History Of Basketball And Its Famous Players
Basketball history
Basketball was invented in 1891, when James Naismith (a Presbyterian minister) was invited to have a physical education (PE) class, for the Young Men’s Christian association school in Springfield, Massachusetts (a state that’s close to New York). Because it was winter, he was asked to invent an indoor game in two weeks to keep “unruly” young boys busy and active. When Naismith was trying to invent an indoor game, he remembered a game he used to play at his growing up years in Canada. The name of the game is “Duck on a rock”. Where a large rock placed on a larger stone should be knocked off by throwing many smaller rocks at it. Naismith also remembered rugby players in the gym throwing a ball into the box. So, that’s how he thought of nailing up boxes in which players would try to throw a ball at. But because he couldn’t find the boxes, he stacked peach baskets that were nailed in a Height of 3. 05 meters. First “basketball” was played with peach baskets and soccer balls on December 21, 1891. When a player scored a point, the game would be paused for a few minutes so someone could go to climb up the ladders and get the ball from the peach basket. Then people started getting annoyed about always climbing to take the ball, they started using a wooden dowel (basically a stick) to push the ball out of the basket.
Among 13 rules, there was no dribbling, only passing and the person that was holding the ball had to remain in one place. If the player got the ball while running, he was given some freedom to move and slowly come to a halt. Naismith created with the rule to avoid injuries. The first game was made of 9 players in both teams, 30 minutes of play time and the lone player, who was William R. Chase, scored a point about 25 feet away from the basket. The YMCA (The young men’s Christian Association) graduates traveled widely and the game caught on within 3 years. Naismith’s legacy included players like Forrest Clare “Phog” Allen, who had more wins than any other coach in college basketball history. One of Allen’s best players, Wilt Chamberlain, became a professional basketball superstar, after he scored 100 points on a game in 1962.
The history of basketballs
The very first basketballs were made from pieces of leather stitched together with a rubber bladder inside it. A cloth lining was added later to the leather for support and a nicer look. A modeled version of the first basketball was invented in 1942. The color of the first basketball was brown, but the color of the basketball changed in 1950 to orange, so the fans could see it easier.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan
Michael Jordan was born in February 17, 1963. He is about 198 cm and he weighs 96 kg. He is an American former professional basketball player. He had played about 15 seasons in the NBA (National Basketball Association) for Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. According to his biography site, he is the greatest basketball player of all time. Jordan played three seasons for the coach named Dean Smith in the University of North Carolina. In 1982, as a freshman, he was a member of Tar Heels’ national championship team. Jordan joined The Bulls as the third overall draft pick in 1984.
Wives and kids
Michael Jordan married Juanita Vanoy in 1989. They had three children: Marcus, Jeffrey and Jasmine. They divorced in December 2006.
Michael Jordan’s oldest son, Jeffrey, made the basketball team at the University of Illinois. Michael Jordan and Juanita (His Ex Wife) have supported and helped Jeffrey to deal with playing in the shadow of a Basketball legend.
Net worth
Between Michael Jordan’s six NBA championships, restaurants, stake in the Charlotte Hornets, sponsorship with Nike, and deals with Gatorade, Hanes and Upper deck, Michael’s estimated net worth is more than 1 billion dollars.
LeBron James
LeBron James is an American basketball player with Los Angeles Lakers. He was born in December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio. He is about 203 cm tall. James first garnered national attention as the top high school basketball player in his country.
Wife and kids
LeBron James proposed Savannah Brinson, on January 1, 2012. They married in a private ceremony, with 200 guests in San Diego in September 14, 2013.
LeBron James and Savannah Brinson have two sons and one daughter. Their first son, LeBron Jr, was born in October 2004. On June 2007, Brinson gave birth to their second son, named Bryce Maximus James. Their third child daughter Zhuri James, was born on October 22, 2014.
Net Worth
LeBron James’ net worth was $275 million, in December 2016. He signed many advertisements deals in 2003. One of the deals was with Nike for 90 million dollars, that could get him over 1 billion dollars over his lifetime. He had also done deals with other famous companies like Intel (the company that creates computer stuff) and Coca-Cola (the drink)
Kobe Bean Bryant
Kobe Bryant is a professional basketball player that has won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers while establishing himself as one of basketball’s all-time greats.
