Basketball is among the most celebrated professional sports in the industry. It has a long history that dates back to 1891. Back then, the rules were much different from today. Although basketball is popular, it is not one of the easiest sports.

To become successful and outscore your opponents at this sport requires excellent skills, endurance, and team spirit. This game is featured in many reputable casinos such as Grande Vegas online casino USA due to its popularity. There’s more to this game than the court, ball, and NBA All-Star weekend. As a die-hard fan, it would serve you well to know them. Here are some surprising facts about basketball that you probably don’t know.

1. James Naismith invented basketball

Asked in 1891 to invent an indoor winter activity by his boss in Springfield, Massachusetts, James Naismith is credited as the founder of basketball. Naismith, a physical education teacher, also wrote the original basketball rule book and founded the University of Kansas basketball program.

2. Basketball was played with a different ball

As bizarre as it sounds, basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and peach baskets, with referees having to retrieve the ball each time a player made a basket. In 1900, the string baskets we know today were introduced to the game and, later, backboards were attached to prevent spectators from blocking a shot.

3. It was a rougher sport

In the earlier days, basketball was a rougher sport. That is because rules for the ball were different from now. When the ball got out of bounds, the referee tossed it into the court, and the team that first had their hands on the ball got possession. This rule led to players racing towards the ball to get their chance which ended up with players scrambling down inside the court and getting injured. However, by 1923, this rule changed to make the game safer for the players.

4. Dribbling wasn’t allowed

It may be surprising, but dribbling was not part of the initial basketball games. When a player caught the ball, you had to throw it to another player to keep the game moving. However, in 1897, dribbling was introduced into the game by a college basketball team. Initially, players were only allowed to use one bounce to pass the ball to the other player. Dribbling was fully officially accepted in basketball four years later.

5. Origin Of NBA

A rather unknown basketball fact is that people really do not know the origin of the NBA. NBA was originally known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and was founded on the 6th of June 1946 but on the 3rd August 1949 was merged with its rival National Basketball League and the name was changed to the National Basketball Association.

6. Longest Basketball Match in NBA History

We know that a typical basketball match is played for 48 minutes which is broken down in 4 quarters of 12 minutes each. But on the 6th January 1951 during the match between Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Olympians, the match lasted for 78 minutes and had 6 overtimes. The Indianapolis Olympians won the game 75 to 73.