In what year was basketball invented?

James Naismith, a professor of physical education at Springfield (Massachusetts) College in the late 19th century, wanted to create a new game that could be played indoors to avoid rain and typically cold New England winters. Naismith laid down basic rules of passing a ball and shooting it into a peach basket mounted on a wall. Initially the basket had its bottom intact; that meant manually retrieving the ball after each point or 'basket'. That quickly proved tedious, so Naismith removed the bottom from the basket. Also, basketball was first all passing; dribbling became common by 1896 with double dribbling (touching ball with 2 hands) made illegal in 1898. By 1906 metal hoops with nets against a backboard replaced the peach baskets, which is why 'hoops' is a common nickname.

The first official hoops game for spectators occurred in the Albany, New York, YMCA in 1892, on a gym floor half the size of National Basketball Association (NBA) regulation, with only one basket scored.

The University of Oregon Webfoots (today Ducks) captured the first National Collegiate Athletic Association title in 1939, beating Ohio State 46-33.

The first full professional hoops circuit was the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1947, later renamed the NBA in 1950. The Chicago Stags beat the Philadelphia Warriors 4-2 for the first title. The then-Minnesota Lakers won the last BAA title 4-2 over the Washington Capitals, then the first NBA title 4-2 over the Syracuse Nationals.