Fun Facts About Basketball and the NBA You Never Knew

Basketball remains one of the most popular sports in th US, among both fans and bettors alike. The average NBA game on ESPN regularly draws in more than two million TV viewers, for example, while you can access a huge selection of betting lines and markets at the top daily fantasy sites.

Of course, the NBA has existed since 1946, while the sport of basketball has been played for well over 100 years. During these timeframes, the sport has thrown up some incredibly interesting facts and statistics, which highlight just how far basketball has evolved throughout the generations. But what are some of the more fun facts about basketball and its history?

• Interesting Facts About Basketball and its Origins
• Cool Facts About Basketball and the First Ever Game
• Interesting Facts About the NBA – Highlighting the Evolution of the Sport
• The Last Word – Exploring Basketball’s History Through Facts and Figures

Interesting Facts About Basketball and its Origins

Basketball has a rich heritage, with a rudimentary version of the game first played around 134 years ago in the US. However, the sport looked very different around this time, while the nature and pace of gameplay varied significantly too. Here are some fun facts about basketball from around this time.

Basketball was Invented by a PE Teacher in 1891

In 1891, a physical education instructor was given the task of keeping his students active and fit during the cold, winter months. This was proving to be a difficult challenge in the town of Springfield, Massachusetts, and Dr. James Naismith ultimately came up with an incredibly rudimentary form of basketball.

Played with nothing but a soccer ball and two peach baskets, this indoor game became incredibly popular among students at Naismith’s local YMCA. The sport was borne out of a desire to create a non-violent and non-contact game that could be played easily indoors, without requiring significant equipment or brute strength.

Yes, the First Basketball Hoop was a Peach Basket

If you’re wondering what role two peach baskets played in the first ever iteration of basketball, they were actually used as hoops. In fact, the baskets were nailed to the gym balcony to provide a target for players and dictate scoring. However, as these baskets had no holes in the bottom, one of the players would have to climb up and retrieve the ball after each score!

Of course, this was unsustainable as the sport became more popular and widely played, especially once teams started playing on a competitive basis. So, it wasn’t long before more standard basketball nets with a hole in the bottom were designed and used universally.

Basketball was Initially Played with Just Nine Players per Team

If you’ve ever counted heads during a modern NBA game, you’ll see that a maximum of five players per team are on-court at any given time. In total, franchises are allowed to name 12 players in their matchday squads, allowing for ample rotation during the four quarters.

However, the rules of the early sport allowed teams to field up to nine players in their starting lineup. This was directly linked to basketball’s origins, as Naismith had a class of 18 students that he needed to divide equally into two competing sides.

The rules quickly evolved as the sport became more popular, however. In fact, by 1897 (just six years after Naismith initially conceived of the game) teams had adopted the same five-on-five format that remains to this day. This created more room on the court and allowed more skillful players to thrive.

Cool Facts About Basketball and the First Ever Game

Other interesting facts about basketball revolve around the first set of rules and the inaugural game played by opposing teams. Obviously, Dr. James Naismith conceived the first ever rules to govern a basketball game, as his nine-man teams did battle in a simple YMCA gymnasium.

The First Basketball Match Featured Only 13 Rules

Naismith’s vision of basketball arguably resulted in a much simpler and more basic version of the game. In fact, it’s one of the more fun facts about basketball that his initial rulebook featured just 13 stipulations for players to follow, some of which have remained to form the backbone of the sport that we all know and love today.

However, perhaps the most interesting of these rules is one that no longer applies to the sport and the NBA. This is because Naismith outlawed dribbling when he first committed to the invention of basketball, creating a much more static and less athletic game.

This may have much to do with the fact that the court was packed with more players, minimizing space and requiring participants to instead focus on passing and shooting. Of course, dribbling is now one of the most important and entertaining skills in the NBA, and it certainly contributes to a more enjoyable spectacle.

Naimsmith’s version of basketball also featured a simpler scoring system. For example, there was no three-point line or delineation between different types of scoring, with every successful basket worth just a single point. In today’s game, three-pointers have become a thrilling staple of the sport and often go a long way towards deciding matches.

The First Ever Basketball Game Finished 1-0

The highest scoring NBA game took place on December 13th, 1983, when the Detroit Pistons defeated the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in an epic encounter. This equates to a combined points total of 370, while the match itself featured three separate periods of overtime.

