Facts About Basketball

Facts about Basketball

• Slam dunks were illegal for almost nine years.
• Air Jordan 1 shoes were banned by the National Basketball Association (NBA).
• Cal Hubbard is the only member of the football and basketball Hall of Fame.
• The players’ positions in a basketball game are Point guard, Shooting guard, Small forward, Power forward, and Center.
•  Wang Zhizhi was the first Chinese player to compete in the NBA.
• The first Olympic basketball tournament was held in 1904.
• The men’s basketball competition has been on the program every year since 1936.
• Women’s basketball was officially added as an Olympic medal sport during the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics.
• Muggsy Bogues was the shortest basketball player.
• The American Basketball League (ABL) was the first organized professional basketball league to use the three-point line in 1961.
• The NBA and the Blythefield Basketball Association (BAA) were two different basketball associations in 1949.
• Contrary to their name, the Harlem Globetrotters were not from Harlem, New York. Their origins stem from Chicago, Illinois.
• The highest-scoring NBA game ended with a score of 186-184.
• Coach Frank W. Keaney holds the credit for the concept of “fast break” in basketball.
• The first “hoops” were just peach baskets and the first backboards were made of wire.

• Adidas manufactures all the NBA uniforms.
• Michael Jordan, a basketball player, is one of the most famous sportsmen on the planet.
• Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan were the tallest basketball players.
• The first backboards were made of wire.
• The longest game in NBA history lasted 78 minutes and had 6 overtimes.
• Many members terminated their YMCA memberships when basketball got outlawed.
• One of the most superstitious basketball players was Jason Terry.
• Basketball is played with a ball and a hoop.
• Olympic decathlete Bruce Jenner (now Caitlin) was drafted in the 7th round of the 1977 NBA draft by the Kansas City Kings.
• On March 2, 1962, Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in one game against New York.
• Sun Ming Ming is the tallest NBA player ever at 7 ft 9 in.
• The average distance an NBA player runs per game is around 2.5 miles. 
• Adolph Rupp introduced the concept of pressure defense in basketball.
• Until 1929 the game of basketball was played with a soccer ball. 

• Basketball was first played on December 21, 1891.
• The 2nd era of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dawned in 1964.
• Basketball helped boost the membership of YMCAs.
• The shot clock was invented by Danny Biasone.
• In 1997, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) held its inaugural season with 8 teams.
• The first college to play basketball was Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
• The average NBA player can jump about 28 inches off the ground.
• NBA rules state that the cord basketball net should not be less than 30 threads and not more than 120 threads.
• Wilt Chamberlain has the most one player has ever scored in one game.
• As per NBA rules, a minimum of nine balls must be provided for each team for pre-game warmups.
• Clara Baer influenced women’s basketball when she accidentally made her own set of rules.
•  The official rim height for NBA, WNBA, International Basketball Federation (FIBA), and NCAA courts is 10 ft or 3.05 meters.
• The first NBA national television contract was signed during the 1953-1954 season between the NBA and Dumont Television Network.
• Michael Jordan retired in January 1999 but returned to the league in 2001, and has scored more points (5,987) in the playoffs than any other player.
• The biggest margin of a win in basketball games is 148-80.

• When a team shoots the ball into the basket points are earned.
• The Boston Celtics have won the most NBA championships (17), including seven straight from 1960 to 1966.
• The average NBA player weighs 220 pounds.
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played 20 seasons in the NBA, holds the record for most points scored in a career with 38,387.
• “Bloomer suits” refer to the first women’s basketball uniforms.
• The official size for women’s competitive basketball is size 6, with a circumference of 28.5 in or 72 cm.
• The world record for the highest basketball shot is 415 feet high.
• Up until 1906, there wasn’t a hole in the basket to let the ball pass through. Someone had to climb a ladder and retrieve it every time a team scored!
• The first brand to market basketball shoes was Converse’s authentic Chuck Taylor All-Stars.
• Dribbling was not allowed in basketball until 1901. 
• Before dribbling was allowed, players weren’t able to advance with the ball; they had to throw it over without moving.
• Basketball is the national sport of Lithuania.
• Gene Conley was the only player to win an NBA championship and a World Series.
• Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith.
• The shortest NBA player ever was only 5’3’ tall.

• The American Basketball League (ABL) was the first organized professional basketball league to use the three-point line in 1961
• The Chicago Bulls have won all six NBA Finals in which they’ve appeared.
• In 1944, 7-foot Bob Kurland of Oklahoma A&M was pinned in under the net and had no choice but to jump up and stuff the ball in.
• The official NBA court length is 94 ft compared to 91.86 ft for FIBA courts. 
• The court width is 50 ft for NBA courts and 49.21 ft for FIBA courts.
• Canada was the first country to play basketball outside of the U.S.
• In 2013, the NBA experimented with adding sleeves to their jerseys, making them look similar to t-shirts. 
• The first Chinese player to compete in the NBA was Wang Zhizhi.
• Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan hails as the richest basketball player ever.
• To shoot the ball, a player must snap the wrist in a downward waving motion.
• A basketball team consists of five players.
• In International Basketball Federation rules, the court surface should be around 28 by 15 meters.
• Coach Paul Westhead is the first coach to win championships in both the NBA (Los Angeles Lakers) and the WNBA (Phoenix Mercury).
• Kobe Bryant was the youngest player to start an NBA game at 17.
• Basketball first became an official Olympics event during the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics.

• The infamous NBA logo features the silhouette of Jerry West.
• Karl Malone holds the record for free throws.
• The average height of all NBA players is just under 67 inches.
• The first basketball game in Europe was arranged by Mel Rideout in Paris.
• Learning how to spin the ball well first helps when trying to spin the ball on a finger.
• Jeremy Lin held the record for the highest points scored in the New York Knicks first 3 games.
• Some basketball rules came from a children’s game called “Duck on a Rock.”
• The official rim height for NBA, WNBA, FIBA, and NCAA courts is 10 ft or 3.05 meters.
• Women’s basketball was added in 1976. 
• Michael Jordan has scored more playoff points than anyone else.
• Current Atlanta Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens has won more basketball games than any other coach.
• The official basketball size for men’s competitive basketball is size 7, having a circumference of 29.5 in or 75 cm.
• In 1985, the NCAA Rules Committee installed a 45-second shot clock.
• Hank Luisetti was the first to use the one-hand shot.
• The traditional basketball jersey consists of a sleeveless jersey and shorts.

• Basketball is the only major sport that originated strictly from the U.S.
• A warm basketball is bouncier than a cold one.
• All NBA floors are made from hard maple (Acer saccharum) from board cut 3/4ths of an inch thick. 
• The official FIBA court dimensions are smaller than that of the NBA.
• The most Olympic gold medals won goes to the women’s USA basketball team having won 9 gold medals from 1984-2020. 
• The steel rim of the basket has a diameter of 18 inches and is 10 feet high.
• Basketball rules changed a lot to keep tall players from having unfair advantages.
• There have been two women drafted in the NBA.
• The first woman to be drafted in the NBA was Denise Long, who was drafted in the 13th round by the San Francisco Warriors.
• The second woman drafted in the NBA was Luisa Harris, who was drafted by the New Orleans Jazz as the 137th overall draft pick.
• The game of basketball was way shorter; it comprised two fifteen-minute halves with a 5-minute break in between.
• Television greatly influenced the growth of college basketball.
• Chuck Cooper, Nat Clifton, and Earl Lloyd were the first African-American NBA players.
• The Middle Atlantic and New England states developed professional basketball games first.
• The tallest basketball player recorded in history was 7 feet 9 inches tall.