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Basketball: Its Origin and Development
James Naismith was teaching physical education at the Young Men’s Christian Association Training College in Springfield, Massachusetts, and felt discouraged because calisthenics and gymnastics didn’t engage his students. What was needed was an indoor wintertime game that combined recreation and competition. One evening he worked out the fundamentals of a game that would quickly catch on. Two peach half-bushel baskets gave the name to the brand new sport in late 1891.
Basketball: Its Origin and Development was written by the inventor himself, who was inspired purely by the joy of play. Naismith, born in northern Ontario in 1861, gave up the ministry to preach clean living through sport. He describes Duck on the Rock, a game from his Canadian childhood, the creative reasoning behind his basket game, the eventual refinement of rules and development of equipment, the spread of amateur and professional teams throughout the world, and the growth of women’s basketball (at first banned to male spectators because the players wore bloomers). Naismith lived long enough to see basketball included in the Olympics in 1936. Three years later he died, after nearly forty years as head of the physical education department at the University of Kansas.
Basketball: Its Origin and Development was written by the inventor himself, who was inspired purely by the joy of play. Naismith, born in northern Ontario in 1861, gave up the ministry to preach clean living through sport. He describes Duck on the Rock, a game from his Canadian childhood, the creative reasoning behind his basket game, the eventual refinement of rules and development of equipment, the spread of amateur and professional teams throughout the world, and the growth of women’s basketball (at first banned to male spectators because the players wore bloomers). Naismith lived long enough to see basketball included in the Olympics in 1936. Three years later he died, after nearly forty years as head of the physical education department at the University of Kansas.
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 1940
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 18, 2025
An exceptionally dry and boring book and I love basketball.
January 15, 2024
This book was written by the creator of basketball, James Naismith. Naismith was a physical education teacher in 1891 at the International Young Men’s Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) Training School, at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. The school wanted to wanted to create a game that would be easy to learn and easy to play indoors in the winter months, Naismith came up with the new indoor sport which gained interest almost immediately.
The original ball used was a soccer ball and peach baskets, and there were 9 players on each time. A girls’ team was also formed from some of the female students who wished to play the game.
The game received the name "Basketball" after the ball and baskets used for the game. The rules were published in the school newspaper, the "Triangle" and the paper went to other branches of the Y.M.C.A. all over the country and soon they too were quickly adapting the game. Soon after, other athletic clubs accepted it. Changes in the game were adapted as it became more popular.
The soccer ball was used for the game for the first two years. In 1894, a larger ball was adopted, made by the bicycle manufacturer, Overman Wheel Company, in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. Peach baskets were replaced by cylindrical wire baskets. Then by 1893, corn baskets which had an iron rim and were similar to what is used today were made by the Narragansett Machine Company of Providence, Rhode Island.
The adaption of basketball spread to companies, the Native American Indians, religious organizations and even the military adopted the game. During the war of 1914, when troops were overseas, other countries would see Americans playing basketball and take an interest in learning it so they could play it amongst themselves. Canada took longer to adapt to the game as it was accustomed to outdoor winter sports, so initially it did not feel a need for an indoor winter game.
The game also became popular with women. Women’s basketball became popular overseas as well. By 1936, basketball was introduced to the Berlin, Germany Olympic Games.
This book gives details on the development of basketball and I enjoyed learning its history.
The original ball used was a soccer ball and peach baskets, and there were 9 players on each time. A girls’ team was also formed from some of the female students who wished to play the game.
The game received the name "Basketball" after the ball and baskets used for the game. The rules were published in the school newspaper, the "Triangle" and the paper went to other branches of the Y.M.C.A. all over the country and soon they too were quickly adapting the game. Soon after, other athletic clubs accepted it. Changes in the game were adapted as it became more popular.
The soccer ball was used for the game for the first two years. In 1894, a larger ball was adopted, made by the bicycle manufacturer, Overman Wheel Company, in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. Peach baskets were replaced by cylindrical wire baskets. Then by 1893, corn baskets which had an iron rim and were similar to what is used today were made by the Narragansett Machine Company of Providence, Rhode Island.
The adaption of basketball spread to companies, the Native American Indians, religious organizations and even the military adopted the game. During the war of 1914, when troops were overseas, other countries would see Americans playing basketball and take an interest in learning it so they could play it amongst themselves. Canada took longer to adapt to the game as it was accustomed to outdoor winter sports, so initially it did not feel a need for an indoor winter game.
The game also became popular with women. Women’s basketball became popular overseas as well. By 1936, basketball was introduced to the Berlin, Germany Olympic Games.
This book gives details on the development of basketball and I enjoyed learning its history.
January 19, 2021
The first part is really interesting. Here, Naismith explains how the game of basketball was invented, how the rules were set and changed. Etc.
After that, the book becomes less interesting and more of a lesson in self-adulation. How the sport that the author had invented conquered the globe. Like any other sport, it spread via schools, independent teams, social and individuals. With globalism comes internationalism and the game is free to move through the world. It’s a simple story, told in a grandfatherly manner by Naismith. In my opinion the author makes a bit much of too little in the second half of the book.
Still, some interesting information, especially regarding the origins and major early changes of the game.
After that, the book becomes less interesting and more of a lesson in self-adulation. How the sport that the author had invented conquered the globe. Like any other sport, it spread via schools, independent teams, social and individuals. With globalism comes internationalism and the game is free to move through the world. It’s a simple story, told in a grandfatherly manner by Naismith. In my opinion the author makes a bit much of too little in the second half of the book.
