Timeline of Basketball History (2024)

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Last updated: Jun 06, 2024

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Timeline of Basketball History (1)

From playgrounds to stadiums, basketball has long been a popular and well-loved sport around the world. What began as a way to entertain a P.E. class is now a sport that draws millions of viewers. Over the years, icons like Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James helped to elevate the sport to what we know today. Read on to learn more about the history of basketball and its timeline.

James Naismith- 1891

James Naismith was a physical education instructor looking for a new activity to entertain his class at a local YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts in the winter of 1891.The winter forbade the class from going outside to exercise. Naismith was at a crossroads and had to think quickly on his feet to create an activity that would garner the attention of his restless and “disorderly” young men.

While sitting in the gymnasium, Naismith thought back to his childhood and remembered playing something called “duck on a rock” back in Canada. The game revolves around knocking a big rock off of a wall by throwing small rocks at it. He also recalled rugby players practicing their hand-eye coordination in the gymnasium by throwing a ball into a box on the floor.

Naismith believed he could combine the two games by raising the box and using a ball instead of rocks to create a new sport.He wrote up the first set of rules of basketball in under one hour, and then settled for peach baskets for the targets when he couldn’t find any spare crates. On that day, basketball was born.

First College Game - 1896

In January 1896, the first collegiate basketball game was played.The matchup was an experimental game that occurred between the University of Iowa and the newly-created University of Chicago. The University of Chicago emerged victorious in this game, beating Iowa by a score of 15-12.

First Professional League - 1898

On November 20, 1898, the first professional basketball league, the National Basketball League, was established. The league featured between six and eight teams based around the northeast US. The 1901-02 season was the most successful for the league. After a few years of decline, the National Basketball League disbanded in January 1904.

Modern Hoop Invented - 1906

In 1906, metal hoops were first introduced that resemble the rims seen today.Prior to this, basketball was played with peach baskets, as this is how the game was initially conceived by Naismith. Along with metal hoops came the addition of backboards, which were not used with the peach baskets.

FIBA Is Formed - 1932

FIBA, basketball’s international governing body, was founded in Geneva in 1932.This was two years after the sport was recognized by the IOC in 1934. Prior to 1934, basketball was regulated by the International Amateur Handball Association. Eight nations were founding members: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland.

Olympic Basketball - 1936

After decades of being played professionally and on the collegiate level, basketball was added to the Olympic program, and first played in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.In the first Olympic championship, the United States played Canada on a converted tennis court made of clay and sand.

The United States won the first Olympic medal for basketball in a 19-8 win. James Naismith was present that day, and assisted in handing out the medals to both teams.

First NCAA Tournament - 1939

The inaugural NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship tournament was held in March 1939.Eight teams participated in the single-elimination bracket. Oregon beat Ohio State in the championship game, which was held at Northwestern University. Notably, Oregon would not return to the Final Four until 2017.

Three-Point Line - 1945

Timeline of Basketball History (2)

On February 7th, 1945, a seemingly insignificant regular-season college basketball game between Columbia and Fordham was used as a test game for one of the biggest changes in basketball since its invention, one that would forever change the game. Renowned high school basketball coach Howard Hobson suggested players be rewarded for the distance of their shots.From this idea, the three-point line was born.

The new invention was not introduced in the NBA until the 1979 season. Nowadays, NBA teams focus a lot of their offense on the three-point line, and there are players who specialize in consistently making three-point shots. That said, it can certainly be argued that the invention of the three-point line is one of the most important changes in basketball’s history.

The NBA Is Formed - 1946

The NBA was created in 1946 to create a professional basketball league for the sport that was created around 50 years earlier. Currently, the NBA has expanded its youth programs into China and Europe and is currently looking into creating a league in Africa and India. The NBA has kept the interest of basketball high in the United States, and expanding into multiple different areas of the globe has increased the popularity of the sport globally.Three years later, in 1949, the NBA merged with the then popular National Basketball League.

24-Second Shot Clock - 1954

Timeline of Basketball History (3)

In 1954, Danny Biasone, owner of the NBA franchise the Syracuse Nationals, invented the 24-second shot clock.The league was suffering because teams were playing a slow-paced and low-scoring type of basketball, and would hold the ball a lot in order to run the time out.

The solution was invented and presented by Biasone to the league. The shot clock was implemented that same year, and it remains a part of basketball to this day.

Dribbling Is Developed - 1959

Timeline of Basketball History (4)

Dribbling was not a major part of the gameplay of basketball until 1959.Prior to this, the ball was not bounced on the floor except to bounce pass to a teammate. Tony Hinkle’s invention of the modern rubber basketball with greater bounce allowed this development.

