SPORT: Basketball
July 12, 2008 – 11:18 pm
History of Basketball
James Naismith is known as the creator and father of basketball sport. Naismith, born in Canada in 1861, is the inventor of basketball. The story of his is very interesting, he tried to find a way to make children spend the time happily without being bored, he found a time passing activity that can be done indoors and in small areas, and this activity required players, a basket and ball. The basket used in the game was used for peach picking previously, the materials were just simple but they made the first steps of this great game. The main goal was shooting the ball into the basket from anywhere of the game area. Later, James Naismith developed the game and he set up 13 main rules. These rules were about period times, players, propelling the ball, shooting, scoring and some other major issues. The name “basketball” was given to this sport by Naismith emphasizing two major materials: basket and ball.
Naismith tried to find a local game for his students, but with time, it became so popular that in every school, college, and sport centers it was played and became the official sport of United States. New clubs were established, many new teams started to play basketball.
Basic Regulations of Basketball
Basic time and measurement regulations are decided by FIBA. Generally the game covers four quarters of 10 minutes, there is 15 minutes half time break, and other short breaks are 2 minutes. There are five players of each team, and there is no substitute player limitation. Referee and the table officials control the game. A basketball court is in the standard sizes, the court is 28 by 15 meters.
Positions of the players are different; they are named as center, small forward, power forward, point and shooting guard.
FIBA
FIBA is the abbreviation form of Fédération Internationale de Basketball meaning International Basketball Federation. The federation holds international basketball games, it also sets up international rules, regulations, player transfers are controlled by FIBA and it also controls referees. FIBA was founded in 1932 and now it has many related associations around the world.
NBA
The United States is the place where basketball was born and NBA is the official basketball league of North America. It is a professional organization which is also a participant of FIBA. There are many teams of Canada and the USA in NBA. It was founded in 1946, it was closed, reopened, some teams left, some others joined and it became one of the most popular basketball leagues around the world. It is still quite important; many star players come from this organization, being a player in NBA shows the quality of the player. The league has two seasons, one regular season and the other is playoffs. There are millions of people who follow NBA leagues closely around the world.
The latest NBA champion is Boston Celtics team; it is an American team and it has seventeen championships. Lastly, Boston Celtics is the champion of the year 2008.