1. James Naismith
Basketball was invented in December 1891 by a Canadian-American named James Naismith.
Born in November 6, 1861 near Ontario, Canada – Naismith was a sports coach and innovator.
Naismith moved to the United States at a young age.

2. James Naismith
Naismith struggled in school but was gifted in farm labor.
He spent his days outside playing games and doing physical activities.
His favorite game was called “duck on a rock” and dates back to Medieval times.

3. James Naismith
The object of the game was to knock down a large rock from a height with smaller rocks.
Naismith was very good at duck on a rock because he learned that lobbing the rock was a more efficient way to knock it down.
This basic idea of playing duck on a rock helped Naismith invent basketball.

4. James Naismith
Naismith was orphaned when his parents died – and he grew up with his aunt and uncle.
Graduated high school in 1883 and went to McGill University.
While at college he played football, soccer, and gymnastics.

5. James Naismith
Naismith showed a knack for innovation – he introduced the first helmet for playing football.
Earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education.
Became the teacher at YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Mass.

6. James Naismith
The New England winters were harsh – kept the students inside and they became rowdy.
He was given 14 days from his boss to create an indoor game to provide an athletic distraction.
Guidelines were to make it fair for everyone and not too rough.

7. James Naismith
Naismith analyzed the most popular games – rugby, lacrosse, soccer, football, hockey and baseball.
Concluded that a small fast ball was dangerous – needed a bigger softer ball.
Contact happens when someone runs with the ball – so passing only to keep safe.

8. James Naismith Reduced contact by making the goal unguarded.
Goal was placed up over their heads – to lob shots at the basket – like duck on a rock.
Used a peach basket and a ball made out of whale blubber.

9. James Naismith
Naismith wrote up 13 basic rules – 9 players vs. 9 players.
Game caught on after a while – students loved playing it.
They wanted to call the game “Naismith Ball” but he asked them not to – modest.

10. Naismith Legacy
Naismith earned a medical degree in 1898 – went to University of Kansas and started basketball program there.
Played games against local YMCA’s…and other universities - Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas State.

11. Naismith Legacy
Ironically, Naismith is the only coach in Kansas basketball history with a losing record (55-60).
Among the players Naismith coached at Kansas – Forrest Phog Allen was one of them.
Allen eventually became coach at Baker University – then back to Kansas.

12. Naismith Legacy
Allen coached Dean Smith in 1952, and Adolph Rupp in 1922.
Smith coached North Carolina and retired as the winnigest coach in college basketball history.
Rupp coached Kentucky and was the second winnigest – Allen was number three.

13. Naismith Legacy Naismith went on to serve his country in World War I.
He was 74-years old when Olympics made basketball official sport in 1936.
He was asked to pass out medals that year – United States won the gold.

14. Naismith Legacy
Naismith died in 1939 after suffering from a fatal brain hemorrhage – buried in Lawrence, Kansas.
His book – “Basketball – it’s Origins and Development” was published in 1941.
He has a road named after him – “Naismith Drive” which runs in front of Allen Fieldhouse.

15. Naismith Legacy
The basketball court at Allen Fieldhouse is called “James Naismith Court”.
The NBA Hall of Fame is called the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
Located in Springfield, Mass. – where he first developed the game.

16. Naismith Legacy Naismith was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1959.
NCAA gives out Naismith Awards – to the player of the year, coach of the year and prep player of the year.
Single handedly created the sport of basketball.

17. U.S. Olympic Team
The United States won all gold medals from 1936 to 1968.
In 1936 – won first gold medal after defeating Canada 19-8.
In 1972 at the Munich games, Soviet Union won – first ever loss for USA.

18. U.S. Olympic Team
The loss was also the most controversial in Olympic history.
The U.S. came in with a 63-0 record and with three seconds left Doug Collins sank two free throws to make score USA.
The horn that sounds the end of the game went off by mistake before second free throw.

19. U.S. Olympic Team
The Soviet’s inbounded and failed to score in three seconds – but referee ruled that he stopped the game with 1 second left.
He wanted to check the confusion at the scorers table where the horn was.
Soviets also claimed they called timeout after the foul shots – three seconds were put back on the clock.

20. U.S. Olympic Team
The Soviets got another chance – and the clock was still being reset while they inbounded the ball.
They tried passing the ball down the court but it was off target and horn sounded.
USA rushed the floor celebrating the win and another gold medal.

21. U.S. Olympic Team
R. William Jones, secretary general of FIBA ordered the clock reset to three seconds and to give the Soviets another chance.
USA was in disarray – and Soviets inbounded ball successfully.
USA defenders fell off balance and basket was made at the horn – Soviets won

22. U.S. Olympic Team USA was crushed – they protested the ending.
Their case was heard by a five-man jury which votes for a final ruling.
Voting was influenced by the Cold War between USA and Soviets.