This type of high-scoring encounter was a world away from the first ever basketball game, however. Featuring Naismith’s two nine-men teams as they did battle at the YMCA gymnasium in Albany, New York, the game took place on January 20th, 1892 and finished with the incredible scoreline of just 1-0.

The winning shot was made from 25 feet (7.6 metres), on a court that was approximately half the size of those used currently in the NBA. Low scoring encounters were commonplace as the game evolved, at least until the invention of dribbling and further rule changed that aided offensive plays.

The fact that hoops were small and compact peach baskets hardly helped either, especially given that every score would result in a sizeable delay as the ball was recovered. Still, the fact that the first ever game finished with a soccer scoreline remains one of the cool facts about basketball and its origins.

Interesting Facts About the NBA – Highlighting the Evolution of the Sport

Given that the conception of the NBA revolutionized the sport, it makes sense that many of the most interesting facts about basketball relate to the post-war period. But what cool facts about basketball can be drawn from the NBA period, and what do they tell us about the evolution of the game?

The NBA was Founded in 1946

The NBA (or National Basketball Association) is now revered as the world’s most famous and prestigious professional basketball league. This was founded in New York City in 1946 and immediately after World War II, initially comprising two governing bodies in the form of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL).

These entities merged to create the modern-day NBA three years later in 1949. The initial NBA league campaign featured just 11 franchises, while the competition’s first ever game was contested by the New York Knicks and the Toronto Huskies on November 1st, 1964. The Nicks defeated the Huskies by the narrow scoreline of 68-66.

Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-Point Game Remains a Timeless NBA Record

Although the history of basketball and the NBA has seen the average number of points scored per game rise incrementally over time, one scoring record from the 1960s remains untouched. On March 2nd, 1962, the legendary center Wilt Chamberlain notched an incredible 100 points in a single game for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks.

This came during a 169-147 win for the Warriors, and remains arguably the single most impressive and untouchable NBA record of all-time. Chamberlain broke a number of NBA records during this game, including the most free throws made in a single match. He managed to make 28 despite this being the weakest part of his game.

Across the whole of the season, Chamberlain also averaged a single-campaign record of 50.4 points-per-game (PPG). He’s also one of the few NBA players to average more than 30.0 PPG over the course of his career, while his total points’ tally of 31,419 in 1,045 games makes him the league’s seventh-highest scorer.

No player has come close to breaking this record, despite the increasingly high-scoring nature of the sport and NBA. The late Kobe Bryant came the closest on January 22nd, 2006, when he registered an impressive 81 points for the Lakers in a 122-104 win over the Toronto Raptors.

The Tallest and the Shortest Ever NBA Players Both Played for the Same Team

While the NBA is synonymous with tall men and basketball players, a diverse range of heights are actually represented in the league. It’s not unusual for point guards to measure well under six-foot, for example, whereas centers and power forwards regularly tip the seven-foot mark.

However, one of the more interesting facts about basketball is that the shortest and tallest players ever to ply their trade in the NBA actually lined up for the same team. The players in question were Muggsy Bogues and Manute Bol, who were separated by a staggering height difference of two-feet and four inches.

Bogues measured just 5’3” and once went through the legs of an opponent, but his skill and speed across the court made him a highly competitive player. In the 1987 season, he lined up alongside Manute Bol for the Washinton Bullets, with the Sudan center towering over his teammate at an imposing 7’7’’.

The sight of this pair on the same team made for interesting viewing, and highlighted the diversity of the different roles to be filled on the same NBA teams. Interestingly, former NBA Gheorghe Muresan also measured 7’7’’ and played at centre, so he shares an interesting record with Bol.

The Last Word – Exploring Basketball’s History Through Facts and Figures

There were other facts that we had to omit from our list, including the assertion that Air Jordan’s were banned from the NBA last year. However, although specific pairs have been prohibited due to issues with design and compliance, the word ‘ban’ is a little misleading as they can do little to stop players from wearing them (other than issuing fines).

What we like about these interesting facts is that they tell us a great deal about the sport and its evolution. From its humble origins and the first rudimentary iteration of the game to the modern-day NBA, we can learn more about basketball and why it’s one of the most popular sports in the world.

We can also see that some things never change, however, with Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point single-game haul unlikely to ever be beaten without further rule changes. Short and tall players continue to ply their trade in the NBA too, performing different roles on their respective teams!