Still, some interesting information, especially regarding the origins and major early changes of the game.
December 7, 2022
What could be a better source of info regarding the beginnings of basketball than a book written by the game's inventor himself?! This relatively short book tells the interesting story of Naismith's creation of the game of basketball, the first rules, the first boys who played it, and then the rapid spread around the world. Naismith wrote this about 40 years after he invented the game, and in that interval the game had spread around the world through YMCAs, schools, churches, etc. His writing about the spread of the game gets a little tedious (he tries to quantify the spread of the game), but the way he writes about his brainstorming that led to the game is very interesting.
October 18, 2020
The early development of the game is particularly good, but the middle, spread of the game worldwide comes across as a bit self-aggrandising (even if that is not Naismith's intent). And there is quite a bit of information that would be of interest to a researcher, but not necessarily to a casual reader.
September 3, 2026
If you enjoyed this book's deep dive into basketball history, you might also like a podcast episode featuring Mārtiņš Lauva - it offers thoughtful interviews and tactical breakdowns that complement the book's themes. It gave me fresh perspectives on the evolution of playing styles and coaching that I hadn't considered before.
February 26, 2024
Pretty awesome read. Was amazed to learn of the roots of basketball.
I would be intrigued to learn more of Naismith's life. To be an inventor of a new game, now that's an idea worth pondering...
I would be intrigued to learn more of Naismith's life. To be an inventor of a new game, now that's an idea worth pondering...
November 29, 2016
Jakore Harmon
11/27/16
Pd.5
Square: GOOOOOAL!
Title: BasketBall, Its Origin and Development
Author: James Naismith
Pages: 192
Genre: Sports
Rating: Alright book because some of it was good and some of it was bad.
Rating Explanation: I chose that rating because I didn’t like it but it was interesting.
Recommendation: I recommend people who like basketball to read this book to learn more about the history of it.
Book Analysis:
This book is about the history of Basketball. James Naismith was born on November 6, 1861. He was a Canadian gym teacher and sports coach. He invented the sport of basketball in 1891. The first basketball game took place December of 1891. He wrote the rules of the game. There were originally 13 rules. By 1892 the game became very popular. They originally called it “Naismith ball” but he changed it to Basketball in 1893. He developed it while teaching at the Y.M.C.A in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1898 James moved to Kansas. He became the athletic director for the Jayhawks.
In several chapters of the book, he talked about the rules he made. He started off discussing how to pass, and where on the court to move. Then he talked about how many fouls you could have in a game and how much points each basket was worth. The author talked about uniforms, the ball, goal, and backboard. There were five positions. Two Backs, two Forwards, and a Center. Then he finally added the “free throw” in the game. The game had two quarters and each quarter was 15 minutes long. In 1914, the game spread to Europe, even though they were as into it like China and Japan were. Basketball was introduced to South America in 1896 by a missionary stationed in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
By 1906, there were enough colleges in the east to play the game of Basketball. The game grew even more. In 1935, The National Basketball Association was started in the U.S by Forrest Allen. The NBA joined the 1936 olympics for Basketball. The United States won gold, Canada won silver, and Mexico won bronze. At the Olympics, Naismith was named the honorary president of the International Basketball Federation. Naismith became Professor Emeritus in Kansas and he retired in 1937 at the age of 76. The entire time Naismith was at the school, he served for a total of 40 years. Naismith died in 1939.
11/27/16
Pd.5
Square: GOOOOOAL!
Title: BasketBall, Its Origin and Development
Author: James Naismith
Pages: 192
Genre: Sports
Rating: Alright book because some of it was good and some of it was bad.
Rating Explanation: I chose that rating because I didn’t like it but it was interesting.
Recommendation: I recommend people who like basketball to read this book to learn more about the history of it.
Book Analysis:
This book is about the history of Basketball. James Naismith was born on November 6, 1861. He was a Canadian gym teacher and sports coach. He invented the sport of basketball in 1891. The first basketball game took place December of 1891. He wrote the rules of the game. There were originally 13 rules. By 1892 the game became very popular. They originally called it “Naismith ball” but he changed it to Basketball in 1893. He developed it while teaching at the Y.M.C.A in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1898 James moved to Kansas. He became the athletic director for the Jayhawks.
In several chapters of the book, he talked about the rules he made. He started off discussing how to pass, and where on the court to move. Then he talked about how many fouls you could have in a game and how much points each basket was worth. The author talked about uniforms, the ball, goal, and backboard. There were five positions. Two Backs, two Forwards, and a Center. Then he finally added the “free throw” in the game. The game had two quarters and each quarter was 15 minutes long. In 1914, the game spread to Europe, even though they were as into it like China and Japan were. Basketball was introduced to South America in 1896 by a missionary stationed in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
By 1906, there were enough colleges in the east to play the game of Basketball. The game grew even more. In 1935, The National Basketball Association was started in the U.S by Forrest Allen. The NBA joined the 1936 olympics for Basketball. The United States won gold, Canada won silver, and Mexico won bronze. At the Olympics, Naismith was named the honorary president of the International Basketball Federation. Naismith became Professor Emeritus in Kansas and he retired in 1937 at the age of 76. The entire time Naismith was at the school, he served for a total of 40 years. Naismith died in 1939.
May 8, 2013
A nice book written by the originator of "basket ball." His voice is quaint and the book contains many stories anyone with an interest in the game and/or history will appreciate.
October 29, 2012
I think this book is very good, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes athletics and books.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews