10 Fun Facts About Basketball


1. Basketball was invented in December 1891 by James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor. (source)

2. Basketball is the national sport of Lithuania. (source)

3. The first slam dunk contest took place in 1984. (source)


4. Muggsy Bogues was the shortest player in NBA history - Muggsy was only 5 feet 3 inches tall. (source)

5. Karl Malone holds the record for most free throws scored (throughout his career) at 9,787 free throws. (source)

6. Dribbling was not allowed in basketball until 1901. (source)


7. The steal rim of a basket in basketball is 10 feet high from the court floor and has a diameter of 18 inches. (source)

8. The first game of basketball was actually played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets that were nailed to a gymnasium balcony. (source)

9. Some basketball rules actually came from the children's game called "Duck on a Rock". (source)

10. The average height for a NBA player is 6 feet 6 inches tall (which is about 8 inches taller than the average height for males in the United States). (source)