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All Basketball, All The Time

On The Court

Off The Court

Celebrating the centennial of basketball's invention, 1991
  • The sport of basketball has been gracing postage stamps since 1934, when the U.S. administrators of the Philippines issued the 16 cent commemorative pictured at right.

Origins of the Game

This 12th Street YMCA team from Washington, DC was declared Colored Basketball World's Champions in 1910.
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This 12th Street YMCA team from Washington, DC was declared Colored Basketball World's Champions in 1910.

It was a wild time, with barnstorming teams, leagues that came and went, and men who could play for three teams in three leagues at the same time. Read about the beginnings of pro ball in NBA Roots.

Smith College Class of 1895 team
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Smith College Class of 1895 team
  • Basketball spread across the country like wildfire in the 1890s. Lots of people were looking for a competitive indoor game in the winter. But it wasn't just the guys. As soon as boys started playing, girls did, too. Read about the AAU Women's Champions. Or check out some of the other articles about the women's game.
Nat Holman in his Original Celtics uniform, 1922.
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Nat Holman in his Original Celtics uniform, 1922.
  • "Why are they so good at basketball? They dominate the sport. They must have some innate physical advantage that the rest of us don't have." Sound familiar? But in the first half of the 20th Century "they" were Jews. Many of the top players were kids who grew up playing ball on the tough streets of New York and Philadelphia. Kids like Nat Holman (right), Barney Sedran, Bennie Borgmann, Max Friedman and Eddie Gottlieb, who all grew up to be Hall of Famers. To learn more about race and hoops, read Questions of Race.
  • In 1897 the Amateur Athletic Union organized a tournament to determine a national men's basketball champion. They've been holding such tournaments ever since. For most of the first half of the 20th Century the AAU was the most prestigious championship there was. For a listing of all the championship games, go to AAU Men's Champions.
The Nankai Five Tigers: China's first dominating team, ca. 1896.
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The Nankai Five Tigers: China's first dominating team, ca. 1896.

This Day In Basketball History

  • 1991 - Craig Hodges of the Chicago Bulls sets an All-Star Saturday record in Charlotte by hitting 19 straight shots in the AT&T Shootout. That streak, which helped Hodges capture his second straight shootout title, broke Larry Bird's consecutive shot streak of 11 set in 1986.
  • 1997 - Michael Jordan becomes the first player in NBA All-Star Game history to record a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. But Glen Rice wins the MVP award, scoring 26 points -- a record 24 of them in the second half -- to lead the East to a 132-120 victory.
The Official 50 Greatest Players Portrait
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The Official 50 Greatest Players Portrait

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