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The game of basketball came about in a funny way. It was basically a work task passed down from James Naismith's boss, Dr. Luther Gulick. James Naismith was a Canadian PE teacher who just started working at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1891, while watching over rowdy track and field athletes during the harsh East Coast winter, his supervisor asked him to create an indoor game to expend the time and energy of the students. The qualifications were that it had to help them stay in shape, couldn't take up too much space, couldn't be too rough, and everybody had to have a relatively fair chance regardless of their size and strength. He had 14 days to figure something out.
While meditating on what to bring his boss, he thought about a game he used to play called duck on a rock. In that game, you have a base that holds up a big rock, and then you throw smaller rocks at it to knock it over. It was a simpler time in the 1800's. Check out this video for some context. To be successful at duck on a rock, you're better served tossing a lob at your target as opposed to throwing a laser. Just how you shoot a basketball in an arcing motion.
So with that childhood game in mind, he gathered a couple peach baskets and utilized a soccer ball as the game ball (since it was the slowest, softest ball at the time and it fit their purposes - could you imagine playing with a baseball?). He had someone nail the peach baskets ten feet in the air so nobody could block it with their body and drew up thirteen rules that the first ballers had to abide by. One of those early rules was that you weren't allowed to move while holding the ball, the only way to move was by passing it. You couldn't dribble it like everyone does today. He pitted two teams of 9 against each other, and the length of the game was only two 15 minute halves. The peach basket had a bottom on it, so every time a bucket was made somebody had to go in and manually take it back out.
Before he established the passing-only rule, he let the guys run around and play it out. With the peach baskets in position, he blew the opening whistle on the first game of hoops ever! He didn't intend to create a physical sport, but the players of the first game ever ended up literally beating the hell out of each other. They barely followed the rules and ended up doling out a healthy amount of black eyes, a shoulder separation, and one kid even got knocked out cold. So much for a peaceful, lighthearted winter game!
"Basket Ball" started growing in popularity in the following years, and the first college team was rolled out by Pittsburgh Geneva College. Later on, Naismith became the coach of the University of Kansas and kick started their men's basketball program in 1898. He only accrued a modest coaching record there (55-60, the only coach to have a losing record for Kansas funnily enough). He didn't win a ton but his disciple Forrest "Phog" Allen ended up becoming a Hall of Fame level coach on his own at Kansas. Allen coached the legendary Dean Smith as a player, who we all know ended coaching Michael Jordan at the University of North Carolina.
The original document that he transcribed titled the "13 Rules of Basketball" on sits comfortably on display for public viewing at the University of Kansas. Dr. James Naismith ended up passing away in Lawrence, Kansas in 1939 at the age of 78. Only months before he died, the NCAA Championship for basketball was created. The NCAA men's basketball league is one of the most controversial, exhilarating, and revenue-generating media events ever seen in the United States. The Basketball Hall of Fame that honors men and women at every level of the game is named after him. All of this from a Canadian guy teaching physical education who was just looking for an activity to keep the kids occupied.
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