Wilt Chamberlain - 1962

On March 2nd, 1962, the world saw the ceiling for basketball skills reach new heights. Wilt Chamberlain had been in the NBA for two years and had been playing professionally for three. Chamberlain was having a record-breaking season with the Philadelphia Warriors. In a regular-season game against the New York Knicks, Wilt Chamberlain had the highest individual scoring game ever, scoring 100 points in a 169-147 victory.

His 100 points are to this day the most points ever scored by a single player in NBA history. Kobe Bryant is the player who has gotten the closest to that mark, scoring 81 points in one game during the 2006-07 NBA season.

Boston Celtics - 1967

In this year, the Boston Celtics’ championship streak ended.In the previous season, the Celtics had won their eighth consecutive championship. The team’s success was largely attributed to Bill Russell, the single most dominant player in basketball at that time.

After losing the championship in the 1966-1967 season to the San Francisco Warriors, the Boston Celtics went on to win the championship in the 1968-1969 season, their ninth in ten seasons. This is often regarded as the most dominant era by one team in the history of professional basketball.

Basketball Hall of Fame - 1968

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame was founded in 1959 and opened its doors to the public on February, 17th, 1968.It was named in honor of the creator of basketball, James Naismith. Each year, legends of the game are voted into the Hall of Fame based on successes during their career.

NBA-ABA Merger - 1976

In 1976, the two major national basketball leagues, the NBA and the ABA, merged. The merger is considered the beginning of the NBA as we know it today. The leagues were rivals, as the ABA was created to fill a void in small markets, where the NBA did not have any franchises.

Although it was considered to be successful, a series of financial wrongdoings lead the ABA to near-bankruptcy. A deal was negotiated, and four of the seven ABA teams joined the NBA (Spurs, Nets, Pacers, and Nuggets) and players from the rest of the teams were incorporated into the “new” NBA.

NBA Draft - 1984

Timeline of Basketball History (5)

The 1984 NBA Draft is considered to be one of the most celebrated drafts in history. That year, some of the biggest names in the sport came into the league, including a junior out of the University of North Carolina named Michael Jordan. Alongside Jordan, players like John Stockton, Charles Barkley, and Hakeem Olajuwon were also drafted.

NBA Dunk Contest - 1988

Timeline of Basketball History (6)

On February 6th, 1988, the most iconic dunk of all time occurred at the hands of Michael Jordan in the NBA dunk contest during All-Star weekend.Michael Jordan had won the dunk contest the year prior, and was arguably in the athletic prime of his career.

In search of a perfect 50, Jordan decided to push his physical limits by attempting a dunk never seen before. In the last round of the dunk contest, Jordan ran up the court and took off from the free throw line and slammed the ball through the hoop. This dunk won him the contest and is often regarded as one of the best dunks of all time.

Summer Olympics - 1992

Timeline of Basketball History (7)

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona were the first edition of the Games where NBA players were allowed to play for their national teams.Basketball was flourishing as a game, the number of basketball fans across the world was at an all-time high, the NBA had become flooded with talented players in the previous years, and it seemed as though the U.S. had elevated their skills to the next level. It did not make sense anymore that the greatest basketball players in the world could not take part in the biggest sporting event in the world, and the rule was revoked.

While creating the Olympic basketball team, the United States gathered the best players in the NBA to compete in Barcelona. This squad is often referred to as “The Dream Team” because of how easily they dominated their competition and won the gold medal.

This team had many of the greatest players in history, such as Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, and Jordan. The Dream Team is remembered dearly by basketball fans around the world.

The WNBA Is Formed - 1996

The Women’s National Basketball Association was founded on April 22, 1996, and play began in 1997.The league began with eight teams, and they initially had to compete with the American Basketball League, a rival women’s professional league. (The ABL folded in 1999.) A major factor in the WNBA’s formation and success was the massive success of the US Women’s National team in the 1996 Olympics, where they won gold medals, as well as the league's connection to the NBA.

Michael Jordan’s Second 3-Peat - 1998

Timeline of Basketball History (8)

Michael Jordan pulled off an incredible three-peat by winning three consecutive NBA Finals between 1996 and 1998.The Bulls beat the Sonics in the 1996 Finals and Jazz back-to-back in the following seasons. Jordan’s first three-peat came between 1991 and 1993, but gambling and a stint in baseball had made his dominance and future uncertain. After famously yet simply announcing, “I’m back,” Jordan went on to cement his role in basketball history.

NBA International Drafting - 2002

On June 26th, 2002, the league changed for the better when the first international player to have not previously played in the U.S. was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft.With the first overall pick, the Houston Rockets selected a 7’6” center weighing in at 311 pounds by the name of Yao Ming.

