Welcome
Welcome to The Basketball Zone
Basketball is a popular past-time that
has captured the hearts of
people from all walks of life. with humble beginnings as a way to get
students into shape it has evolved into one of the top premier sports
of all time.
Professional
Basketball History
by Nicky Pilkington
The first official basketball history would
be
at YMCA in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1896. It was the fallout of a
dispute between members of the YMCA team and a YMCA official, resulting
in a professional team, playing for money. 2 years later, the National
Basketball League was founded.
In the 2oth century, the top
professional teams were the Buffalo Germans and the Original Celtics.
The first major national professional league was the American
Basketball League.
In the 30s, the most successful teams were
the New York Renaissance and Harlem Globetrotters. Both of these teams
consisted of all-black players.
In the 40s, the game was
monopolized by the Minneapolis Lakers, led by George Mikan and coached
by John Kundla. This team won 5 NBA championships in the decade.
Come
the 50s, guard Bob Cousy and forward Bob Pettit were celebrated
players. From 1957 to 1969, The Celtics won 11 NBA titles, 6 of them
led by Bill Russell.
From 1963 to 1975, the UCLA team won ten
national championships. Star players during this period were center
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, center Bill Walton, guard Gail Goodrich, forward
Jamaal Wilkes, and forward Marques Johnson. Abdul-Jabbar made history
by becoming the leading scorer with 38,387 points in his career.
In the 80s, basketball was dominated by the Detroit Pistons with Isiah
Thomas and Dennis Rodman.
And
most recently, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls are the highlights
of the 90s, with the Bulls winning 6 NBA titles. Star players in this
period were Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, David
Robinson, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Shaquille O'Neal. And the
women star players were Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Teresa Edwards,
Lisa Leslie, and Jennifer Azzi.
Women basketball has also
undergone some changes throughout the years. In 1966, dribbling was
legalized in play. 3 years later, a 5-player full court format was
introduced. In 1984, women officials (coaches, players) were admitted
in the basketball hall-of-fame. Some of these famous women who obtained
recognition for their skills and expertise were Ann Meyers, Carol
Blazejowski, Cheryl Miller; Anne Donovan and Nancy Lieberman-Cline.
The
NBA's rival was the American Basketball Association (ABA) and its
trademark red, white, and blue basketballs. The best player for ABA was
Julius Erving. ABA was dissolved in 1976.
The passing of years
have seen the rise and fall of many teams and players. Without a doubt,
all the players strive to do their best to be immortalized as the
champions of the decade.
Article Source: http://www.my-articles.com
The Origins of Basketball
The origins of the game of basketball can be
traced back to a
gentleman by the name of Dr. James Naismith. In 1861, Naismith
was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada. During his early school
days, Naismith would play a game called duck on a rock whereby
the child would endeavor to knock the duck off the top of the
rock with a toss of another rock.
Later on, Naismith would go on to McGill University in Montreal
and would later become McGill
University’s Athletic Director.
He
would subsequently move on to YMCA Training School in
Springfield, Massachusetts and in 1891, the game of basketball
began.
Given the cold Massachusetts winters, Naismith needed to find a
recreational activity that could be played indoors and he
preferred a sport that would develop skill and one that was not
exclusively relying on strength. The first game was played with
two peach baskets for goals and a soccer ball.
Further to his credit, Naismith became a medical doctor
specializing in sports physiology and a Presbyterian minister.
Naismith was able to see his beloved sport of basketball, gain
acceptance in numerous countries through the YMCA since 1893. As
well, the sport of basketball was brought forth at the Berlin
Olympics in 1936. As we speak, the game of basketball has become
a very popular sport.
Catherine Kenyeres is a freelance writer and publisher
for
http://www.best-4u-tickets.com
Catherine has written numerous articles for the sports enthusiast.
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