Interesting Basketball Facts For Kids That Love Sports!

No matter which part of the world you live in, you must have heard of basketball.

Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891 and has gone through many changes since then. There wasn't even a formal basketball, to begin with!

Today, we know the orange, bouncy ball as a basketball and celebrate it all around the world. The fact that people started playing the sport with a couple of peach baskets and a soccer ball is truly baffling! Keep reading for the most amazing basketball facts.

If you enjoy reading this article, why not also check out basketball facts about the NBA and why football players wear eye black here at Kidadl!

Basketball Facts For Little Kids

Basketball is a very popular sport all around the world, especially in the United States of America. This game, like all others, has plenty of rules that the players need to abide by, which is what makes it interesting to both play and watch.

Every school and university or college has a basketball court or two.

If you aren't sure what basketball courts look like, they are rectangular in shape and have two baskets on the shorter sides of the rectangles. These baskets are attached to a tall pole, with a backboard attached to it.

The game is played by two opposing teams, of five members each. The number of points scored varies according to many factors.

The first game of basketball, however, was played in the year 1891, and back then, almost none of the rules were put in place. This is understandable because back then, they did not even have the baskets that we see today.

The players, in 1891, used peach baskets, and the main objective given to everyone was to make sure that the ball ended up in the basket.

Hence, the name. Over the years, not only have we been able to come up with many rules, but also with proper baskets and backboards which give structure and order to the sport.

The normal basketball that we see today came into existence much later as well. The first few people who started playing this sport actually played with soccer balls!

A soccer ball and a peach basket started the game that even children in high school play with great enthusiasm and passion in the present day! However, it took many years for us to develop all the rules.

To start with, the game had nine players on each team.

This was changed when people understood that 18 players were too many to have on the court. It was only after January 1898 that it was decided that only five players should play on behalf of each team.

Another interesting fact is that the orange-colored ball that we instantly associate with the basketball game isn't what the ball looked like for a long time.

People used to play the game with a soccer ball, and when they did finally invent an alternative that was bouncier and more appropriate for the needs of the game, it turned out to be brown in color.

It was years later they people realized that the ball should be of more vibrant color in order to increase visibility, and hence, it was changed to orange.

Basketball Hall Of Fame Facts For Kids

The history of basketball is rather recent since this game was only invented in 1891.

James Naismith is given the credit for making this game, and hence, the basketball hall of fame is named after him. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is a collection of the entire history of basketball.

It is an effort to preserve the trajectory that basketball took as a game before being recognized and played all around the world.

One of the people who made it to the hall of fame was Michael Jordan. There is no basketball fan who does not know his name.

One of the most interesting facts is that even after the National Basketball Association banned Air Jordans, he continued to wear them after being assured by Nike that all his fines would happily be cleared by the company! Let's just say that basketball players have style!

Additionally, Michael Jordan's famous quotes include 'I can accept failure, everyone fails at something.

But I can't accept not trying.' and 'I've never lost a game I just ran out of time.'

Basketball Fun Facts For Kids

The first basketball game was played on January 20, in the year 1892.

Many of the rules and regulations of the game played back then do not fit the updated ones that we have today.

If you plan on watching a professional basketball league match, it would be very important to know some rules of the game. The first game was played with nine players, and it remained this way for a long time.

It was after six years of each basketball team having nine players that they realized that the number did not support such a small court, and hence, they reduced it to a smaller number, which is five.

The two teams have a basket or hoop to defend. The primary objective of the game is to score points by shooting the ball into the defending team's basket.

Basketball players are allowed to use their many skills against the other team in order to defend a basket. However, there are some rules for doing this too.

The five players are differentiated as two guards, two forwards, and one center. The players must dribble the ball, or bounce it on the court as they move with it. They cannot hold the ball with both hands while dribbling, as it is considered foul.

The guards are usually the people that pass the ball around and make it move across the court. The shooter is the person with the best shooting skills and who can score a basket from far away.

The team that possesses the ball plays offensive and the other team plays defensive. This is the basic rule about basketball.