The choice to draft outside of the U.S. opened the door for other teams to start scouting international players seriously, and brought in millions of new international fans to the NBA.Although plagued by injuries, Yao Ming was a dominant player who had a successful career and popularized the NBA in China. In 2016, Yao Ming was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Olympic “Redeem Team” - 2008

The 2008 US Men’s Olympic Basketball Team was dubbed the “Redeem Team” after their gold-medal victory.The name reprised the infamous “Dream Team” of 1992. It was also a reference to the team’s disappointing bronze-medal finishes in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championships. Led by team captain Kobe Bryant, superstars such as Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Chris Paul helped defeat Spain 118-107 in the final.

LeBron James Goes to the Miami Heat - 2010

On July 8th, 2010, LeBron James had just finished the last season of his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James was tired of being the only scorer on the team, and was looking to move to a new team where he could compete for championships. James had offers on the table to come to play for lots of teams in the league, yet when it came time to answer, he chose to sign with the Miami Heat.

This decision was nationally broadcast and was the only way James broke the news to his former team that he wouldn’t be returning. This was influential to the league because it started an era of creating super teams with multiple stars. Just as significant to the league as James moving to the Heat was Kevin Durant’s famous move to the Warriors after the 2016 season.

Golden State Warriors - 2016

In 2016, the Golden State Warriors, who had won the title the previous season, posted the best regular-season record in NBA history with a total record of 73 wins and nine losses.However, during the playoffs, the team was not able to be as successful, as they fell to the LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in one of the greatest NBA Finals Series ever.The Warriors would go on to raise the trophy in the following two seasons as well, defeating LeBron and the Cavaliers both years.

Highest Viewing Audience - 2017

The NBA is always working on new ways to get their product out for people around the world to see. They are always trying to expand their platform and the game of basketball itself. This has led to an increase in TV ratings, such as in the 2017 NBA Finals, where an average of 20.24 million people watched each game.

Toronto Raptors - 2019

The 2018-2019 season was the first time since 2010 that LeBron James did not make it to the NBA Finals.After playing for the title eight years in a row, LeBron could not take his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers, to the finals after a turbulent season. 2019 was also the first time a team outside the United States won the NBA title, when the underdog Toronto Raptors upset the Golden State Warriors in six games. This was the Raptor’s first-ever NBA title.

COVID-19 Pandemic (NBA Bubble) - 2020

In 2020, the world experienced something it never had before amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with shutting down nearly the entire rest of the world, the pandemic also put a stop to all American professional sports leagues’ seasons. The NBA was the first of many sports leagues to seek a solution to bring its sport back, forming what came to be known as the “NBA Bubble.”

The NBA bubble was a period from June to October 2020 when the NBA operated on the isolated campus of Disney World in Orlando Florida, housing all of its players and staff to quarantine from the general public and the COVID-19 pandemic.They resumed regular season games, held the first NBA Play-in Tournament, and conducted the entire NBA Playoffs while in the bubble. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, emerged victorious as NBA Champions that year, beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals in six games.

LeBron James Breaks Scoring Record - 2023

Timeline of Basketball History (9)

On February 7th, 2023, LeBron James made basketball history by scoring his 38,388th point and becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader in the regular season.He did so with a turnaround jump shot in the third quarter during a contest between his Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. No player in basketball history has scored more points than LeBron. James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points, which had stood for nearly 40 years.

FAQ

Who invented basketball?

James Naismith invented basketballas a game for his gym class that was easy to play, but complex enough to create interest within the athletes.He wanted a game that would provide a lot of exercises, but was not violent like other sports of the time. He combined many elements from other sports, taking passesfrom American rugby, the jump ball from English rugby, and theshape and size of the ball from soccer. He originally created hoops using peach basketsthat he found around the YMCA campus where he worked.

When was basketball established?

Basketball was invented in the winter of 1891.It originally included peach baskets as the hoops, and it used a ball that is drastically different from the ball that is used today. It only took a few weeks for the popularity of the game to soar.After Naismith created the rules for basketball, they wereprinted in a college magazine and sent around the country to different YMCAs.The rules of basketball may have been been changed and added-to over the past 130 years, but the actual game has remained relatively similar to that of the “basket ball” that Naismith created.

When did basketball become popular?

Basketball became popular in the United States around 1905.After Naismith published the rules to the game, high schools and colleges began to create teams and play games. Soon thereafter, in 1905, basketball was officially recognized as an official winter sport.From there, the sport really took off, and it has become one of the most popular sports in the entire world today. Basketball is played in the winter Olympics, and the FIBA tournament has been created as another way to figure out the best countries in the world at basketball.

Which country started basketball?

The sport of basketball was created in the United States, at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.During that time, football and lacrosse were popular sports, but both are hard to play during the winter months in the northeast United States. Because of this, people were trying to think of new games that could be played indoors and with artificial lightthat they had in the gym. After lots of thought and creativity, basketball was created as a sport to play in the winter and an alternative to the injury-inducing sports of football, rugby, and soccer.

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