Basketball is hardly the same game it was when it first started out. Today, you might even notice that the teams play with strategies far removed from those in the 1990s. Even then, the game played during the golden age of the legends of basketball would, in turn, be alien to the kind of basketball first proposed by Dr. James Naismith.
The 13 rules of 'boxball'
Basketball was supposed to be played using an adapted box, which had been replaced by modified peach basket. The original ball was also an adapted soccer ball. Much like today, the object of the game was to dribble and shoot the ball into place. The hole in the basket was added later after Dr. N got sick of having to retrieve the ball repeatedly.
 |
| Image source: hooptactics.com |
Way back in the formative years of the sport, there were only 13 rules. Compare that to the more than 100 rules we have today. One of the most obvious changes in the rules was in the number of players on the court at one time, which didn’t have much of a limit. Today, there are only five players allowed on the court per team.
Picking up the pace
High schools and colleges gradually adopted the sport as it grew more popular. However, this spelled the arrival of many of the changes that led to the game we have today. This was owing to the growing incidence of injury. Even with the changes, it was still an incredibly slow game; the teams had no limits to how long they can hold on to the ball before attempting to shoot, plus games were low-scoring.
 |
| Image source: livestrong.com |
This all changed with the arrival of the shot clock in 1954, which brought speed to the game by giving teams only 24 seconds to score. This also forced a change in strategy for basketball, which now became the fast-paced game that fans enjoy today.
I'm John Bradberry, college student and all around sports fan, Charlotte, NC, born and raised. Catch more thoughts, views, and trivia on basketball and other sports on my blog.