The game starts with a jump ball. A jump ball basically means that the referee throws the ball into the air and whichever team manages to get possession of the ball first, gets to play offensive first.

The guard players also try to make sure that the offensive players do not manage to shoot a hoop. Hence, as you may have already imagined, this game requires a lot of agility and skill. When dribbling, the player has to constantly move their feet as well.

The players are not allowed to put their hand underneath the ball. This is called carrying the ball and is counted as a foul.

The ball must stay inside the outer line of the court at all times. Whenever the ball does leave the court, whichever team's player last touched it would have to let the other team have a free pass.

An NBA free throw is also a very interesting concept. A basketball throw from the point of the free-throw line is called a free throw. This can be granted to a team when the offensive or offensive team makes a foul of any kind. For each successful free throw, the team fetches one point.

When players play defense, it is understood that they would try to stop an offensive player from entering the opposing team's court. Since a basketball court is pretty small, teams score rather rapidly and this makes the matches very interesting.

Whichever team gets the ball after the jump ball at the start is said to have a clear advantage, and hence, the two teams try their best to achieve it.

One of the most interesting facts about basketball is that for many years, dribbling wasn't even allowed. It was at Yale, in the year 1897, that the single dribble was first introduced and it stuck by as a rule since then.

Basketball rules have thus taken a lot of time to perfect. NBA players as we see them today, never play the game as when it was founded in 1891.

Book Of Basketball Facts For Kids

James Naismith invented basketball in the year 1891. Back then, there was no basketball ring, or even a formal basketball to play with.

The basic rule was that the team which scored the number of baskets, or successfully threw the ball into the basket the most number of times would win. As a newly invented game, basketball did not have as many rules and regulations as it does today.

Five in each team may seem like too few players, but that is hardly the case!

However, there are some cases in which the number of players is reduced even further. In such cases, the game is played using only half the court.

Such cases would arise when the game is being played among people with disabilities and other such issues. This is also the case with high school teams.

Often, the teams are not decided pre-hand, which gives the players more of a free hand in terms of the rules and regulations as well.

In the official league, however, the National Basketball Association (NBA) steps in, and the casual nature of the high school games is lost. There is a charm to NBA games as well, as spectators can watch the rigor and discipline of the professional basketball teams as they play their sport.

They have a master or a teacher, called the coach. Like a physical education teacher would guide you in school, a coach guides and teaches official teams for games of more intensity and vigor.

College basketball has also become very famous over the years, as students spend their time perfecting their art and compete with other colleges from around the world. This helps students in gaining all-round development and not just focusing on the academic aspects.

If you have been looking for a few basic rules of basketball to get you started, here are a few things to keep in mind. In basketball, there is an offensive team and a defensive team.

The goal for you would be to put the ball through the opposing team's basket.

Basketball hoops are placed pretty high and hence, it would be useful to practice your ball handling and jumping skills. Since dribbling or bouncing the ball on the court is so important in basketball, it would also be important to make sure that you handle the ball well.

A coach would be able to teach you the knick-knacks of ball handling so that you will be keeping the ball in control while also making sure that you do not attract any fouls.

A foul can occur on many accounts, but in any case, they give free throws to the opposing team. All successful free throws are worth a point, hence, it is only likely that you and your mates would be looking forward to them.

Most basketball shots are worth two points, but if you manage to shoot a hoop from the three-point line, be sure that you have earned your team three points.

The game starts with a jump ball, which is typically when the referee throws the ball into the air. Each team jumps and whichever team gains control first gets to play offensive.

The game goes on for 48 minutes, so you can see your team losing or winning pretty quickly.

This game is furthermore interesting because it can turn around at any point. Hence, make sure to keep an eye on any games that may be telecasted soon!

There are many more rules outlined by the National Basketball Association (NBA), but we hope this got you interested in the game enough to pick up a basketball the next time you have a chance!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for basketball facts for kids then why not take a look at what mothballs are used for or Ancient Greek sports facts.