Considering it's popularity, you'll probably be surprised to know that basketball is only about a century old. The origin of basketball is in itself a very interesting story. It's all about how adversity often brings out the best in people. In 1891, relentless snowfall and harsh temperatures made the winters a time to stay indoors for everyone at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A. James Naismith, a young physical education instructor at the school -- now called Springfield College -- was given the responsibility to alleviate the boredom of students who had to endure dreary indoor winter exercise programs.
Naismith, a former divinity student, had played rugby and disliked the rough aspect of the game. He wanted to find a team game that would eliminate physical contact. He initially tried to bring a game such as soccer or lacrosse into the gym, but both proved too cumbersome and too physical for indoor play. So he nailed two peach baskets to the balcony at either end of the gym, made 13 rules for the game, formed two teams with nine players on each side and used a soccer ball for the first game. Basket Ball, as it was known back then, was officially invented.
Initially, the ball used to be retrieved from the basket with the help of a ladder. With time, metal baskets substituted the peach baskets, and a pole was used to poke the ball out of a hole in the bottom. It was in 1906, that the metal hoop was introduced. A bag of braided cord netting was attached to the hoop. After a score the ball would pop out upon the pulling of a cord. The problem of spectators interfering with shots was soon remedied with the introduction of a backboard. Soon, soccer balls were also replaced with slightly larger leather balls, similar to what is used today. The early contests between teams like the New York Renaissance from Harlem and the Original Celtics from New York City were brutal and often bloody. Players slammed into one another casually and callously, often causing brawls. These games were so passionately played that wire cages were built around the court to prevent the violence from spilling into the crowd. The wire cages also protected the players from the fans, some of whom were not averse to throw bottles and nails onto the court. Overall the atmosphere used to be so raucous that the referees had to resort to guns to keep the game and the crowd orderly.
Basketball and its popularity continued to grow and spread. The game became an official Olympic sport at the 1936 Games in Berlin, three years before the death of its creator. The National Basketball League (NBL) was formed in 1937 with its competitor emerging in the form of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The two merged to form the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1949. Although it has been a century since the game was invented, the invention of basketball is still celebrated in Springfield, Mass., home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The lineage of Naismith is still admired and his legacy continues to grow.
If Magic Johnson inspires you and you find yourself lured towards the game then you have to be sure of the rules of the game before you step on to the court. This will ensure that your hard work and talent is not wasted. The purpose of each match is to score points by throwing the ball into the opposing team's basket. The ball may be thrown, baited, rolled or dribbled in any direction, subject to restrictions laid down in the rules.
You botch up on the rules and you'll lose the game. So! Take a look at these rules:
The game of Basketball is played with five members in each side, substitutes being permitted, with a ball resembling that used in football and goals consisting of posts that have iron rings and short nets attached to them The playing court is a rectangular hard surface free from obstructions and has dimensions of 26m in length by 14m in width, measured from the inside edge of the boundary lines. The following variations in the dimensions are permitted: plus or minus 2m on the length and plus or minus 1m on the width, the variations being proportional to each other. The playing surface should be uniformly and adequately lighted. The light units should be placed where they will not hinder the vision of players. Well-defined lines mark the playing court, which should be at every point at least 12 m from any obstruction. The lines of the long sides of the court are termed the sidelines and those of the short sides as the end lines. The distance between these lines and the spectators should be at least 2m.The lines should be clearly visible. The center circle has a radius of 1.80m and is marked in the center of the court. The restricted areas are the spaces marked in the court, which are limited by the end lines. The free throw lanes are the restricted areas extended in the playing court by semi circles with a radius of 1.80m. Players use spaces along the free throw lanes during free throws. These must be clearly marked. Each of the two backboards are made of hard wood, 3cm thick, or of a suitable transparent material and their dimensions are 1.80m horizontally and 1.20m vertically.
Each team consists of five players, and five (in some cases seven) substitutes, one of the players being the captain. Shirts of each player are numbered on the front and the back with 2 cm wide colour. The coaches furnish the scorer with the numbers and names of the players as well as the name of the captain, 20 minutes before start of the play. A player cannot leave the playing court to gain an unfair advantage. The captain is the representative of his team and controls its play. Before leaving the playing court for any valid reason, he must inform the referee regarding the player who will replace him. The officials are a referee and an umpire who are assisted by a timekeeper, a scorer and a 30 seconds operator. When a personal foul has been committed the official blows his whistle and simultaneously gives the signal to stop the clock. He then indicates to the offender. The player is then required to acknowledge this by raising his hand in the air. The game consists of two halves of 20 minutes each, with normally an interval of 10 minutes between them. The game is started by a jump ball in the center circle. The referee makes the toss between any two opponents. The game cannot begin if one of the teams is not on the court with five players. An offensive player may not touch the ball when it is in its downward flight above the level of the ring and is directly above the restricted area. An offensive player cannot touch his opponent's basket or backboard while the ball is on the ring during a shot for goal. A defensive player cannot touch the ball after it has started its downward flight during an opponent's shot for goal and while the ball is above the level of the ring. A jump ball takes place when the official tosses the ball between two opposing players. A game is decided by the scoring of more number of points during the playing time. If the score is a tie at the expiration of the second half, the game is continued for an extra period of five minutes or as many such periods of five minutes as may be necessary to break the tie. The game terminates at the sounding of the timekeeper's signal indicating the end of playing time.
The ball becomes dead when
(a) Any goal is made
(b) Any violation occurs
(c) A foul occurs while the ball is alive or in play
(d) Held hall occurs or ball lodges on the basket support
(e) It is apparent that the ball will not go into the basket; on a free throw for a technical foul by coach, assistant, coach, or a free throw
(f) Official's whistle is blown while the ball is alive or in play.
(h) Time expires for half or extra period.
A substitute before going on the court has to report to the scorer and must be ready to play immediately. When a personal foul is called, and a free throw penalty is awarded, the player upon whom the foul was committed is designated by the official to attempt the free throws when a technical foul is called, any player of the opposing team may attempt the free throw or throws.