Winter hit North America and the climatic situation prevented students from playing outdoor sports, very popular in the United States, such as baseball or American football. Naismith therefore decided to make a sport suitable for indoor practice, in a gymnasium.
With a pen in hand and a few sheets on the desk, the teacher will spend a night thinking of a design and rules for a new sport, but to no avail. During these long hours of reflection, he threw, at each failure, one of his crumpled sheets of paper into a basket. Gradually, the inspiration is revealed. Why not throw a ball instead of leaves in this basket? Basketball was born!
The very first match, before the development of the fundamental rules of this game, was played between students of the University of Springfield on December 21, 1891 and ended with the score of 1 to 0. It was quickly successful and was promoted by the YMCA, the Young Men’s Christian Association which made it a sport in many American universities.
The decision is made, but some alterations remain to be made. The new game will consist, temporarily, of moving with the ball in hand and scoring points by propelling it into a basket, suspended about 3 meters high. Desiring a sport that combines the pleasant with the useful, physical strength with finesse, James Naismith developed the fundamental rules of basketball as it is still practiced today and therefore created the 13 fundamental rules of basketball.
However, the idea of moving forward by bouncing the ball on the ground will come later. And it was on January 20, 1892 that the first official basketball game in history was played between the students of his class at the YMCA gymnasium in Springfield, Massachusetts. A soccer ball had been used and the fishing baskets had been hung on the balconies of the gymnasium 3 meters above the ground.
Crumpled sheet thrown in a basket… It is without doubt the best ”basket with three points” of all time!
