Basketball is more than the slam-dunks shown on television
sports shows. It is a sport of agility and endurance that
develops hand-eye coordination among its participants. At its
essence, basketball requires only a basket, a ball, and at least
two players. The simplicity of the sport is credited to Dr.
James Naismith, who invented basketball in 1891 by nailing two
peach baskets to the balconies on opposite ends of a YMCA gym in
Springfield, Massachusetts. Since then, basketball has overtaken
baseball as the unofficial American pastime. In 2001, more than
28 million Americans participated in basketball, which is more
than any other team sport, according to the National Sporting
Goods Association (NSGA). Internationally, more than 300 million
people participate in basketball worldwide, according to the
International Federation of Basketball (FIBA). In this article,
you'll learn about the equipment used to play a basketball game,
how players score points, and the rules that players must
follow. You will also lea