Do youknow when basket ball was invented?
If youtravel around China you will notice a very popular activity everywhere yougo—basketball.This much-loved and active sport is enjoyed by many,for fun andexercise.
The sportof basketball is a little over a hundred years old.It is played by more than100 million people in over 200 countries including China,where basketball hasbeen played in parks,schools,and even in factories.
Basketballwas invented by a Canadian doctor named James Naismith,who was born in1861.When he was at college,his class was once asked to invent a new game thatcould be played indoors during the long winters.Dr Naismith created a game tobe played on a hard wooden floor,so the safety of the played was important.Knocking into players and falling down would be dangerous.
DrNaismith divided the men in his class into two teams and taught them how toplay his new game.The aim of basketball is for players to get a ball into the“basket”:a net hanging from a metal hoop.Players shoot from below the basketand may use the “backboard” for guiding the ball into the basket.Players movetowards one end of the court while throwing the ball to each other.
It isbelieved that on December 21st,1891,the first basketball game in history wasplayed.Then in 1936 in Berlin,it became an Olympic event.A team from Chinatook part,and although they didn't win they used the experience to helpdevelop the game at home.Since then,the popularity of basketball has risenworldwide,and the number of foreign players in America’s NBA (NationalBasketball Association) has increased.Basketball has also become a morepopular sport for people to watch,and many young people dream of becomingfamous basketball players.