The game of basketball was created December of 1891 by YMCA gym teacher JAMES NAISMITH in
Springfield, Massachusetts. To create the game he use a pitch basket,a ten foot pole and a soccer ball
In 1891 the first ever basketball game was played between Naismith students, it took quite a while but a
point is eventually scored and basketball is first ever game concluded with an epic final score of 1 to 0,
James Naismith would adjust the rules of the game over the next twenty years and the game would
continue to evolve
In 1892 dribbling became illegal move
In 1893 the first ever women's collegiate basketball game was played
In 1895 the popularity of basketball spread and basketball became an establish sport that was played
through numerous high schools and college universities
By 1901 basketball collegiate competition taking place all around the United States, as the year went on
Naismith added a backboard and created a leather basketball
In 1906 an iron ring with a net was used and replaced pitch basket
In the 1920s small basketball leagues were performing around a country, among these groups that form
were the harlem globetrotters who’s flashy and entertaining style help spread basketballs popularity
In 1936 basketball officially became Olympics sport with a gold medal game played outside in raining
condition
In 1937 professional basketball establish the NBL meaning the National Basketball League which became
the first official pro basketball league
In 1939 NCAA basketball held their first official championship tournament
In 1946 competition arouse with the NBL the BAA which means Basketball Association of America was
established by walter brown. The NBL;s popularity was slightly greater than the new BAA but the BAA
was quickly on the rise while hosting major basketball games in the Boston Garden and Maddison
Square Garden
In 1946-1949 the two leads competed intensely to be the top basketball league in America, that was till;
August of 1949 leaders of the NBL and the BAA met at the Empire State Building and the two groups
agreed to emerge of both leagues which became the National Basketball Association or of course we
know it as NBA
George Mikan was just beginning his basketball career in the mid 1940s and became the first NBA star
in the league that would become all about stars
In 1954 twenty four seconds shot clock was introduced in the NBA to expedite the games tempo
In 1956 Bill Russel was drafted by the Boston Celtics which was the beginning of the NBA’s greatest
dynasty in history
On march second 1962 Wilt Chamberlain had the greatest scoring performance in NBA history,
individually scoring 100 points in a single game
In 1970 Oscar Robertson a legendary NBA player and former president of the NBA players association
filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA
The suit is settled in 1976 which resulted in the creation of NBA free agencies which allow player
mobility by choice of the players
In 1976 the NBA and ABA which was the American Basketball Association merge into one league, the
NBA treated as an expansion and absor 4 teams in the ABA increasing the team from 18 to 22.
In the 1970s the least popularity had taken hit amidst on court violence and alarming amount of drug
abuse throughout the association.
In 1978 Larry Bird was drafted by the Boston Celtics
And in 1979 Magic Johnson was drafted by Los Angelis Lakers, this part of greatest rivalry in NBA history
which lead the NBA to record high of popularity and viewership, and Magic and Bird are now commonly
seen as the savior of the NBA
In 1984 Michael Jordan was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, Michael would be the one to take torch from
Bird and Magic and Jordan would carry the lead to new heights in 1990s
In 1992 the USA Olympic basketball team included NBA players for the first time in Olympic history led
by Jordan, Magic and Bird the dream team dominated the Barcelona Summer Olympics and the Team is
commonly credited for increasing NBA’s popularity into a global scale.
After Jordan’s finale retirement at 2003 players like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Tim Duncan, Allen
Iverson, and Steph Curry took the torch and then help the NBAs brand grow into the basketball we know
and love today
