagrant fouls, just as today. When a team committed 3 consecutive fouls, without the opponent committing a foul, the opponent was awarded a goal. In 1911, player fouls for disqualification was increased from 2 to 4, and increased again to 5 fouls in 1945. Traveling or running with the ball was changed to a violation and no longer considered a foul in 1922.Free Throws
In 1894, free throws were introduced, the free throw line was established at 21 feet from the basket. In 1895, the free throw line was moved closer, to a distance of fifteen feet from the basket. The free throw rule was amended in 1924, which required the player who was fouled to shoot the free throws.Passing
Passing rules have not changed over time. Rules 1 and 2 of the original rules relating to passing the ball are still in effect today.Dribbling
The original rules of basketball, players could not bounce the ball. The rule was enacted permitting players to bounce the ball one time in 1901. But however, players were required to pass the ball and could not shoot after bouncing it. In 1909, continuous dribbling and shots off dribble were instituted. Being able to shoot off the dribble has transformed the dribble from a defensive maneuver to get out of trouble into a potent offensive weapon. There was a period when dribbling was outlawed in 1927 but then reinstated 2 weeks later.Out Of Bounds
Initially, there were no boundaries. In most cases, they were just walls. In 1904, the boundaries became straight lines. The original out of bounds rule turned out to be disastrous. The ball possession was awarded to the first player to touch the ball after it went out of bounds. This led to pushing, elbowing, desperate dives etc. When the ball end up in the balconies, it was even worse with all players making a mad dash wanting to be the first up the stairs which created jams and fights. Then after, there was one time the game was referred to as "Cage Game" and the players were called "Cagers." This was because of a wire mesh or chain-link fencing being hung around the entire court to make the game go faster by removing all the out of bounds delays or serve more as a barrier to protect the players and rowdy spectator from each other, as well as from the objects being thrown onto the court. However, the wire cage resulted in additional rough play with players body checking each other into the wire mesh. The players often received cuts, bruises and even incurred infections from the rusting wire mesh. By the 1933, the use of cages were abandoned. The term "Cagers" is still used today. The out of bounds rule was changed to the current rule of the team touching the ball last when it goes out of bounds loses possession in 1913. This rule changed was a major impact in reducing the physical play that was common place in the early games.Midcourt Line
In order to eliminate stalling of the ball in the game, the midcourt line was established in 1932. Prior to this time, the offensive team had the luxury of the entire court at their disposal of which they took full advantage and this created dull, low scoring games with teams spreading the court and instead of trying to score, the players rather playing keep away. The midcourt line aided the defensive team by cutting down the area to defend to just half the court. In 1933, a rule requiring a team to dribble the ball past the midcourt line in less than 10 seconds was enacted. In 2000, FIBA and NBA modified and reduced the 10 seconds rule to 8 seconds.3 Seconds Area
In the 1936, the 3 seconds area rule was created to prevent the offensive players from camping around the basket and also to eliminate the rough play which commonly took place. It was became known as the "Key" or the "Key Hole".Center Jump
In 1937, the game was played as such, there was a center jump after each successful basket. The teams with a good jumper had an advantage. However, it slowed the game down, having a jump ball situation after every shot made. Today, center jump still used to start game and overtime periods. Alternating possession replaced jump balls in 1981. This was none to removed the multiple violations that were occurring on jump balls and officials inconsistency of tossing the ball up.Goal Tending
Goal Tending Violation
The goal tending rule was adopted in 1944 to make it illegal for a defensive player to touch the ball on its downward flight.
Offensive Basket Interference
The offensive basket interference was enacted in 1958. This was mainly due to a player named Bill Russell, who became known as the "Funneler" from using 2 hands to guide his teammates shots into the basket.Jersey Evolution
Basketball Uniform History
In the beginning, there were no basketball uniforms. Basketball in the past century started as a simple game with a simple outfit. The players wore pants, shirt, socks, and a comfortable pair of shoes. Men wore short-sleeved shirts with baggy trousers, and women wore long-sleeved blouses and long skirts to play basketball game. However, the outfit didn't seem to turn on the spirit of the sport.
First Basketball Uniform
Image source from Google.
In the 1920s, teams began sporting a look that allowed them more freedom of movement, and a little more skin. Eventually, the uniforms were designed to identify the team and reflect its spirit. For men, they wore sleeveless basketball uniform and short sleeves for the women. For women, they were required to wear knee pads for their protection. The first basketball jerseys were long and buttoned at the crotch to keep them tucked inside the pants. The original fabric used to knit basketball jerseys was wool because it breathed and stretched. However, it was not only very hot, but difficult to care for and tended to shrink.
Stories Continues
In the 1930s, polyester-nylon was invented. By the 1940s, the synthetic blend was at the fore of the fabric market. Not only more durable, it was easier to launder and maintain. The 1950s-60s provided a form-fitting style that endured the following decade up until the early 1980s.In the 1980s Michael Jordan became well known to the whole world. He revolutionized the game and the look. He requested for his team's shorts to be made longer as he was tired of tugging on his fitting basketball shorts. Soon after, all across the country were copying him. His baggy, longer shorts and basketball jerseys became as signature as his flashy moves. Other teams started to mimic his look and the fitting basketball shorts became history.
A change in fabric from wool to more breathable, durable stretchy polyester-nylon blends added comfort to the overall design. Since basketball jerseys are a great place to show off the team name, selling clothing bearing the logo became a marketing shell bomb.
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