Invented with two peach baskets
In December 1891, a Canadian teacher called James Naismith was asked to invent an indoor game to keep a class of restless young men busy through a Massachusetts winter. He nailed two peach baskets to the balcony at each end of a gym, about three metres off the floor, and wrote thirteen rules. The height of the HOOP has been the same ever since.
The baskets had bottoms, so after every score someone had to climb a ladder to fetch the ball. Spectators in the balcony sometimes reached down and knocked shots in or out, so the BACKBOARD was added to stop them. Open-bottomed nets came later, and so did a proper ball: the first games used a soccer ball, and the familiar orange basketball only appeared in the late 1950s, chosen because it was easier for players and crowds to see. Naismith later coached the University of Kansas, and he remains the only coach in its history with more defeats than wins.
Dribbling was not in the rules
Naismith's original rules said a player could not run with the ball; it had to be passed. Players found that bouncing the ball as they moved kept them within the rules, and the DRIBBLE slowly became part of the game. Taking too many steps without bouncing is still called a TRAVEL, and illegal contact is a FOUL, rewarded with a FREETHROW.
By the 1950s professional games had a problem: a team in the lead could simply hold the ball and refuse to shoot. In 1954 the league brought in a shot clock, giving a team 24 seconds to attempt a shot. Scoring leapt, and the rule is often credited with saving professional basketball. The BUZZER sounds when time runs out.
The dunk was once banned
The SLAM DUNK — jumping up and pushing the ball straight down through the hoop — was banned in American college basketball from 1967 to 1976. Many people saw the ban as aimed at one tall, dominant player, Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. When the ban ended, the dunk became one of the most exciting moves in sport.
Other shots in the grid include the LAYUP, a soft shot off the backboard from close in, the JUMPSHOT, and the ALLEYOOP, where one player throws the ball near the rim and a teammate catches it in mid-air and scores. A CROSSOVER is a quick change of direction while dribbling, and an ASSIST is the pass that leads to a score.
Why the Lakers have that name
The Los Angeles LAKERS started out in Minneapolis, in Minnesota, the state nicknamed the land of ten thousand lakes. When the team moved to California in 1960, it kept the name, even though Los Angeles is not known for lakes. The CELTICS of Boston, the Chicago BULLS, the Golden State WARRIORS and the New York KNICKS are among the other famous teams. Our lakes page covers the real thing.
Every team has a POINTGUARD who directs the play, players who fight for every REBOUND, and a defender who tries to BLOCK shots. A coach can call a TIMEOUT to stop the clock and change tactics, and the COURT is just 28 metres long.