Federation: FIBA
First Played: 1891, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
Team Members: 7 on the bench, 5 on the court, Total 12
Equipment: Basketball
Field: Indoor and Outdoor
Olympic Participation: 1936
Description:
Basketball is a popular team game and sport played with a ball controlled by hand. In professional basketball, two teams of five players each aim to score more points than their opponent by shooting the ball through a hoop called a basket, which is positioned 3.05 meters (10 feet) above the ground. The game consists of four periods, each lasting either twelve, ten, or eight minutes.
History:
Basketball was invented in 1891 by Canadian Dr. James Naismith, a physical education teacher at the Springfield Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) Training School in Massachusetts, USA. The game was designed as a winter training activity for athletes and baseball players. The objective was to toss a soccer ball into peach baskets with closed bottoms, mounted about 3 meters high on the wall. After each score, the ball had to be manually removed from the basket. Over time, the bottom of the basket was removed, allowing the ball to be pushed out with a stick after scoring. It is believed that Naismith was inspired by the ancient Mayan game "Tlahiotenieé," played on marble courts with vertical rings mounted 4 meters high on the walls. Basketball was initially played with two teams of seven players in three periods of 20 minutes each. Dr. Naismith called the game "Basket Ball," meaning "ball of the basket."
Field Dimensions:
While court dimensions may vary, the ideal size is 28 meters long by 15 meters wide. The playing area is divided in half by a centerline, with a circle at the midpoint known as the center circle. A basket is located at each end of the court, positioned 1.2 meters inside from the baseline. The backboard is a metal plate measuring 1.8 meters by 1.2 meters. A hoop is mounted 3.05 meters above the ground, consisting of a 45 cm diameter iron ring with an open-bottomed white net hanging from it.
