History of Basketball

The roots of basketball are firmly embedded in Canada. In 1891 the game was invented by Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian who hailed from Almonte, Ontario.

Having been given the task of creating a new indoor sports activity while conducting a physical education class at the international YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts, Naismith designed what we now call basketball. The original game involved 13 rules and a peach basket hung ten feet above the floor. Even though it took place in the United States, at least ten of the players who participated in the first-ever game were university students from Quebec.

The 13 original rules.
1. The ball can be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.

2. The ball can be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but 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.

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, striking or tripping an opponent.

6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist.

7. If a side makes three consecutive fouls it counts a goal for the opponents.

8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays there.

9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it.

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.

11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and decide when it is in play in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time.

12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves with a five minute rest between.

13.The side scoring the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner.

Basketball played by school and local amateur teams has been part of the Canadian sports scene since the turn of the century. Hoops teams representing Canada have participated in Olympic Games since 1936 and in the World Championships since 1954.

One of the most storied amateur teams in Canadian basketball history is the Edmonton Commercial Graduates (Grad's), a group of Canadian women who dominated the sport in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Over 25 years, the Grad's played 522 games at home and abroad, against both women's and men's teams. The Grad's accomplished a record-breaking winning streak of 147 games and throughout their basketball tenure won a remarkable 502 times.

The National Basketball Association also has origins in Canada. The NBA's first game was played in Toronto over fifty years ago, on November 1, 1946 when the New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68-66 at Maple Leaf Gardens. The teams were part of the Basketball Association of America, the forerunner to the NBA