In December 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian physician in McGill University and minister of the faculty of college for YMCA professionals in Springfield, Massachusetts, was looking for a vigorous indoor game wherein his rugby players could be kept occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long winter of New England. Naismith knew that his players were tired of calisthenics, so he wanted to create a game of skill for students instead of one that solely relied on strength. He also needed to come up with a game that could be played indoors in a small space.

Apart from that, he had also been told to come up with another activity by the director of the school, Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, who wanted to occupy a "class of incorrigibles." The instructor rejected other game ideas since they were either too rough or poorly suited for the school’s walled-in gymnasiums.

Naismith then came up with the idea of basketball. He wrote the basic rules of the game and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Unlike modern basketball nets, the peach basket still had a bottom, so the balls shot into the basket had to be poked out. The players also used a soccer ball. He then divided his class of 18 into two teams with nine players each. This was the start of one of the world’s greatest sports.

Women's basketball began in 1892 at Smith College. Senda Berenson, a physical education teacher, improved Naismith's rules to suit women.

The first official basketball game was held in the YMCA gymnasium on January 20, 1892 with nine players. The game was held on a court half the size of present-day NBA courts.

Rules of the Game
Hall of Fame