Basketball was invented by James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor, in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891.

Inventor

James Naismith was a Canadian-born physical educator and coach who created basketball while working at a YMCA training school (now Springfield College). He is universally credited as the sport’s inventor and later became the namesake of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

When and where

Naismith designed the game in December 1891 at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, to provide an indoor activity for students during winter. The first game used a soccer ball and two peach baskets as goals and quickly spread to other YMCAs and schools.