The father of basketball, Dr. James Naismith
came up with the game in 1892 and the first game was played in
Beaver Falls Pennsylvania on April 8 1893 between the New Brighton
YMCA and the Geneva College. The game was very popular and by 1914
as many as 360 colleges boasted basketball teams. In 1939, the first
NCAA Men’s College Basketball Championship tournament was held which
was won by the University of Oregon.
The formation of Pro basketball in 1896 came about from a dispute
between YMCA team members and officials and ended in the members
forming a professional team that played for money. In 1898, the NBL
(National Basketball League) was formed and produced the first
basketball stars - Ed Wachter and Barney Sedran.
The first two professional basketball teams to achieve success were
the Buffalo Germans and the Celtics but during the 1930’s favorites
included the New York Renaissance and the Harlem Globetrotters.
During this time, womens basketball was also popular and produced
great players such as Babe Didrikson and Alline Banks Sprouse.
In 1940, the first college basketball game was shown on TV. This
game was played between Pittsburgh and Fordham at Madison Square
Garden, and catapulted basketball into a national sensation. Since
then basketball has been one of the most watched sports and in fact
the March Madness, when almost 350 American colleges compete for the
NCAA basketball crown is the most watched event in the United States.
In Pro basketball during the 1940’s and 50’s the Minneapolis Lakers
were a huge favorite of many winning 5 NBA championship titles and
producing starts like Bob Cousy and Bob Pettit. But during the late
1950’s up until 1969, the Celtics had the court winning 11 NBA
titles (8 f them right in a row). During this era favorite players
included Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin of the Philadelphia
Warriors.
During 1963 to 1975 The University of California, Los Angeles was in
the spotlight winning 10 national championships, including seven in
a row. Some of the great players of this UCLA team include Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Bill Walton, Gail Goodrich and Marques
Johnson.
In 1967 the American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed and
many will remember one of the satart players Julius Erving as well
as their red white and blue basketballs. The ABA only lasted until
1976 when it broke up and many of the teams joined the NBA.
In the 1960’s, womens basketball introduced the 5 player full court
format and made dribbling fully legal but it wasn’t until 1985 that
the Basketball Hall of Fame began inducting woman coaches and
players. Some of the first women to get this honor include Carol
Blazejowski, Ann Meyers, Cheryl Miller; Nancy Lieberman-Cline and
Anne Donovan.
In the late 1970’s start players like Larry Bird of Indiana State
University and Michigan State Universities Magic Johnson emerged and
the late 1980s saw such major players as Isiah Thomas and Dennis
Rodman. But perhaps the most beloved player of all is Michael Jordan
who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s.
Lee Dobbins writes for
Sports Wise
where you can learn more about all your favorite sports and read
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