History of Basketball in Timeline
Basketball is a team sport played on a rectangular court between two teams, typically of five players. The objective is to score by shooting a ball through the opponent's hoop while preventing them from doing the same. Points are awarded based on the shot's location: two points for field goals within the three-point line and three points for those made beyond it. Free throws, worth one point each, are awarded after fouls. The team accumulating the most points by the game's end wins; tied scores lead to an overtime period.
1901: Colleges begin sponsoring men's games
In 1901, several colleges, including the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, the University of Minnesota, the U.S. Naval Academy, the University of Colorado and Yale University, began sponsoring men's basketball games.
1902: Senda Berenson edits Women's Basketball Guide; Women begin playing basketball
In 1902, Senda Berenson became the editor of A. G. Spalding's first Women's Basketball Guide. The same year women of Mount Holyoke and Sophie Newcomb College (coached by Clara Gregory Baer), began playing basketball.
February 6, 1904: First Canadian interuniversity basketball game
On February 6, 1904, the first Canadian interuniversity basketball game was played at YMCA in Kingston, Ontario between McGill University and Queen's University. McGill won 9–7 in overtime.
1904: Demonstration tournament held
In 1904, a demonstration basketball tournament was held at the Summer Olympics.
1905: Formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS)
In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt suggested that colleges form a governing body due to frequent injuries in football, leading to the creation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS).
1905: National Women's Basketball Committee Created
In 1905, the executive committee on Basket Ball Rules (National Women's Basketball Committee) was created by the American Physical Education Association. These rules called for six to nine players per team and 11 officials.
1906: Metal hoops replace peach baskets
In 1906, metal hoops with backboards replaced the peach baskets originally used in basketball. This change also allowed the ball to pass through the hoop.
1910: IAAUS becomes NCAA
In 1910, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) changed its name to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
1915: Edmonton Grads
In 1915, the Edmonton Grads, a touring Canadian women's team based in Edmonton, Alberta, began playing.
1917: National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament established
In 1917, the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was established at the University of Chicago. It was organized by Amos Alonzo Stagg and invited state champion teams.
1924: International Women's Sports Federation Included Basketball
In 1924, the International Women's Sports Federation included a women's basketball competition.
1924: National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament founded
In 1924, the National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament began at Loyola University.
1925: Women's High School Basketball Tournaments
By 1925, 37 women's high school varsity basketball or state tournaments were held.
1926: AAU Backs National Women's Basketball Championship
In 1926, the Amateur Athletic Union backed the first national women's basketball championship, complete with men's rules.
1928: Olympics Tournaments
In 1928, the Edmonton Grads won one of four consecutive exhibition Olympics tournaments.
1929: National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools held
In 1929, the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools was held at Hampton Institute.
1929: National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament grows
In 1929, the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament had grown to include 29 state champion teams.
1929: First Women's AAU All-America Team
In 1929, the first women's AAU All-America team was chosen.
1930: End of National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament
In 1930, the last National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held due to opposition from the National Federation of State High School Associations and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
1932: Olympics Tournaments
In 1932, the Edmonton Grads won one of four consecutive exhibition Olympics tournaments.
1936: Men's basketball included in Summer Olympics
In 1936, men's basketball was first included at the Berlin Summer Olympics. The United States defeated Canada in the final.
1936: Olympics Tournaments
In 1936, the Edmonton Grads won one of four consecutive exhibition Olympics tournaments.
1937: First men's national championship tournament organized
In 1937, the first men's national championship tournament, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball tournament, was organized. This tournament still exists today as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament.
1938: Women's National Championship Changes
By 1938, the women's national championship changed from a three-court game to two-court game with six players per team.
1938: Inaugural National Invitation Tournament
In 1938, the first national championship for NCAA teams, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in New York, was organized.
1940: Edmonton Grads End
In 1940, the Edmonton Grads, a touring Canadian women's team based in Edmonton, Alberta, ended.
1941: National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament ends; National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament founded
In 1941, the National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament ended, and the National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held starting out at Tuskegee Institute.
1942: Last National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools held
In 1942, the last National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools was held at Hampton Institute.
November 1, 1946: First BAA game
On November 1, 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) played its first game in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers.
1948: College basketball gambling scandals begin
From 1948, college basketball was impacted by gambling scandals, where dozens of players from top teams were implicated in game-fixing and point shaving.
1949: BAA and NBL merge to form NBA
In 1949, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA).
1950: First FIBA World Championship for men held
In 1950, the first FIBA World Championship for men, now known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup, was held in Argentina.
1951: College basketball gambling scandals continue
In 1951, college basketball gambling scandals continued, further damaging the reputation of the sport.
