two peach baskets to the balcony at each end of the gymnasium. The bottoms were left in the basket at first and the balls would have to be retrieved by climbing a stepladder when a goal is made. It started with just 18 men.
The new game spread rapidly and was soon being played across the United States and in many other countries, now it is one of the most popular games in the world with more than 300 million players. Basketball is a popular spectator sport in America today, and through the Olympic Games, it is gaining international interest with more than 200 nations playing the game.
Interesting facts for students:
1.Canadian James Naismith, a PE teacher at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, is credited with inventing basketball in 1891.
2.The first basketball game was played on a court that was half the size of courts today. Only one point was scored in the whole match. In this game, there were nine players in each team. A number that was based on the standard number of players on a baseball team. Later, the teams were reduced to five players on the court.
3.The first basketball hoops were peach baskets with the bottom intact. Officials had to get the ball out after each basket using stepladder. The first string nets were used in the early 1900s.
4.Early basketball games used soccer balls (1891–1950s). Players would rub coal dust on their hands to grip the ball better.
5.Basketball became popular in high schools of USA before television started to cover national level matches.
6.In 1932, the International Basketball Federation was formed by representatives from Italy, Greece, Argentina, Portugal, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, Romania, and Switzerland. Its acronym is actually FIBA and was taken from the French Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur.
7.The game became an official Olympic event at the Summer Games in Berlin, Germany in 1936.
8.Michael Jordan is considered a legend in the world of basketball. Exceptionally talented, Michael Jordan has led the US team in Olympics that won gold medals in 1984 and 1992. Michael Jordan’s career score is 32,292, this is after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643), and LeBron James (32,543). His record total career playoffs score of 5,987 in NBA was only broken recently by LeBron James (6,911).
9.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record for highest score of career points, i.e., 38,387 in the history of NBA. He played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.
10.The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is located in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.
11.The Harlem Globetrotters are a world famous exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theatre, and comedy in their style of play. They have been entertaining fans since they were formed in 1926. This popular team has played more than 26,000 games in 124 countries as of 2019. They are not part of the NBA.
12.Wang Zhizhi—not Yao Ming—was the first Chinese player to compete in the NBA. He was a 7′0″centre and played his first NBA game for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2000–2001 season.
CHAPTER TWO
Equipment and Facilities
Player should wear proper court shoes and comfortable attire to enable them to have a freedom of movement such as run, jump, and shoot.
The Basketball Court
Source: FIBA Official Basketball Rules (2014).
CHAPTER THREE
Playing Positions
Point Guard
The point guard is the floor leader on offence. He controls the tempo of the attack and has a good understanding of his teammates, in terms of their strengths and roles. The point guard is usually the quickest player in the team with the best ball handling skills, great peripheral vision and greater shooting range. When defending, the point guard must be able to slow down the opponent’s team point guard.
Shooting Guard
A shooting guard must be a good shooter from short and long range, and fastbreaks. In addition, the shooting guard should be able to help the point guard in ball control at times and pass the ball to teammate at the low post. When defending, the shooting guard will guard the best perimeter player of the attacking team.
Small Forward
The small forward is usually the fittest player in the team who operate on wings and baseline areas as well as in the blocks or near the restricted area for rebounding (recover ball after a missed shot). He is able to shoot from outside, drive the ball into the rim, and fast breaks. When defending, the small forward should be able to guard both big and small players.
Power Forward
The power forward makes big contributions without the ball in his hands, for example, to set up screens, boxes out, rebounding. He should be a good free throw shooter as he will draw a lot of contacts during play.
Centre
The centre is usually the tallest player in the team. The centre will play very close to the basket to best utilise his height for attack and rebound. The centre player is most influential in attaching as well as defending.
Although some players were born to play specific positions, most players develop their skills through training and practice. It is important to build allrounded players rather than to restrict the skills development to player’s position.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Basic Rules
Basketball rules are designed to make the game run smoothly and safely so that everyone can enjoy and compete in a safe manner. The rules are set for fair play. Players should be familiar with the basic rules to ensure fair and safe play.
Game Length
A game consists of four quarters of 10 minutes. There is an interval of 2 minutes between first and second quarter, and between third and fourth quarter. Usually, there is a longer interval at half time (10–15 minutes) before the third quarter begins. Timing rules may vary depending on the level of competition. There is a pregame on court warm-up period of around 15 minutes before the start of the game. If the score is tied at the end of the fourth quarter, the game shall continue with as many overtimes of 5 minutes duration each as necessary to break the tie.
Starting the Game
For all games, the first team named in the schedule (home team) shall have the team bench and its own basket on the left side of the scorer’s table, facing the playing court. However, if the two teams agree, they may interchange the team benches and/or baskets. Before the first and third quarter, teams are entitled to warm-up
