This is a site all about the basics of basketball. You will find some brief history of the sport, and some basic moves including a definition list or a quick reference table. Use the links at the top of the page to navigate around the site or click on the banner to return to the homepage. If you feel so inclined, you can download a file with some basic referee calls here. You will also find links to other sites to provide you with more information, and to get a better understanding of the sport, enjoy!
In 1891 the game of basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian man from Almonte, Ontario. He was given the task of creating a new indoor sports activity while giving a physical education class at the international YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts, Naismith designed what we now call basketball. The original game involved 13 rules and a peach basket hung ten feet above the floor. Even though it took place in the United States, at least ten of the players who played in the first-ever game were university students from Quebec. The National Basketball Association also has origins in Canada. The NBA's first game was played in Toronto over fifty years ago, on November 1, 1946 when the New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68-66 at Maple Leaf Gardens. The teams were part of the Basketball Association of America, the forerunner to the NBA.
Basketball played by school and local amateur teams has been part of the Canadian sports scene since the turn of the century. Hoops teams representing Canada have participated in the Olympic Games since 1936 and in the World Championships since 1954.
One of the most legendary amateur teams in Canadian basketball history is the Edmonton Commercial Graduates (Grad's), a group of Canadian women who dominated the sport in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Over 25 years, the Grad's played 522 games at home and out of the country against both women's and men's teams. The Grad's accomplished a record-breaking winning streak of 147 games and throughout their basketball tenure won a remarkable 502 times. The Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies joined the NBA beginning in the 1995-96 season, becoming the first non-U.S. cities to join the league since the Toronto Huskies were one-year members of the BAA. In summer 2001, the Grizzlies relocated from Vancouver to Memphis, Tennessee.
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