History+of+basketball

"History of Basketball." //Sports Stop Station//. ORACLE, Web. 9 Sep. 2010. .

History of Basketball - “Basketball was invented in December 1891 by the Canadian clergyman, educator, and physician James Naismith.”

“Naismith introduced the game when he was an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts.”

“A number of U.S. colleges adopted the game between about 1893 and 1895.”

“In 1934 the first college games were staged in New York City's Madison Square Garden, and college basketball began to attract heightened interest.”

“By the 1950s basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball.”

“The first pro league, the National Basketball League, was formed in 1898 to protect players from exploitation and to promote a less rough game.”

“One of the first and greatest pro teams was the Original Celtics, organized about 1915 in New York City.”

“In 1949 two subsequent professional leagues, the National Basketball League (formed in 1937) and the Basketball Association of America (1946) merged to create the National Basketball Association (NBA).”

“The Boston Celtics, led by their center Bill Russell, dominated the NBA from the late 1950s through the 1960s. By the 1960s, pro teams from coast to coast played before crowds of many millions annually.”

“Wilt Chamberlain, a center for the Los Angeles Lakers, was another leading player during the era, and his battles with Russell were eagerly anticipated.”

“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, also a center, came to prominence during the 1970s. Jabbar perfected his famed “sky hooks" shot while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and dominated the opposition.”

“The NBA suffered a drop in popularity during the late 1970s, but was resuscitated, principally through the growing popularity of its most prominent players.”

Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers are credited with injecting excitement into the league in the 1980s through their superior skills and decade-long rivalry.

During the late 1980s Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls rose to stardom and helped the Bulls dominate the NBA during the early 1990s.

“The generation of basketball stars including Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Vince Carter help carry the NBA’s Popularity after Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.”