Peach Baskets and Blizzards James Naismith didn’t know he was creating a global game when he called those stir-crazy boys into the gym in 1891 He just wanted to keep his students active Naismith nailed peach baskets into the balcony that ran around the top level of the gym Those baskets were 10 feet 3 04 meters from the floor and that’s remained the official height ever since The first game was in Naismith’s own words a bit of a free for-all Before I could pull them apart one boy was knocked out several of them had black eyes and one had a dislocated shoulder It certainly was murder James Naismith 6
It was so difficult for the players to move that the winning team made only one basket a 25-foot 7 62-meter shot by a guy named William Chase So Naismith drew up some rules to stop the roughhousing and get things moving No more holding No more tackling Scoring increased Injuries decreased The game grew HURRY AND WAIT Originally when someone scored a basket the game stopped at least till the janitor could get a ladder to retrieve the ball Naismith finally figured out if they cut the bottom out of the basket the ball could go through and the game could resume quickly Eureka The first metal basket was manufactured in the late 1890s The netting was added to help officials see when a ball had actually gone through the hoop That swish sound basketball players love to hear happens when a spinning ball is slowed down by the netting 7 The backboard appeared in 1895 to stop spectators from reaching for the ball They were originally made of wood today they are made of Plexiglas
Follow the Bouncing Ball Naismith used an old soccer ball for the first game and for a few years after that but once dribbling bouncing the ball became the norm something bouncier was needed In 1894 Naismith and the Spalding company who were also the first baseball manufacturer designed a ball with a rubber bladder and a leather covering Ever wonder what that little hole is on a basketball It’s the inflation hole that lets you inflate the bladder inside the ball But you need a special pin to do that In 1894 the laces originally ran along the outside seams to stitch the covering together The laces were removed in the 1930s The orange ball we know today was developed in the 1950s 9 5 in 24 1 cm diameter 8
SIZING IT UP How does the circumference of a basketball compare to balls used in other sports Check it out basketball 30 in 76 2 cm soccer ball 27 in 68 5 cm football 22 in 55 9 cm softball 12 in 30 5 cm baseball 9 in 22 9 cm tennis ball 8 in 20 3 cm 9 CAN YOU PALM A BASKETBALL LIKE A PRO The leather covering has a dimpled surface to help players grip the ball Pros can hold the ball with just one hand
