Women’s basketball made its debut as a regular team sport for women in the Olympics at the 1976 Montreal Games. Women started playing basketball as early as 1892, or less than a year after the game was invented.

In 2019, the ground-breaking Basketball Africa League (BAL), was established and is a now a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. Basketball has also been a part of the Olympic program since its introduction at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.īasketball enjoys a strong presence in North America, especially the United States, Europe, Asia, and other regions. FIBA, basketball’s governing body, estimates that at least 450 million people worldwide are playing basketball today. Today, basketball has grown to become one of the most popular and widely played sports in the world. James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor, developed the game to keep his students active during the winter months. Backgroundīasketball was played for the first time on Decemat the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, after Dr. Combining an inspirational message with dexterous skills, these players showed the power of teamwork for peace and understanding.

The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters brought their basketball skills to the United Nations, where they scored big for its goals of peace, gender equality and the empowerment of youth.

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