In 1891 Canadian-American physical education teacher James Naismith set out to invent a new game to entertain athletes at the School for Christian Workers during the winter season. With a soccer ball, he outlined 13 original rules and sent the school janitor to find two boxes to serve as goals. However, the janitor found two half-bushel peach baskets, and the game was played with these. The first basketballs were made from panels of leather stitched together with a rubber bladder inside. The molded basketball, introduced around 1942, was a significant advancement. It offered better reaction and durability, making play more consistent. The development of collegiate leagues and conferences brought organization and scheduling to competition, and formal league play created rivalries. Professional basketball began in 1896 in Trenton, New Jersey, when a dispute between members of a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) team and a YMCA official led the players to form a professional team and play for money. The first successful national professional league was the American Basketball League (ABL, not related to the later women's league), which existed from 1925 to 1931. In the mid-1930s another professional league called the National Basketball League (NBL) was founded.In 1946 a group of executives in New York City formed the Basketball Association of America (BAA). Just before the 1948-1949 season, the four strongest teams in the NBL joined the BAA. The following season, the NBL's remaining teams also joined the BAA, forming a three-division league that was renamed the National Basketball Association (NBA). After the 1949-1950 season the NBA reduced its size and established two divisions. In 1967 the American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed. The league became known for the distinctive red, white, and blue basketballs it used. The ABA disbanded in 1976, although several of its teams joined the NBA. The NBA gained immense popularit...
