In 1891, Dr. James A. Naismith of Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts, devised a game to occupy the students in physical education classes during the winter months. He nailed a peach basket to the side of the balcony at each end of the gymnasium into which a ball was to be tossed. A janitor sat on a ladder to retrieve the ball from the basket after a player had made a goal. From this primitive beginning came the game now played by thousands of people throughout the world. In the United States basketball attracts more spectators than any other sport. Moreover, more athletes participate in the game of baskeball than in any other sport. Basket rings attached to a garage, tree or clothespole are not an uncommon sight.

In the early days of basketball the two forwards did most of the scoring. The guards very seldom took a shot, and the center was used mainly to get the tap on center jumps after each field goal. In 1937 when the center jump was abolished by the high school, college and professional associations, the nature of the game changed entirely.

The use of the fast break and the development of one-hand shots, particularly the jump shot, have made basketball a game requiring a degree of skill unknown in its early days. In a single game today individual players often score as many points as an entire team did before the center jump was abolished.

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