Since its beginning over a century ago, basketball has evolved from a simple form of exercise with only a few rules to a highly competitive and complex national sport. Basketball was invented by James Naismith at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891 (Fox 11-13). It began as an activity for the “‘ball-game’ void” months of winter (Hanson 65), and Naismith had five standards for the game. He wanted a ball that could be handled by a player’s hands; no one was to run with the ball, and anyone could grab the ball from another player as long as the ball was in play. There was to be no personal contact, and the goal was to be raised from the ground. He created the idea and standards for basketball by combining certain aspects of American…
In my opinion I think that Kenneth S. Washington was a founding father of African American sports. Kenneth S. Washington was a professional football player who was the first African American to sign a contract on March 9, 1946 with a National Football League team in the modern area. Washington was born August 31, 1918, he died June 24, 1971. When Kenny Washington went on to the University of California, Los Angeles ( UCLA) he found an athletic department that considered ability rather than skin color. Also Kenny Washington played for the UCLA Bruins Kenny Washington who broke the black barrier, and he was in the college hall of fame but not in the NFL Hall of Fame. Kenny Washington received numerous honors but they were primarily…
The league was founded in New York City on June 6th 1946 as the Basketball Association of America Also known as the BBA.…
The Harlem Globetrotters came into the existence in the 1920s in Chicago Illinois. They played their first exhibition game on January 1927. The team caught the eye of a big sport promoter Abe Saperstein who owned…
Naismith came up with an idea. He got two peach baskets and nailed one to each end of the gym, ten feet above the floor. He made rules about how the ball could be moved across the floor. His thirteen rules are still used in today’s basketball games. The team loved the game and basketball was born.…
I am writing about a famous African American professional basketball ball player named Bill Russell. Born in Monroe, Louisiana on February 12, 1934 as William Felton Russell. Mr.Russell was very educated, he attended the university of San Francisco. He was drafted in the NBA in 1956, by the St.Louis Hawks and was later trade to Boston Celtics. Bill Russell accomplished many things in his basket ball career and considerd the greatest defensive center to play In the NBA.…
Most people would be satisfied with winning an NBA championship at least once in their life, but not Shaquille O’Neal. According to an interview with Ebony Magazine, Mr. Shaq has massive academic plans. The basketball star already has his masters in business administration, but plans on receiving a doctoral degree in organizational learning and leadership from Barry University. It’s been three years since this interview article was posted, so it’s certain that Dr. O’Neal (as he wishes to be called from now on) achieved all his goals regarding his education. Not only did he strive to commence a career outside the basketball court, he also maintained an impressive 3.81 GPA after spending four and a half years completing the coursework and defending…
James Naismith was the creator of basketball. He created it in 1891 to condition young athletes in the winter. The “hoop” was a peach basket and the ball was a soccer styled ball. There were many rules for the new game. He created it in a YMCA gym in Springfield, Massachusetts. His team of eighteen was divided into two teams of nine and then the peach baskets were nailed above their heads. Every time one would score a basket, the game was stopped for the janitor to get up on a ladder and retrieve the ball. Later on, the bottoms of the “hoops” were taken out and they became a (sort of) real basket.…
president of the association, he was a famous American athlete and league player. Later on, in…
Have you ever watched a NBA game before? The game has changed a lot over time. One way the game has changed is the size of the players. There has also been some rule changes since the start off the game. Players in the NBA had endorsements and a yearly salary that were low and now are really high. In 1946 the average player height was 74.32 inches. The nba has evolved since 1946 in many ways including changes in player characteristics , rule changes and salary and endorsements.…
It all began with a simple phone call one night after dinner. “Joe,” my father hollered up the stairs, “it’s for you. It’s Jackie, and she sounds upset.” As I came downstairs to pick up the phone, I was not happy. I was tired and had looked forward to a nice and quiet evening at home, not another stupid adventure with Jackie.…
Which basketball team has been with the NBA since it’s birth and has broken many records? In Springfield, Massachusetts, James Naismith in 1891. The first baskets were peach baskets while the backboards were just wires. The NBA was founded on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association, BAA, but it became the NBA, or National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949 after merging with the National Basketball League, NBL. Which team made all the records? The Warriors! They are the four time Finals winners, in 1948, 1964, 1967, and 2015. They almost won in 2016, but were crushed by the Cavaliers. The Warriors have been with the NBA since it’s birth, and has broken many records.…
The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems of the NBL. The new team began playing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, calling themselves the Lakers in honor of the state's nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes".[3] The Lakers won five championships in Minneapolis, propelled by center George Mikan, who is described by the NBA's official website as the league's "first superstar".[4] After struggling financially in the late 1950s following Mikan's retirement, they relocated to Los Angeles before the 1960–61 season.…
On the 20th of October, 1998, the world was blessed with a talented basketball player. (That would be me.) Growing up, I didn’t really have reasons to like basketball. My family did not play or have interest in any kind of sport, besides for my father turning on the Lakers game once in a while. So my influence had to come about from a mishap. A mishap I am very thankful for. The television was playing the Lakers game in my living room one night when my attention was caught by an astonishing performance by a player wearing the number 8. Shot after shot he would score with emphasis, scowling after each basket. This player was arguably one of the greatest professional basketball players still to this day, Kobe Bryant. It was at this moment that…
Basketball was invented in December 1891 by the Canadian clergyman, educator, and physician James Naismith. Naismith introduced the game when we were an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts. At the request of his superior, Dr. Luther H. Gulick, he organized a vigorous recreation suitable for indoor winter play. The game involved elements of American football, soccer, and hockey, and the first ball used was a soccer ball. Teams had nine players, and the goals were wooden peach baskets affixed to the walls. By 1897-1898, teams of five became standard. The game rapidly spread nationwide and to Canada and other parts of the world, played by both women and men; it also became a popular informal outdoor game. U.S. servicemen in World War II (1939-1945) popularized the sport in many other countries.…