What gave James Naismith the idea of basketball?
In his attempt to think up a new game, Naismith was guided by three main thoughts.[3] Firstly, he analyzed the most popular games of those times (rugby, lacrosse, soccer, football, hockey and baseball); Naismith noticed the hazards of a small fast ball and concluded that the big soft soccer ball was safest. Secondly, he saw that most physical contact occurred while running with the ball, dribbling or hitting it, so he decided that passing was the only legal option. Finally, Naismith further reduced body contact by making the goal unguardable, namely placing it high above the player’s heads. To score goals, he forced the players to throw a soft lobbing shot that had proven effective in his old favorite game duck on a rock. Naismith christened this new game “Basket Ball”[3] and put his thoughts together in 13 basic rules.[6] Picture of the original 1891 “Basket Ball” court in Springfield College. Note the peach basket attached to the wall. The 1899 University of Kansas basketball team, w
