The game is born
Basketball was invented on December 21, 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts by physical instructor James Naismith. He nailed peach baskets 10 feet (3m) in the air at either end of a gym with each team’s objective being to get a ball in the basket. The rules have changed somewhat, but it was on that day basketball was born.
The first league
The first professional league was developed in 1898 in the USA, although was abandoned by 1904, with the college game beginning to grow around the same time. By the 1920s the Original Celtics, Renaissance and Harlem Globetrotters were making their presence felt.
Formation of Fiba
Fiba, the game’s international governing body, was formed in 1932. It was influential in getting the sport into the 1936 Berlin Olympics and began its world championships in 1950.
NBA
The National Basketball Association began as the BAA in 1946, before merging with the NBL and being named the NBA in 1949. The league was much smaller than it is today and by 1953 had just eight teams.
ABA-NBA Merger
The American Basketball Association began in 1967 with the aim of ‘‘flashing up’’ the game. Notably, it brought the three-point line and the shot clock. It competed with the NBA before the leagues merged in 1976.
Jordan
There is no more significant person in recent basketball history than Michael Jordan. Arguably the game’s greatest player, he took the league to new heights from a commercial perspective, helping the game’s popularity soar and creating a globally identifiable brand.
Salaries
Television deals, the sneaker business and endless amounts of apparel have seen the commercial side of the NBA boom. That has had a huge impact on player finances, with team salary caps rising from $US3.6 million in 1984 to $US94.14 million this year.
Scouting
The competition to attract the game’s best players became intense. College, high school and even middle school-aged players are widely scrutinised, publicly ranked and offered all sorts of deals to play for different teams.
Globalisation
Basketball is no longer just the domain of the US. While the globalisation of the game has been going on a few decades, it is now that we are beginning to see the effects. Of the 60 players selected in this year’s NBA draft, a record 29 countries were represented as the world closes the gap on the US on the international stage.
Super teams
The new era of basketball sees superstars defined by their team’s success, meaning top players have begun to team up to try to win championships.
