Who invented basketball?

Basketball was invented in 1891 by the Canadian physical instructor James Naismith. He was born in Almonte, Ontario in Canada on November 6, 1861. At the tender age of nine he lost both his parents within three weeks. He got educated at Mcgill University and Presbyterian College at Montreal. He served in Mcgill University and Springfield College of Springfield, Massachusetts for three and five years as a physical instructor. At Springfield YMCA, under the orders and directions of Dr. Luther Gulick, head physical instructor, at Springfield Naismith was asked to create a new indoor game within 14 days.

The first game of basketball was played in December 1891. In 1898 he joined the University of Kansas faculty at Lawrence, Kansas.  At the University of Kansas, James Naismith was hired as a chapel director and physical instructor but he landed up being the school’s first coach for the basketball team.

At the age of 75, Naismith was lucky to see that the basketball was introduced in the official Olympic sports program in the year 1936. In 1937 he helped in forming the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball.

Towards his last years of life he worked as Professor Emeritus in the University of Kansas and then retired in 1937 when he was of 76 years. He served the institute for around 40 years. He died of a brain hamerroge in 1939 and was entombed in Lawrence in Kansas. In the 1995 book he was ranked the 4^th out of hundred most influential American sports figure.