Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, usually consisting of five players, battle on a rectangular court. The main goal is to shoot the ball through the defender's hoop. If a field goal is made from behind the three-point line, it is for three points; otherwise, it is worth two.
Timed play is stopped after a foul, and the player who was fouled or chosen to shoot a technical foul is awarded one, two, or three one-point free throws. The team with the most points at the end of regulation play wins; however, overtime must be played if the score is tied after regulation play.
James Naismith created a brand-new game in December 1891. In it, players pass the ball to one another and attempt to score points by putting it into a wall-mounted basket. Naismith wrote the basic directions and attached a fruit basket on a raised track. When Naismith first created the peach basket with its bottom intact, the ball had to be manually removed following each "basket" or point gained.
Early supporters of basketball spread to YMCAs across the country, and the sport quickly grew throughout the US and Canada. By 1895, it was well-established at several women's high schools.
Founded in 1898, the National Basketball League was the first professional league to promote a less violent game and shield players from fraud. The league was only around for five years.
There were hundreds of men's professional basketball teams in American towns and cities, but the professional game had no organization. The American Basketball Association (BAA) was established in 1946. On November 1, 1946, the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knickerbockers played their first match in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
You beat your opponent in this game by throwing the ball through the opponent's basket from above while stopping them from doing it on their own. One can be awarded a point when attempting a shot from the foul line following a foul.
Four quarters of 10 or 12 minutes each are used to play games. Each team may have up to five players on the floor at once. Substitutions are not limited but can only be made while play is stopped. A coach can call for a certain number of timeouts or clock stoppages so the players can have a quick meeting.
The standard uniform for the men's and women's teams is a jersey with a unique team number printed on the front and back that can be seen clearly against a pair of shorts. The ball and the court, which consists of two rectangular baskets at opposite ends of a flat surface, are the only two pieces of equipment needed to play basketball.