One of the most popular sports on the planet, basketball is one of those activities that does not require expensive equipment. You are either talented, hard-working, and a team-player, or you are not. As a sport it has millions of fans who can’t wait to get the MarathonBet bonus codes so they can bet on their favorite teams and players.
Most of us have played a few games of basketball from time to time and know the rules, but this article is about basketball trivia. Here are some facts you may or may not know.
James Naismith
James Naismith was a Canadian and a teacher. He is credited with being the inventor of basketball in 1891. As the story goes, his gym class was bored during a rainy day and he had to come up with something to keep them occupied and active.
First Hoops, Coop, and Board
It’s called basketball for a reason – the original hoops were peach baskets with their bottoms still in place. The game would require officials to empty the baskets after each point was scored. These baskets were originally mounted to the wall, but there was a lot of interference from the audience sitting in the balcony where the aforementioned audience would score, prevent the ball from scoring, or simply take the ball. This led to the chicken wire and mesh surrounding the court, as well as the invention of the backboard. Sometime in the early 20th century, the netting was implemented as well.
Harlem Globetrotters Not in NBA
Founded almost a century ago, the Harlem Globetrotters are, arguably, the best-known basketball team there is. They have torn down barriers, shown to the world what real talent looks like, and are older than the NBA. Why are they not, then, playing in the NBA?
The question is somewhat controversial, but the most popular answer seems to be that the Globetrotters are a team focused on entertainment rather than efficiency. They use gimmicks, trick shots, and gags, but the talent and practice are there and many a professional NBA player started off as a Globetrotter.
Three-Pointer
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 20 seasons in the NBA and is the player who scored most points during his career – a whopping 38,387. Here is something else about his legacy that is simply astounding: in his entire career, he only ever scored one three-point shot.
Air-Jordans
Michael Jordan was one of the most popular basketball players in the 90s. He also launched Air-Jordans, the sneakers every basketball-loving, Bulls-cheering, and hyped-up kid wanted to own. Jordan wore them himself as well.
The issue was that at the time, those sneakers were not accepted under the NBA dress code. The league fined Jordan every time he would step out into the court wearing them and he paid the fine each time, finding it more acceptable than not wearing his favorite sneakers. The league relented and Michael was allowed to wear his shoes on the court.