CONTENTS Introduction 4 Playin in the Rain 6 The Grandfather of Lithuanian Basketball 8 When in Rome 11 A Muddled Mess in Munich 14 The General Takes Charge 17 The Brazilian Bomber 21 A Sad Split 24 The Stars and Stripes Align 27 Golden Girls 31 An Argentinean Ascension 34 Golden Gleam Redeemed 37 Hometown Hero 42 The Games of 2012 44 Endnotes 46 Resources 47 Index 48 SUMMER OLYMPIC LEGENDS
INTRODUCTION Throughout human history people have always sought to challenge themselves to compete against others and to discover the limits of their capabilities Such desires can turn destructive leading to war But the ancient Greeks also recognized the good in these human traits and it was because of them that the Olympic Games featuring running races jumping contests throwing competitions and wrestling and boxing matches began more than 2,700 years ago The ancient Olympics ended in a d 393 but the Games were revived in 1896 in hopes of promoting world peace through sports Fittingly the first modern Olympics were held in Athens Greece but they moved around the world every four years after that In 2009 it was announced that the Games would be held in South America for the first time going to Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 2016 4 Every 1896 Olympian received a medal reading International Olympic Games Athens 1896
Doctor James Naismith invented the game of basketball in Springfield Massachusetts in 1891 Thirteen years later his sport was played for the first time as a demonstration at the third modern Olympics which were held in 1904 in St Louis Missouri In five contests the Buffalo New York Germans swept the field beating other American club teams from Chicago San Francisco New York and St Louis Finally in 1936 in Berlin Germany men’s basketball was included as an official Olympic sport Although the first tournament was held outdoors on courts built for tennis 21 countries entered teams with the United States coming out on top starting a trend that would continue in the decades that followed In 1976 women’s basket ball was contested at the Olympic level for the first time Although American athletes and teams long ruled the basketball courts of the Games the sport has truly become international in recent decades Players such as Oscar Schmidt of Brazil and Yao Ming of China and countries ranging from the Soviet Union to Yugoslavia to Argentina have enjoyed memorable moments of Olympic glory if not always gold medals Today Dr Naismith’s game with all its dazzling shots fanciful passing and inspiring teamwork is one of the most popular and hotly contested of all the Olympic sports INTRODUCTION 5
