James Naismith

James Naismith was a Canadian-American sports coach and inventor. He was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada, in 1861. He invented the game of basketball in 1891. Today, basketball is played by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Early Life

Naismith grew up on a farm in Canada. He loved sports and was good at many of them. He studied physical education at a college in Springfield, Massachusetts. His teacher asked him to create an indoor game to keep students active during winter.

Big Achievements

Naismith wrote 13 rules for a new game and nailed a peach basket to a wall for a goal. He called it basket ball. The game quickly became popular. It spread to other countries and eventually became an Olympic sport. Naismith lived to see basketball included in the 1936 Olympics.

Fun Facts

• The first basketball game used a soccer ball and peach baskets.
• Someone had to climb a ladder to get the ball out of the basket after each score.
• Naismith's original 13 rules sold for 4.3 million dollars at auction.

Did You Know?

Naismith is the only inventor of a major sport who lived to see it become an Olympic event. He traveled to Berlin for the 1936 Olympics and threw up the first ball. He said it was the happiest moment of his life.