basketball is one of the few sports in the world that can be traced to an actual day of invention. on december of 1891 james naismith, created the first set of basketball rules almost idential to the rules we see today - the notable exceptions included the dribble and the number of the players on the court was originally nine.

the first baskets were actual peach baskets, and the ball had to be hit from below with a broom to get it out - an accidental break in the basket was the moment that lead to the open bottomed baskets found today. in 1893, colleges began to include the game in their physical education curriculum, and the first professional game was played 1898 - eventually professional leagues sprung up around the country and a new fad was born.