Who Invented Basketball?

Introduction

Are you a basketball fan? Have you ever wondered who created basketball? Where did they get the idea? Well, let me just start off by saying that a  Canadian man named Dr. James Naismith had invented the game. He worked at the YMCA Training School in Spring Field, Massachusetts. Dr. James worked as a physical education instructor, who had been challenged to create a game that could be played indoors in the cold Massachusetts as an "athletic distraction" to a disruptive group of students. In response, he invented basketball.

Where Did He Get The Idea?

 Dr. James got the idea of basketball from one of his childhood games. He used to play a game called "duck on a rock." In this game, you lob a small rock at a "duck" in an attempt to knock the duck down. Dr. James thought of this game when creating basketball and originated the game of basketball from this idea.  According to Wonderopolis, an online educational website, "With a two-week deadline, Dr. Naismith decided to invent a game of skill, finesse and accuracy, rather than one that relied on pure strength."

Basketball Changes Over Time

The basketball Dr. James invented is not the modern basketball we know today. Why? Well, that's because more pieces to basketball were added along as it started to get popular. Here are some changes: Dr. James used peach baskets as the hoop, however, we use rings with nets as the hoop. Dr. James also said that you could only advance by passing the ball, but now in basketball we can dribble and take really long shots. Dr. James's version included using a soccer ball as the basketball, yet,  in modern times, we use a real basketball.

General Facts About Dr. James

• Dr. James was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame
• He was also inducted in the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame
• He was born in 1861 in Ramsay Township
• He was a fantastic athlete and won numerous Wicksteed medals
• He earned a BA in physical education 
• He played Canadian football,soccer, rugby,and lacrosse
• He went to McGill University and earned a diploma at Presbyterian College in Montreal
• According to Wikipedia, an online educational website, "From 1891 on, Naismith taught physical education and became the first McGill director of athletics, but then left Montreal to become a physical education teacher at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts."
• Dr. James created a new game called "Basket Ball" and the first game was played on December 21, 1891
• Sadly, Dr. James died on November 19, 1937

Top Ten NBA Basketball Players

1. LeBron James from the Miami Heat

2. Dwight Howard from Orlando Magic

3. Dwayne Wade from Miami Heat

4. Chris Paul from N.O. Hornets

5. Dirk Nowitzki from Dallas Mavericks

6. Kevin Durant from Oklahoma City Thunder

7. Kobe Bryant from L.A. Lakers

8. Derrick Rose from Chicago Bulls

9. Deron Williams from N.J. Nets

10. Blake Griffin from L.A. Clippers

 

Thought, Question, and Challenge

Thought: I thought that basketball must've been a sport on which you had to have good accuracy and stability if you wanted to be good at the game when it was first invented.

Question: If Dr. James hadn't been given the assignment of making up a game, what impact do you think that might have had on basketball?

Challenge: I encourage you to find 1 more person who either created another sport or played a major role in sports and write a small article about it. Please respond back to me and subscribe to my blog.