Basketball is a ball sport played by two teams of
five players on a side. It is one of the most popular sports in the
United States, being highly suited to viewing by spectators as
an indoor sport on a relatively small court with only ten players.
The ball is large and easy to follow, and the lack of protective
gear makes it possible to see the reactions of players. The sport is
also reasonably popular in other parts of the world such as southern
Europe and in the former
Soviet Union.
Basketball is that rare sport that was invented, largely from
scratch and with rules close to its present ones, by one man. Dr.
James Naismith, a
Canadian, invented basketball in
1891, at a Young Men's Christian Association
YMCA in
Springfield, Massachusetts. The first official basketball game
was played there on
January 20,
1892. Dr. Naismith wanted an indoor game of vigor and grace to
keep young men occupied during the long
New England winters. Basketball was popular from the beginning
and, within a year, was being played all over the United States.
In the
1920s there were hundreds of professional basketball teams in
towns and cities all over the United States. There was little
organization to the professional game; players jumped all the time
from team to team; and teams played in armories and smoky dance
halls. In
1946, the
National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed, organising the
professional teams and leading to greater popularity of the
professional game.
The NBA produced many famous players, including many of
African-American origin, such as
Bill Russell[?],
Michael Jordan,
Wilt Chamberlain,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and
Oscar Robertson[?], but also
Larry Bird and
George Mikan[?].
Basketball was included in the
Olympic Games in
1936, after a demonstration tournament was held in
1904. The sport has been part of the Olympic program since, and
has been mostly dominated by the United States, who have so far won
all but three titles - their first Olympic loss was in a
controversial Olympic final in
Munich in
1972 against the Soviet Union. Women's basketball was added to
the Olympics in
1976 and since
1992, professional players are allowed to compete in the
Olympics. With NBA players now eligible, the US
Dream Team has been unbeatable, though
Lithuania did come close against the slightly less-stellar 2000
Olympic team. A team made up of NBA players was humiliated in the
2002 World Championship, finishing sixth behind
Yugoslavia,
Argentina,
Germany,
New Zealand, and
Spain, to the unbridled glee of many around the world.
Internationally, the sport is governed by the FIBA,
Fédération Internationale de Basketball.
Basketball is played with a spherical pressurized ball that is 9"
(22.86 cm) in diameter. It is larger and heavier than a
soccer ball, and designed to bounce well on a hard, artificial
floor. Basketball is played on a flat court 50 feet wide and 94
(professional) or 84 (college) feet long, with a basket (an 18"
(45.72 cm) diameter circular steel ring mounted parallel to the
ground and a string net below, with a hole to allow the ball to fall
through) mounted ten feet (about 3 m) above the ground at each end.
A popular social variant ("half-court") is played with just one
basket.
The goal of each team is to throw the ball through their basket,
whilst preventing their opponents from doing so. Teams score two
points for putting the ball in the basket, three points for
long-range shots, and one point for foul shots.
Naturally, it's easier to score a basket when close to the basket
than when farther away; however, offensive players in basketball may
not tuck the ball under their arm and run with it. Instead, they
must constantly bounce ("dribble") the ball as they advance to the
basket; every dribble represents a chance for the ball to be
mishandled or stolen.
Defensive players may not tackle an offensive player, and those
who push, shove or impede their opponents risk getting called for a
foul. Players who are fouled get either the ball or -- if they're in
the act of shooting -- "free throw" shots from a line 15 feet from
the basket for one point each. This was important to Dr. Naismith,
who disliked the brutal blocking and tackling of American football.
He wanted his game to be good clean exercise.
If a player commits five fouls in one game (six in some
professional leagues) he is disqualified from the rest of the game,
and a reserve player must take his place. It is also called fouling
out. Arguing with a referee, fighting with another player, or
interfering with a ball after it falls through the basket are
grounds for a technical foul. Any player or coach with two technical
fouls is disqualified from the game. Savvy defensive players use a
wide array of legal and extra-legal techniques to hamper and
frustrate the players they guard.
Each player occupies one of three positions: a team typically has
two guards, two forwards, and one center. Any number of player
substitutions are allowed during the game, though subs can only come
onto the floor after a stoppage of play.
Players wear shorts and a sleeveless top, and high-top sneakers
that provide extra support to the ankles.
Being tall is a clear advantage in basketball. Very few
professional players stand less than six feet. Forwards and centers
in the men's professional leagues are almost all 6'6" or taller;
many are over 7 feet.
Spin-offs from basketball seem to be
korfball,
netball and
ringboll[?].
Street basketball is another very popular game.
See also:
List of defunct sports leagues
