Basketball

Basketball is a game played by two teams of five players each on a court, usually indoors, without a lifestyle game. Each team attempts to score by shooting the ball over a raised horizontal hoop and a net called the basket.

Basketball basket with a ball

Basketball was created by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891. Naismith created a game that had fewer injuries than football. This game was a 9-on-9 game that involved throwing a ball into a basket of peaches. In 1896, a 5-on-5 collegiate game was played between Iowa and the University of Chicago. In 1898, professional leagues began to form and basketball became one of the leading sports in the United States.

NBA is The National Basketball Association. A professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams and is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. It is the premier men's professional basketball league in the world.

FIBA is The International Basketball Federation. An association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as "the Fédération internationale de basket-ball amateur"

basketball court

Basketball courts come in many different sizes. In the NBA, the court is 94 by 50 feet. Under FIBA rules, the court is slightly smaller, measuring 28 by 15 meters. In amateur basketball, court sizes vary widely. Many older high school gyms were 84 feet or even 74 feet in length. The baskets are always 3.05 meters above the floor