Basketball is among the top most popular sports both played by and viewed with great enthusiasm not only by Americans but people across the world as well.
Here is some interesting basketball trivia for basketball aficionados.
The origins of basketball can be traced all the way back to the year 1891, when a gym teacher by the name of James Naismith was looking for some interesting ways to keep the students in his gym class occupied during their physical education sessions when it happened to be a rainy day.
The present hoops consist of a metal ring to which an open net is attached came to be designed much later. The earliest baskets used for playing basketball were the baskets used for keeping peaches in grocery stores. After every ball went into the basket, it would have to be retrieved before the game could continue. It was only in the early years of the 20th century that the metal hoops were introduced.
Several rules of basketball were actually adaptations of the rules of a game played by children called “ducks and stones,” in which a large stone was placed at a height, say on a wall or the stump of a broken tree. This was guarded by a defender from the others who would throw rocks, known colloquially as “ducks” in an attempt to topple the stone.
Before the present basketball was designed, players earlier used soccer balls to play basketball. They would apply soot over their palms in order to gain a firmer grip on the soccer ball.
The National Basketball Association, popularly known as the NBA, was only constituted in 1975 post a merger of the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America.
The record for the largest number of spectators ever is held by the NBA all star basketball game. This game was held at the Cowboy Stadium in 2010. This game attracted over one hundred thousand spectators.
Women’s basketball was included as a medal sport in the 1970 Olympics, it has gained great popularity since then.
The first ever all women collegiate game of basketball was held in 1893 at Smith College, MA. However, since at that point of time, it was considered socially inappropriate for men to watch women playing basketball, all the doors to the stadium were locked and make spectators forbidden from entering.
During the course of an average basketball game, most NBA players chalk up at least four miles of running.
Here’s one last basketball fun fact. Not only do most NBA players run over four miles in one game, they also train so intensely that most players can quite easily jump to a height of nearly 28 to 30 inches, or over two feet from the ground.