23. U.S. Olympic Team
Puerto Rico and Italy – allies to the US voted in favor of the Americans.
Hungary, Cuba and Poland – allies with the Soviets voted against the Americans.
USA players voted unanimously to refuse to accept silver medals – did not show up to ceremony.

24. U.S. Olympic Team
To this day none of the players have asked for the silver medals.
They currently sit in a vault in Switzerland waiting to be claimed.
Several players have directed in their wills that their heirs are to never accept the medals at any time.

25. U.S. Olympic Team
USA came back strong and won the gold in 1976 – but lost it again to the Soviets in 1988.
In 1992 USA began using professional players – before they had used amateurs only.
The original “Dream Team” featured the greatest NBA stars and USA cruised to the gold.

26. U.S. Olympic Team
USA won gold in 1996 and 2000 – however by 2000 competition closed the gap.
2000 gold medal game USA beat France
In 2004 USA won the bronze medal – team was embarrassed.

27. U.S. Olympic Team 2008 USA made a rededication to the Olympic team.
Professional players practiced together, bonded and focused on the USA team.
Defeated Spain in Beijing to once again win gold and establish dominance.
And beat Spain again in 2012 to win gold and continue dominance.

28. March Madness
The NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination tournament held each spring.
It features 68 teams.
First developed by a group of coaches led by Harold Olsen 1939.
Oregon defeated Ohio State in the first championship in 1939.

29. March Madness
Known as “March Madness” and the “Big Dance”, the tournament takes place over three weeks at sites across the United States.
Popular because it has created dynasty teams and underdog stories.
The tournament has expanded a number of times in the last 76 seasons.

30. March Madness From 1939 to 1950 there were eight teams.
there were 16 teams.
there were 32 teams.
1980 – 1982 there were 48 teams
Since 2011 there are 68 teams.

31. March Madness
The National Champions receive a gold plated NCAA National Championship trophy, while the runner up receives a silver trophy.
The tournament picks a Most Outstanding Player.
Since 1991, CBS has covered every single NCAA Tournament game.

32. March Madness
Since the inception of the 64-team format in 1985 – the #1 seed has lost just one time to a #16 seed.
University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) defeated #1 Virginia in 2018.
There have only been seven times where a #2 seed has lost to a #15 seed.

33. March Madness #15 seeds that have beaten #2 seeds:
Richmond over Syracuse in 1991.
Santa Clara over Arizona in 1993.
Coppin State over South Carolina in 1997.
Hampton over Iowa State in 2001.
Norfolk State over Missouri in 2012.
Lehigh over Duke in 2012.
Florida Gulf Coast def. Georgetown in 2013.

34. March Madness
March Madness has produced many great stories that have helped the legend of college basketball.
In 1966, color barrier in college basketball is smashed by Texas Western as they beat Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky team.
This established the NCAA Championship as a must see event.

35. March Madness
In 1979 Magic Johnson leads his Michigan State team over Larry Bird’s Indiana State squad.
Remains the most watched college basketball game of all time.
Bird and Magic rivalry continue in the NBA helping to fuel the Celtics-Lakers rivalry.

36. March Madness
In 1983 North Carolina State head coach Jimmy Valvano pulls off an incredible upset beating powerhouse Houston.
Houston was led by future NBA stars Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
Valvano later established his legacy through the “V Foundation”.

37. March Madness
In 1985, Patrick Ewing who was called the greatest college center of all time leads Georgetown into the finals.
Villanova who earned a #8 seed meets them in the final.
Villanova wins and becomes the lowest seed to ever capture the title.

38. March Madness
UCLA led by legendary coach John Wooden establishes a legendary dynasty.
UCLA won the championship in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973.
UCLA rekindled the championship flame by winning once more in 1995.

39. March Madness
This year the Final Four will be held at Reliant Stadium, Houston – (Texans Stadium)
Future sites include:
Phoenix
2018 – San Antonio
2019 – Minneapolis – new Vikings stadium

40. Mikan and the Lakers
The National Basketball Association started in 1946 after World War II.
The first season closed with neither getting huge popular reviews, but it was not blasted either.
The new league was acknowledged with small articles about the local teams in the newspaper.

41. Mikan and the Lakers
Television was still a future invention, and radio broadcasts were hardly universal.
The franchises played in major arenas such as the Boston Garden, Madison Square Garden and Chicago Stadium.
Most of the teams shared the arenas with hockey teams.

42. Mikan and the Lakers
League was split up into two divisions – Eastern Division and Western Division.
There were 11 original teams – six in the east and five in the west.
Boston Celtics and New York Knickerbockers to name a couple.

43. Mikan and the Lakers
The teams played 60 games with the Washington Capitols coached by Red Auerbach finished
However, Chicago beat Washington in the playoffs and met Philadelphia in the finals.
Philadelphia won the first league title 4 games to 1.

44. Mikan and the Lakers
Most games had final scores in the 70s and 80s and field goal percentages were in the 30-percent range.
Joe Fulks from University of Kentucky led the league with 23 points per game – nearly 7 more than the second place player.

