Peach Baskets and Soccer Balls

　　Dr. James Naismith, an educator, physician, and minister, is responsible for the history of basketball. He developed the game when he served as an instructor at the Y．M.C.A.Training School in Springfield Massachusetts in 1891. Students needed a form of indoor activity during the winter months，so Naismith combined football, soccer and hockey to develop the sport. He attached wooden peach baskets to the walls as goals. The ball needed to be retrieved (取回，重新得到) from the basket after each successful shot. Often, spectators (观众) would interfere with shots. Thus, the backboard was introduced in 1906.

　　College Teams and Professional Leagues

　　The game became popular, and soon, schools across the U．S. and Canada adopted its use as a form of physical activity. During World War Ⅱ， U．S. armed forces played pick­up games that drew crowds of locals, introducing the game to an international crowd.

　　Although many colleges in the U．S. formed teams during the late 1890s, interest grew when college teams met in Madison Square Garden in New York City. Once established as a major college sport, interest in the game extended (扩大) to the professional ranks.

The National Basketball League formed in 1898. Its purpose: prevent player exploitation (剥削) and promote a safe game. This organization lasted a mere (仅仅) five years. Other leagues shot up, but in 1949, the NBL joined the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA - National Basketball Association.