The History of Basketball: From the YMCA to the NBA

Ever wonder how your favorite sport was created?

James Naismith was a Physical Director and instructor at the International YMCA Training School (later renamed Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts.

His main job at the school was to organize sports for the students to play.

A lot of the activities they participated in were outdoor sports, such as soccer, lacrosse, and football.

However, the school’s physical education director, Dr. Luther Gulick, felt that they needed to use the gym more and needed an activity to do indoors during the winter months.

So, he tasked Naismith with inventing a game that met those requirements.