1. By: Isaac and Mitchell Basketball is a games played by two teams. Each team has 5 players on court and extra players on the bench. The team who scores the most points (baskets) wins the game. This game is played by men and women of all ages.

2. HISTORY A man named Dr James Naismish invented basketball in 1891 in Springfield Massachusetts U.S.A The games had two peach baskets, each 3 metres above the ground, into which a ball was thrown. When a goal was scored a long stick was used to get the ball out again. The game was very popular and spread around the world very quickly. It started off with 13 simple rules, the main one being that you had to bounce the ball continuously while you are running. The ball used was originally a soccer ball. The first women’s game was in 1893 and no men were allowed to watch.

3. Playing And Scoring Basketball is played on a court. The court may be indoors or outdoors. At each end of the court there is a basket. The basket is made of a hoop attached to the top of a pole with a net hanging from the hoop. A backboard is behind the hoop to help the ball go into the hoop. A player scores by throwing the basketball down through the hoop. Throwing the ball at the basket is called shooting. Scoring in basketball is quite simple. If you shoot the ball through the hoop from beyond the 3 point line you score 3 points. If you are anywhere inside the 3 point arc the score is 2 points. If you shoot from the “Free Throw Line” following a foul you are given one point only.

4. Playing By The Rules The aim of the games is to keep possession of the ball until you are close enough to the basket to shoot. A player can run with the ball if it bounced at the same time. This is called dribbling. Players may also pass the ball to each other as they run down the court. A player however must not run in to, hit or push any other player. If this happens it is called a foul. A player is allowed 5 fouls only and if they score this many they must leave the court and not return for the rest of the game.

5. Positions and Shots There are three main position in a game of basketball. They are guard, forward and centre. A guard is often the smallest and fastest players on the court who are good at dribbling and passing. Whereas the forwards are taller and because of this do a lot of shooting. The centre is usually the tallest player on the court. He needs to be an accurate shot and good at rebounding the ball if the shot is missed. Basketball has a number of different shots. Some of these are the slam dunk, jump shot and free throw. In a slam dunk a player must be close to the basket so he can jump up very high and slam the ball down through the hoop for a 2 point score. The most common shot in basketball is the jump shot. To execute this shot the player needs to jump and shoot at the same time. He can score 2 or 3 points with this shot. A free throw is awarded by the referee following a foul. The game stops and the player fouled gets to shoot undefended from a special line called the free throw line. This shot scores only one point.

6. Coaches and Referees Players are not the only people involved in the game of basketball. Other people important to the game are coaches and referees. Most basketball teams have a coach to decide who will be the guards, forwards and centre. He or she also has to sub players on and off the court. The coach helps the team improve their skills so they can play at a high standard. The referee is the one in control of the game. It is the referee’s job to watch the game and make sure it is played fairly and by the rules. He or she calls the fouls and stops and starts play. In many games there are 2 or 3 referees because the game is so fast and hard to control.

7. The Introduction of the Shot Clock The shot clock was introduced in the NBA in 1954. Its main aim was to speed up the game. With the introduction of the shot clock a team must attempt a shot within 24 seconds or a buzzer will ring and the ball will be given to the other team. Before the introduction of the shot clock many final scores were very low, usually below 30. After it was introduced the average final scores averaged 93 points per game. The clock is reset after a foul, if the ball is kicked or if a ball hits the rim of the basket but does not go in.

8. Famous Players Probably the MOST famous and well known player of all times is Michael Jordan. He was born on February 17 th 1963 in Brooklyn new York. He played for the Chicago Bulls and his jersey number was 23. He was a shooting guard who weighed about 98kg. His nicknames include Air Jordan and MJ. He was drafted in 1984 and played for 15 years in the NBA. He has been selected as an All Star 14 times in his career. Another very good player here in Australia is Kevin Lisch. He was born on the May 16th 1986 in Belleview in the USA. His position is also that of a guard. He weighs 86kg and is 188cm tall. His club is the Perth Wildcats.

9. Basketball in the Olympics Basketball for men was introduced into the Summer Olympics in 1936. The USA won all of the gold medals from 1936-1968 and many of the ones since then. Women first played in the Olympics in 1976. The Australian national team is called the “Boomers.” The first Olympics for the Boomers was in Melbourne in 1956. The Boomers are ranked 10 th in the world. Australia has played basketball in 12 Olympics but has not won any medals yet.

10. The Final Word Basketball is a very popular game and is played in many countries throughout the world. It can be played in the backyard between 2 people or at a stadium with 10 players on court. It is watched on TV by millions of people and draws huge crowds to the games. Most people in Australian would have seen the game played or played themselves at some time in their life.