The game of basketball has a long way to go. Invented in the 1800s, the game of basketball was intended for indoors and applied the rules of all types of sports. The game was played with nine players but soon after it changed to a game with five players on each team. The game took flight across the country and although women did not have many rights at this time, they also played. The first game played was at the YMCA, but the field was half the size it is now.

By the 1900s, basketball was played at most colleges and its popularity grew by leaps and bounds creating a multitude of teams in the big cities as well as smaller towns. During that time, someone finally invented basketball. The first women’s college to allow the game was in Massachusetts. After word spread about the game of basketball, many teams sprang up playing across the country. Later basketball becomes an official Olympic sport. Over time, the National Basketball Association grew in popularity, and by the late 1940s, 17 teams joined the association.

The rules of the game have changed drastically over the years. The score was kept as each basket was made, the team gained a point. The rules arose from the rules of a children’s game. One player would stand near the basket and protect it while the other player throws the ball trying to make the basket. At this time, the guard could not touch anyone else in the game. Wherever the ball was caught, that was where it had to be thrown. The player could not run with the ball and if the ball did not bounce, he could return it to the game and to anyone who caught it, not just a team member. The last player to touch the ball before coming off the rebound was the one who put it back into play. The free throw line was fifteen feet from the basket, but then it changed to twenty feet.

Although at this time, other sports did not allow African Americans to play or play with whites on their team. They weren’t even allowed to play against a white team. However, basketball was the only sport that allowed integrated teams. Basketball did not create any racial issues with fans or other teams. This game has always been the game that was for everyone. Players like Shanty Barnett and Al Price had a tremendous impact on the game. Not that the game was made or intended to be that way. It was the fact that the war was going on and all the valuable white players were going to fight in the war. The game itself needed the players and the African Americans who played made a huge impression on the fans, teammates and the league.

Basketball has come a long way and even at the time it was first invented, it had potential to grow. The National Basketball Association had thought it could become something great. Neither the coaches nor the fans cared, the only thing that mattered was the love of the game.