Basketball was invented by James Naismith , a Canadian-American physical education instructor, in December 1891 at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith created the game to provide an indoor sport during the winter months that was less injury-prone and could keep athletes in shape. He wrote the original 13 rules of basketball and used two peach baskets as goals, which were nailed to a balcony 10 feet high. The game quickly spread through the YMCA network and grew into a popular sport worldwide.