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A Tale of Shoots and Hoops

Arguably one of the most well-known sports in the world, basketball is one of the most enjoyable sports on TV today! A game of considerable skill, basketball should be on every sports fan's list of must-watch live sport on TV! Read on to see what we mean!

How People Came to Shoot Hoops

Basketball was invented in 1891 by gym instructor and physical education professor James Naismith, in what is now known as Springfield College, Massachusetts. Funnily enough, however, Naismith didn't invent the name of the game.

Instead, Frank Mahan, one of the very first players of basketball, questioned Naismith about what he intended to call it and suggested 'Naismith ball'. Naismith laughed in response, saying that a name like that would spell the death of any game.

So, Mahan suggested 'basketball', to which Naismith gladly agreed. Finally, some time after basketball's invention, came the most important step in its evolution: the dribble. Naismith never made mention of anything like the dribble in his rules, instead saying that passing the ball is the only way of advancing.

The dribble seems to have come about as a clever invention by players, arguing that they were 'passing the ball to themselves'. This proved very effective, and Naismith himself approved of it. The first known instance of dribbling was in 1897 at Yale University.

Rules and Scoring

There are several rules to consider in basketball, but the most important is definitely the necessity of dribbling. There are a few rules that make it obligatory to dribble and breaking any of which will result in a forfeiture of the ball. But, never mind boring rules, let's get to the fun stuff: scoring.

Scoring is done through field goals, by passing the ball through the opponent's basket, either by jump shots (where players leap and throw the ball), lay-ups (where players jump from beneath the basket and bounce the ball off the board) or dunks (where players jump and 'slam' the ball into the basket).

Field goals are generally worth 2 points, unless made from the three-point line, where it would be worth 3 points. Otherwise, players can score 1 point through what are known as free throws or foul shots, which are uncontested shots granted to a team after being on the receiving end of a foul.

NBA

The National Basketball Association is the world's most prominent professional basketball league. The league, originally called the Basketball Association of America, was created on June 6th, 1946. It adopted the current name on August 3rd, 1949, after merging with their rivals, the National Basketball League.

The NBA comprises 30 teams, and it is responsible for introducing the three-point line. Moreover, it also hosts a yearly championship known as the NBA Finals, which is the most significant basketball event in the world, making it an excellent and exciting choice for live sport on TV!

Dream Teams and Top Players 

It is impossible to speak of basketball and not mention Michael Jordan, who is probably the most famous basketball player ever. Jordan, who played for the Chicago Bulls, is one of 3 players who are considered to be responsible for skyrocketing basketball to unprecedented popularity in the 80s and 90s.

The other 2 players are Larry Bird, who played for the Boston Celtics, and Magic Johnson, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers. There are too many great players to mention, but it would be an injustice not to mention a few others: firstly, Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics.

Next up is Wilt Chamberlain of the Golden State Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Lakers; last, but not least is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks. These are some of the greatest players to ever grace the court and are listed in the NBA's Top 50.

As for dream teams, the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls and the Golden State Warriors, which are the current NBA champions, take the cake for being the best of the best, especially since they all won the NBA Finals several times each!

Best TV moments

Basketball is full to the brim with astounding moments on TV, making it difficult for us to mention them all, so here's two of the best: Larry Bird's amazing steal and pass to Dennis Johnson in 1987 against the Detroit Pistons; Johnson managed to score and win the game with under a second remaining on the clock.

It would be very unjust not to mention Michael Jordan's final shot as a player for the Chicago Bulls in 1998. With under a minute on the clock against the Utah Jazz, Jordan manages to nab the ball and score a field goal, winning the game with only five seconds on the clock remaining.

Dribble, Dribble, Dribble

Basketball is one of those sports on TV that surely won't go away, especially due to the excitement it gives off to the audience! An interesting history, legendary players, and contemporary champions like LeBron James, definitely make basketball a fantastic live sport on TV!