The history of Basketball Basketball was invented in December 1891 by the Canadian-American educator James Naismith. Naismith invented the game on the request of his superior, Dr Luther H. Gulick, that he organize an activity suitable for indoor winter play. The game used elements of football, soccer, and hockey, and the first ball used was a soccer ball. Teams had nine players, and the goals were wooden peach baskets fixed on the walls. By 1897-1898, teams of five became standard. The game rapidly spread nationwide and to Canada and other parts of the world, played by both men and women; it also became a popular informal outdoor game. US soldiers and officers in World War II popularized the sport in many other countries. Many US colleges adopted the game between about 1893 and 1895. In 1934 college games were staged in New York City’s Madison Square Garden for the first time, and the college basketball began to attract much attention. By the 1950s it had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball. The first professional basketball league, the National League, was formed in 1898 to protect players from exploitation( 剥削) and to promote a less rough game. One of the first and greatest professional teams was the Original Celtics, organized around 1915 in New York City. They played as many as 150 games a season and dominated basketball in the 1920s. The Harlem Globetrotters, an exhibition team, was founded in 1927 and achieved wide popularity for its players’ amusing court antics( 滑稽的动作) . By the 1960s professional teams from coast to coast played before crowds of millions annually. Since the 1980s the NBA has become one of the most popular sports organizations in the world.