1954: National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament begins; Integration of schools begins
In 1954, the National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament began and was played at a series of venues, including Catholic University, Georgetown and George Mason. Also, Brown v. Board of Education began an integration of schools.
1959: Basketball Hall of Fame founded
In 1959, a basketball hall of fame was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, the site of the first basketball game.
1964: National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament held at Alabama State College
In 1964, the National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held at Alabama State College.
1967: American Basketball Association (ABA) emerges
In 1967, the American Basketball Association (ABA) emerged, briefly threatening the NBA's dominance.
1967: Last National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament
In 1967, the last National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held at Alabama State College.
1972: Controversial Olympic final
In 1972, the United States lost to the Soviet Union in a controversial final game in Munich, where the ending was replayed multiple times.
April 9, 1975: First Philippine Basketball Association game
On April 9, 1975, the Philippine Basketball Association played its first game at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines.
1976: ABA-NBA merger
In 1976, the ABA and NBA merged, consolidating professional basketball.
1976: Women's Basketball becomes official Olympic sport
In 1976, women's basketball became an official Olympic sport.
1976: Women's basketball added to the Olympics
In 1976, women's basketball was added to the Olympics, which were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1978: National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament ends
In 1978, the National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament ended.
1979: National Basketball League commenced
In 1979, the NBL (Australia's pre-eminent men's professional basketball league) commenced.
1981: Women's National Basketball League began
In 1981, the Women's National Basketball League began.
1989: FIBA allows NBA players in Olympics
In 1989, FIBA allowed professional NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time.
1992: United States' Dream Team
Prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics, only European and South American teams were allowed to field professionals in the Olympics. The United States introduced the original Dream Team, continuing their dominance.
1996: American Basketball League (ABL)
The American Basketball League (ABL) operated from 1996 to 1998 before folding due to the popularity of the WNBA.
1997: WNBA Began
In 1997, the NBA-backed Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) began.
1998: NBL shifts to summer season format
In 1998, the NBL shifted to the current summer season format (October–April) to avoid competing directly against Australia's various football codes.
2001: NBA Development League formed
In 2001, the NBA formed a developmental league, the National Basketball Development League, later known as the NBA D-League and then the NBA G League.
2004: United States suffers first Olympic loss with professional players
In the 2004 Athens Olympics, the United States suffered its first Olympic loss while using professional players, falling to Puerto Rico and Lithuania in group games, and being eliminated in the semifinals by Argentina.
2006: Naismith's diaries discovered
In early 2006, James Naismith's handwritten diaries were discovered by his granddaughter. The diaries revealed Naismith's nervousness about the new game he invented.
June 2007: WNBA Signed Contract Extension with ESPN
In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ESPN from 2009 to 2016, which included first-ever rights fees to be paid to a women's professional sports league.
2007: 3x3 Tested at Asian Indoor Games
In 2007, 3x3 basketball was first tested at the Asian Indoor Games in Macau.
2008: Redeem Team wins gold
The Redeem Team won gold at the 2008 Olympics.
March 12, 2009: NBA Commissioner Comments on WNBA Profitability
On March 12, 2009, NBA commissioner David Stern stated that the NBA was less profitable than the WNBA.
2009: First Official 3x3 Tournaments
In 2009, the first official 3x3 tournaments were held at the Asian Youth Games in Singapore.
2010: B-Team wins FIBA World Championship
The B-Team won gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, despite featuring no players from the 2008 squad.
2011: First FIBA 3x3 Youth World Championships
In 2011, the first FIBA 3x3 Youth World Championships were held in Rimini, Italy.
2012: United States wins gold at the Olympics
The United States continued its dominance as they won gold at the 2012 Olympics.
2014: United States wins gold at FIBA World Cup
The United States continued its dominance as they won gold at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
2016: ESPN contract extension concluded
In 2016, the ESPN contract extension that was signed in June 2007 concluded.
2016: Expected Olympic Sport
In 2016, the sport was highly tipped to become an Olympic sport.
2016: High school basketball participation
In the 2016–17 season, 980,673 boys and girls represented their schools in interscholastic basketball competition, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
2016: United States wins gold at the Olympics
The United States continued its dominance as they won gold at the 2016 Olympics.
2017: BIG3 Basketball League Began
In the summer of 2017, the BIG3 basketball league, a professional 3x3 half court basketball league that features former NBA players, began.
2019: NBA Season Heights Recorded with Shoes Off
Since the 2019–20 NBA season heights of NBA players are recorded definitively by measuring players with their shoes off.
2023: NBA G League season
As of the 2023–24 season, the NBA G League has 31 teams.
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