User:Rhys Langridge/History of Basketball

NBA
Since the inception of professional basketball, many rule changes have altered the game to what we now recognize today. These rule changes did not occur all at once but instead evolved to suit the changing style of play.

Starting with the widening of the free-throw lane in 1951 and a further extension in 1964, this change was made to reduce the dominant impact of Centres who played with their back facing the basket - otherwise known as Post Position.

In 1954, the 24-second shot clock was introduced to increase the speed of the game by forcing the team with the basketball to shoot the ball before the 24-second timer is up.

Finally, the NBA introduced the three-point line in the 1979-1980 season, meant to spread out the players predominantly playing underneath the basket at this time as well as add a further degree of difficulty to the game.

- This has been added to the article itself already (before I knew I needed to have my work approved)

Women's Professional Basketball
The history of women playing basketball dates as far back as 1891; when Dr. James Naismith first invented the sport. Women's professional basketball, however, went through a tumultuous start due to a lack of interest, funding, and respect for female athletes, causing women’s basketball to evolve at a far slower rate than the men's counterpart.

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) was formed in 1996-97 and professional basketball for women began in 1978 with a league called The WBL - The Women's Basketball League. This league struggled because of poor treatment of athletes, a lack of advertising, and overall attitudes and opinions by the fans towards females playing professional sports, leading to the collapse of the WBL after only three seasons.

Women continued to play internationally in the Olympics but would not have a league of their own until the late ’90s. Further, with the success of the U.S women's basketball winning gold medals at the Olympics 1988 and again in 1996, women would once again have two separate professional basketball leagues of their own. By the winter of 1997, two leagues formed: The American Basketball League (ABL) and The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Both of these leagues were distinct in their own manner, as each played with a different set of rules, played during separate times of the year, and did not have teams that played out of the same city to attract individual fan bases.

International television coverage and sponsorships differentiated the overall success of the WNBA over the ABL. Though the ABL did receive coverage from channels like Fox Sports Net, far more WNBA games were covered across North America by stations like ESPN, NBC, and Lifetime - all broadcasting games from their respective channels. Direct competition with The NBA, hockey, and college football led to the demise of the ABL.

In 1997, The WNBA consisted of 8 teams - many of which have either folded or relocated cities. But for a decade, the WNBA has slowly integrated additional teams due to growing popularity, and the number of professional female athletes have started to play the sport.

As of 2018, the league has expanded and currently has 12 franchises playing in the WNBA. Attendance to these games has increased since 2017, indicating higher popularity, interest, and respect for the sporting franchise.

Naismith's original rules
In Naismith's list of 13 rules listed above, dribbling the basketball was never actually mentioned, nor was it stated that it was against the rules to do so. As the game evolved, dribbling the ball on the floor became optional to the player. However, dribbling was considered an ineffective maneuver, and thus, not many people chose not to do so during this era.

Additionally, dribbling the ball could only be done so while stationary, and the ball was not allowed to be passed or shot directly after bouncing. It was not until players began to see the benefit of bouncing the ball as a useful way to avoid or get around defenders that dribbling became more widely used. It was not until 1920 that running with the ball became against the rules.

In 1908, shooting the ball without passing it first became an accepted rule. To suit the adapting physical nature of the game additional referees were also added. The jobs of the referees were to govern the gameplay to ensure it is following regulation rules. The referees also could penalize the players and disqualify them if they commit five fouls during a game.

In 1913, the out-of-bounds rule was implemented. The rule stated that when the ball rolled out of the court, whoever caused the ball to do so was awarded possession of the ball to put back into play. A year later, this was changed to whoever was closest to the ball would get possession.

Notable NBA Records

 * Most total games played: Robert Parish - 1,568 games
 * Tallest players in the NBA: Manute Bol & Gheorghe Muresa n - both 7 foot 7
 * Shortest player in the NBA: Muggsy Bogue s - 5 foot 3
 * Most points scored in a single game: Wilt Chamberlain - 100 points
 * Most rebounds in a single game: Wilt Chamberlain - 55 rebounds
 * Most assists in a single game: Scott Skiles - 30 assists
 * Most steals in a single game: Larry Kenon - 11 steals
 * Most blocked shots in a single game: Elmore Smith - 17 blocks
 * Most assists in a season: John Stockto n - 1,164 assists
 * Most steals in a season: Alvin Robertson - 301 steals
 * Most blocked shots in a season: Mark Eaton - 456 blocks
 * Most total career points: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 38,387 points
 * Most total rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain - 23,924
 * Most total career blocked shots: Hakeem Olajuwon - 3,190 blocks
 * Most total career steals: John Stockton - 2,356 steals
 * Highest average points per game: Michael Jorda n - 32 points per game