45. Mikan and the Lakers
The professional league experienced the first dynasty – or team domination over a few years – in the 1950s.
The Minneapolis Lakers led by center George Mikan ruled the NBA.
Mikan was a 6-foot 10-inch center who dominated the floor.

46. Mikan and the Lakers
Mikan led the league in scoring four consecutive years, averaging as many as 28.4 points per game.
He was the first center to use the hook shot as a weapon – and Mikan was the reason why goaltending is a rule.
Mikan traveled a day ahead of the rest of the team to perform interviews.

47. Mikan and the Lakers
Most Lakers made $7,000 a year – Mikan made $35,000.
He found other arenas hostile – different than today. He had to dodge knives.
Mikan changed the game – teams tried slowing it down against the Lakers – beat the Pistons lowest scoring NBA game.

48. Mikan and the Lakers
On April 12, 1954 Lakers won their sixth title in seven years – last championship in Minnesota.
Mikan retired at the young age of 29.
Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960 – Mikan became a lawyer in Minnesota – inducted into Hall of Fame in 1995.

49. Celtic Pride
Even though Mikan and the Lakers were the league’s first dynasty – the greatest NBA dynasty belongs to the Boston Celtics.
It began in 1957 when the Celtics defeated the St. Louis to win their first championship.
They went on to win 11 of the next 13 championships.

50. Celtic Pride
The Celtics dynasty gave the league tremendous popularity.
Fans either loved them or hated them – but kept track of them nonetheless.
Boston’s legendary coach Red Auerbach traded fro Bill Russell – from St. Louis.

51. Celtic Pride
Russell teamed with Bob Cousy who was the best point guard in the league.
Russell at 6-foot-9 was the most dominant defense presence the league had ever seen.
Blocked shots, snagged rebounds and ignited the Celtic fast break – grabbed 32 rebounds in Game 7 of the 1957 Finals.

52. Celtic Pride
Russell retired in and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1975.
Won two national championships in college at University of San Francisco- and Olympic Gold in 1956.
Five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, 12-time NBA All-Star – averaged 22.5 rebounds for his career – second all-time.

53. Celtic Pride
Bob Cousy was called the “Houdini of the Hardwood” – benched early on at Holy Cross for being too flashy.
Elected into Hall of Fame in 1971 – NBA MVP in 1957.
13-time All Star – averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game.

54. Celtic Pride
Auerbach was born in Brooklyn in played basketball in high school but longed to be a teacher and coach.
Coached in high school, and served in the Navy during WWII – then began professional coaching career in 1946 – Washington Capitols.
In 1950 – became head coach of the Celtics.

55. Celtic Pride
First to draft an African-American player, Chuck Cooper from Duquesne.
First to start five blacks, and first to hire a black coach – Bill Russell in 1966.
Named NBA Coach of the Year in 1965 – retired in 1966 as the winningest coach in history with 938 wins.

56. Celtic Pride
Well known for his “victory cigar” which he lit after wins.
Died on October 28, 2006 at the age of 89.
His (.662) winning percentage ranks him fifth all-time in NBA – Lenny Wilkens broke his record for most coaching victories.

57. Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain
The Celtics had established a dynasty – led by Bill Russell.
Russell was considered greatest defensive force of all-time.
Wilt Chamberlain, on the other hand, is considered by many the greatest offensive force of all-time.

58. Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain
Chamberlain played from 1959 to 1973 and seemed capable of scoring and rebounding at will.
Constantly double-teamed, and triple-teamed, it did not matter – opposing teams could not shut him down.
Chamberlain’s name is shown all over the NBA record books.

59. Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain
Only player to score 4,000 points in a season.
NBA single game record for most points – 100.
Most consecutive shots made – 18.
Most rebounds in a game – 55.

60. Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain
Most mind boggling stat was that he averaged 50.4 points per game during 1962.
Also led the league in assists in 1968.
Dominance led to rule changes – offensive goal-tending, and foul shooting.

61. Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain
He was a track and field star in high school, and stood at 7-foot-1, weighing 275 pounds – and of course basketball.
Played college basketball at Kansas – furthered their legendary status.
Numerous stories from rival players including incident with Tom Meschery.

62. Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain
His greatest rival professionally was Bill Russell.
They matched up against each other in the NBA Playoffs eight times.
Chamberlain’s team only won once, but he often outplayed Russell.

63. Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain
Chamberlain took a beating from opposing teams – hard fouls to send him to free-throw line. (shot 50 percent from foul line).
Considered retirement after rookie season due to physical toll.
Elected to Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1978.

64. Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain
Won two NBA championships – if not for Celtics would have been a lot more.
Four-time NBA MVP.
After retirement, Chamberlain went on to coach for one year – and participated in numerous athletic events – even tried boxing.

65. Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain
He published several books talking about his playing days and life experiences.
Died on October 12, 1999 at 63 due to heart failure.
Named on the list of the 50-greatest all-time NBA players in 1997.