NAME: Angel S.
Lagman COURSE: BEED-2
HISTORY IN DEVELOPING BASKETBALL
Dr. James Naismith (born November 6, 1861,
Almonte, Ontario, Canada—died November 28, 1939,
Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.), was a Canadian-American
physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and
sports coach, and he Invented the game of Basketball
at Springfield College Massachusetts during the
winter of 1891-1892. Dr. Luther Gulick, the College's
physical education superintendent, charged him with
creating an indoor activity for college students. Naismith's commitment to Springfield College's
Humanics philosophy inspired him to create the game, which spread beyond campus and globally,
impacting hundreds of millions of lives. The game was a replacement for the more exciting games
of football and lacrosse. The instructor of this class was Dr. James Naismith, a 31-year-old
graduate student. Naismith embraced his love of athletics and headed to Springfield to study
physical education at that time, a relatively new and unknown academic discipline—under Luther
Halsey Gulick, superintendent of physical education at the College .Gulick had stressed the need
for a new indoor game, one “that would be interesting, easy to learn, and easy to play in the winter
and by artificial light.” No one in the class had followed up on Gulick’s challenge to invent such
a game. Dr. James Naismith had new motivation.
Dr. Luther Gulick assigned Dr. James Naismith to create a simple yet complex game that
could be played indoors or outdoors, providing ample exercise for a large number of players.
Much time and thought went into this new creation. It became an adaptation of many games of
its time, including American rugby (passing), English rugby (the jump ball), lacrosse (use of a
goal), soccer (the shape and size of the ball). Naismith approached the school janitor, hoping he
could find two, 18-inch square boxes to use as goals. The janitor came back with two peach
baskets instead. Two peach baskets and a soccer ball were his first equipments to use in his game.
And so, Dr. James Naismith thought that, "Having a basket and a ball seem to be the name of the
game Basketball." Dr. James Naismith then drew up the 13 original rules, which described,
among other facets, the method of playing the game Basketball. The following are the Original
rules of Dr. James Naismith:
1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches
it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed if he tries
to stop.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding
it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent
shall be allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second
shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or, if there was evident intent to injure the person,
for the whole of the game, no substitute allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of Rules 3,4, and such as described in Rule
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the opponents (consecutive
means without the opponents in the mean time making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and
stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests
on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first
touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in
is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in
delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that side.
10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when
three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule
5.
11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to
which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and
keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12.The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with five minutes' rest between.
13.The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw,
the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.
Naismith’s secretary typed up the rules and tacked them on the bulletin board. The
Basketball game is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of players each, opposing
one another on a rectangular court. A short time later, when the gym class met, and the teams
were chosen with three centers, three forwards, and three guards per side. Two of the centers met
at mid-court. When Dr. James Naismith tossed the ball, that is when the game of “basket ball”
was born. Word of the new game spread like wildfire. It was an instant success. Within a few
decades, the new game became popular throughout the United States as an indoor sport. The
popularity spread overseas and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) was organized in
1932 in Geneva, Switzerland. With the effort of Phog Allen—a Kansas Jayhawks collegiate
coach—the first Olympic basketball tournament was organized in the 1936 Berlin Olympics on
outdoor tennis courts. Dr. James Naismith is best known as the Legend of the Basketball.
