Basketball is one of the most popular ball games in the world. Basketball has millions of fans, and the history of this sport goes back almost a century and a half. Judging by the number of people who love to watch the basketball championship through the pirate bay resource, the decline of glory for this sport does not threaten. Let’s find out how basketball appeared and why it became so popular in a huge number of countries around the world. Read a selection of interesting facts about basketball.
Basketball was invented by a physical education teacher
True, James Naismith did not work in an ordinary school – he taught physical education and physical education at the Springfield International Training School (USA). He was faced with the task of increasing the load on students in the winter when they trained in the gym. Naismith liked ball games, so he came up with the concept of basketball, basing the new game on a children’s game called duck on a rock. True, there is little in common between the “duck on the rock” and modern basketball, but, nevertheless, the origins of basketball lie precisely here.
Initially, there was no dribbling in basketball
Dribbling – the player’s dribbling the ball across the field – is a characteristic feature of basketball. All the more strange is the idea that originally, the player could not dribble the ball – dribbling was prohibited. Instead, the player was supposed to send the ball into the basket from where he got the ball. But when, in 1897, players from Yale University came up with the idea of moving the ball around the field using a dribbling technique, both players and spectators liked it: dribbling took root and four years later was included in the official rules.
Everyone plays!
Also, the original rules did not contain instructions on exactly how many players should take part in the match: Naismith wanted the game to be free, like the same “duck on the rock”, and anyone could join it. There could be as many players on the field as there were people who wanted to: up to two dozen. But gradually, there was an understanding that the lineups of teams should be fixed, and the usual format of 5×5 players was fixed.
Cheeky Michael
The appearance of the most famous basketball player in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan, in red and black sneakers instead of the usual white ones turned into a real scandal. This happened in the mid-1980s, and the NBA leadership did not like it very much, as a result of which, Jordan got a fine of $5000. However, Nike was ready to pay the fines, and Michael Jordan didn’t spend a dime. This was all part of a plan to market the iconic Air Jordan model – you must admit, they approached the issue of advertising sneakers creatively!
No three-pointers, no slam dunk
Basketball fans know that the famous three-point shots, which amaze the imagination with the skill of the players, as well as the technique called slam dunk, are some of the most spectacular moments in the game of basketball. However, the slam dunk was restricted and was not used from the 1967-1968 season to the 1976-1977 season – almost ten years! As for three-point shots, they were included in the rules in 1961.
Street basketball
In the United States, basketball became so popular that a special street version of it gradually appeared, designed to hold fast yard matches among amateur players. It was called “streetball”. Streetball is characterized by simplified rules, and in order to play it, competing teams need only three players.
No need for rude
For a long time, basketball was considered (and indeed was) a rough and aggressive game. Players could carry out such tricks as holding, tripping, pushing, and hitting with complete impunity since the rules did not prohibit them. Basketball was a dangerous game, like rugby – you could easily get a fracture or lose your teeth. And only in 1910, this disgrace was stopped: power moves were prohibited, and the player was threatened with disqualification if the number of fouls he received reached four per match.
