A Bunch of Bored Kids Invented the Best Game Ever 🧺
More than 130 years ago, a teacher in Massachusetts faced a challenge that’s very familiar to the moms we celebrated yesterday: a gym full of restless kids, stuck inside, bouncing off the walls.
So he got creative. And we got basketball!
🕰 Basketball, Back Then
The year was 1891. The place? A chilly gym in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Dr. James Naismith, a physical education teacher at the YMCA Training School, had a problem! His students were bored, rowdy, and playing football and soccer indoors wasn’t working. (Let’s just say: a few too many broken windows.)
So Naismith did what great coaches do. He got creative.
🧺 2 Baskets, 1 Big Idea
Naismith nailed 2 peach baskets to the walls, grabbed a soccer ball, and gathered 18 students for the first-ever game of basketball.
The rules were wild compared to today:
No dribbling.
No running with the ball.
No backboards, shot clocks, or slam dunks.
Every time someone scored, they had to climb a ladder to get the ball back out of the basket!
The final score? 1–0. That’s it. But something special had started.
🌎 A Game That Grew and Grew
From that little gym, basketball spread fast! YMCA teachers brought it to China, India, Japan, and beyond.
In 1893, backboards were added to prevent fans from interfering with shots.
In 1897, Yale University was the first team to dribble the ball in a game… but you could only dribble once!
In 1901, peach baskets were replaced with metal hoops and nets with open bottoms, allowing the ball to fall through.
In 1909, the rules were changed to allow unlimited dribbling (like today).
In 1936, basketball became an Olympic sport.
In 1946, the league that became the NBA was born. Here’s what the first NBA game looked like:
Dr. Naismith wasn’t trying to make the next big thing. He was trying to give his students something safe, fun, and team-oriented… especially when it was too cold for sports outside.
And now? People of every age, size, shape, and color play it every single day.
🎤 What’s Your Peach Basket?
If you were inventing a sport today, just like Dr. Naismith did... what would you use?
Look around your house… what everyday item could be part of the game? A laundry hamper? A soup pot? Your dog’s food bowl? How would you use it?
(And yes, bonus points if it involves NO broken windows! 😂)
🎥 Not Quite Space Jam
On Saturday, Smallball-ers Abby, Jake, Kat, and Sam asked to see video of the first-ever basketball game. Great idea!
Believe it or not, the first “moving pictures” were filmed just a few years earlier in 1888. But sadly, no one had a camera in the Springfield gym that day in 1891. No replays. No highlights. No slo-mo dunks.
But we’ve got something almost as good: the oldest basketball footage anyone’s found. It’s from 1904!
🎤 If you could time-travel and join this 1904 game…
What would you do to surprise everyone? Pull off a behind-the-back pass? Dribble between your legs? Launch a 3-pointer they didn’t even know was allowed yet?
⏪ Scoreboard Snapshot
Let’s keep looking back… just not quite to 1891. Remember what we said heading into Sunday’s games?
The Cavs and Thunder are both down 2–1. They need to block out the home crowd noise and steal a win on the road. If only they could tap into some serious mental toughness!
Well, one road team came through and the other fell apart!
The ⚡Thunder got it done, 92–87, tying the series 2–2 behind SGA’s 25 points and a clutch 29–18 fourth quarter. The 🏔️ Nuggets? Just 8 first-quarter points in a rough start.
The ⚔️ Cavaliers weren’t so lucky. The 🏎️ Pacers stormed to a 41-point halftime lead in a 129–109 blowout. Donovan Mitchell left at halftime with an ankle injury. Now down 3–1, the Cavs need a win (and a healthy Mitchell) to stay alive in Game 5.
⏩ Today’s Action
Let’s see what’s coming up today!
☘️ Celtics at 🗽 Knicks
The Knicks played in that very first NBA game… nearly 80 years later, can they bring the fight at home or will they fade again after a tough Game 3?
Experts say 53% chance Celtics win
🐺 Timberwolves at 🌉 Warriors
Can Golden State find a spark down 2–1 or is the series slipping away?
Experts say 58% chance Wolves win
💡 What we learned today
The next time you see a step-back 3 or a buzzer-beating hero… remember it all started with a simple goal:
Keep kids moving. Help them play. Make it fun.
That’s the heart of basketball. And it’s why we love it still.
See you tomorrow, Smallball-ers!
Rowan loved the video about the original Knicks!