The Interesting History of Basketball and the NBA

Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics / ReneS Wikipedia CC BY 2.0

Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891. As a coach, he devised the thirteen rules of basketball. By 1914, more than 300 colleges were playing the game. There have been many different professional leagues before the NBA became as popular as it is today. And in March, nothing is more popular than the NCAA and March Madness.

Depending on the time of year, basketball can be the most popular sport in America. Whether it is the start of the NBA season, the NBA finals or March Madness, basketball is popular.

Who Invented Basketball

Americans may love their basketball but ironically it was not an American who invented the game of basketball. A Canadian by the name of Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891. 

 

His idea for basketball game from a childhood game he played in Almonte, Ontario called duck-on-a-rock. Dr. Naismith started working at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891 and had to find a game that could be played indoors during the cold winters, a game that involved skill.

In 1898, Dr. Naismith became the chaplain and physical education teacher at the University of Kansas. He devised 13 rules for the new game of basketball and the first game used a soccer ball and two peach baskets as the goals. 

 

A game that today involves very skilled players, multi-million dollar contracts and huge audiences with leagues in the United States and Canada, China, Russia, Australia and Europe.

The First College Basketball Championships

Basketball started to spread throughout the YMCA chapters to the military and colleges because of the simple equipment needed. The first basketball league was a college league called the New England Intercollegiate Basketball League with colleges that included Yale, Harvard and Holy Cross. By 1914, basketball was being played at more than 360 colleges.

In 1915, the rules for basketball were standardized and regional conferences developed. Championships were awards to teams by the media, but as of yet there were no officially recognized national college basketball champions. 

 

The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was an idea by the New York City Sportswriters group and held the first NIT in 1938 in New York City.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) started its own college basketball tournaments in 1939 and for the next 10 years the NIT and the NCAA tournaments competed for the nationally recognized college basketball championships. 

 

The NCAA’s tournament eventually became the nationally recognized college basketball championship. Over the years, the NCAA tournament has grown to 64 teams who play to the sweet 16, then the final four.

1899 Univ. of Kansas - Dr. Naismith (upper right)

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and the Industrial Leagues

For many cities and towns across America, the only basketball they could go to and watch in person was the AAU and Industrial league basketball teams. And for many players, the AAU was the only way they could play basketball and keep amateur status. Keeping amateur status was important back then so they could still be eligible to play basketball in the Olympics.

The AAU started organizing basketball tournaments nationally in 1897, but the attendance was low. In 1921, the AAU started holding annual national tournaments in Kansas City. When the popularity of basketball started to soar in the mid 1930s, the AAU tournament moved to Denver in 1935, where they stayed until 1968.

Basketball became an Olympic sport in 1936 and there was tension between the NCAA and AAU as to who should control amateur a1thletics in the country.

The National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL) was founded in 1947 with teams like The Denver D-C Truckers, The Bartlesville Phillips 66er’s, Akron Goodyear’s, Seattle Buchan Baker’s, Fort Wayne General Electrics and the Wichita Vicker’s. The NIBL reorganized in 1961 when it became the National AAU Basketball League (NABL).

The National Basketball Association (NBA) Begins

A brief professional league formed in the late 1890s with players actually being paid, but the league didn’t last. 

 

The National Basketball League (NBL) was formed in 1938 by a group of businessmen with some original NBL teams like the Fort Wayne Pistons (Detroit Pistons), Minneapolis Lakers (Los Angeles) and the Rochester Royals who are now the Sacramento Kings in the NBA today.

In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed as a rival of the NBL. Several original BAA teams are still in the NBA today; the Boston Celtics, New York Knickerbockers and Philadelphia Warriors (now Golden State).

Before the 1949 season, the BAA and the NBL merged and became the National Basketball Association (NBA). 

 

Though the NBA considers the first NBA game to have been played three years earlier on November 1, 1946 when the New York Knickerbockers beat the Toronto Huskies 68-66 in Toronto. The first ever NBA championship was in April 1947, when the Philadelphia Warriors beat the Chicago Stags in 5 games.

The NBA became more popular in the 1950s and 1960s with players like Wilt Chamberlin, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

Wilt Chamberlin scored 100 point on March 2, 1962 / Fair Use

The American Basketball Association (ABA) 1967-1976

In 1967, the American Basketball Association was formed and became competition for the NBA. The ABA had a fast paced style of play, plenty of scoring, the three-point shot and a distinctive red-white and blue basketball. 

 

With teams like the Virginia Squires, Denver Rockets, Kentucky Colonels, Spirits of St. Louis and San Antonio Spurs, the ABA was a lot of fun. Some of the NBA’s better coaches played for ABA teams including, Larry Brown, Doug Moe and George Karl.

The ABA pressured the NBA much like the old American Football League pressured the NFL by signing top players away from the NBA. 

 

The Denver Rockets were the first team to shake things up in 1969 by signing Spencer Haywood while he was still in college, something the NBA couldn’t do. 

 

Many stars of the NBA got their start playing in the ABA with players like Julius Erving (Dr. J), David Thompson, Dan Issel, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and Moses Malone.

Old American Basketball Assoc ball

With little television exposure, money was always a problem for many of the ABA teams, with teams moving from city to city or just folding. 

 

In 1976, the four strongest teams of the ABA merged into the NBA, The San Antonio Spurs, New York Nets, Indian Pacers and Denver Nuggets. In 1974, the Denver Rockets changed their name to the Nuggets with hope of joining the NBA, since the NBA already had the Houston Rockets. At the first NBA All-Star game after the merger, half of the players were former ABA players.

 

Julies Erving (Dr. J) / Jim Accordino Wikipedia CC BY 2.0

Basketball: Recent and Today

College basketball became more popular in the 1970s when coaching legend John Wooden led the UCLA Bruins to 88 consecutive wins, which included two undefeated 30-0 seasons. Interest in the NIT and the NCAA basketball tournament each year continues to be at all time highs. 

 

The NBA continued to rise in popularity with players like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the 1980s and Michael Jordan in the 1990s. Popularity today is still high in the NBA with top players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis among others.

Copyright © 2010 Sam Montana