Basketball was born more than a century ago. Basketball was invented in 1892 in Canada by James Naismith. In an effort to keep his students occupied, Naismith designed a game involving a ball and two peach baskets. What was just a game then has become one of the most beloved sports of all time.
National Basketball Association
In 1949 the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America merged into the National Basketball Association to help put basketball on the map as one of the world's greatest sports. The NBA is composed of 29 teams in the U.S. and one in Canada. The most successful franchises in the NBA are the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls.
Marketing Success
Some of the world's most recognized athletes are basketball players. The great feats accomplished by charismatic stars such as Micheal Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Kobe Bryant has helped the NBA market and promote some of the world most popular products, including Nike and Gatorade. This success has allowed basketball to explode as a lucrative business on the global marketing stage. The Lakers have become the most successful sports franchises on the marketing front.
Famous Players
Jordan is regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time. His list of accolades include that he is a five-time NBA MVP, a six-time NBA champion, a six-time NBA Finals MVP and a 10-time All-NBA First Team member. Furthermore, Jordan retired holding the NBA's highest scoring average of 30.1 points per game. Bryant is arguably one the best basketball players of his time and stands to break several of the records that Jordan once held.
Greatest Final Moments
Basketball's history is riddled with some of the most memorable sports moments of all time. In 1998, in Game 6 of the NBA championship between the Bulls and the Utah Jazz, with 41.9 seconds left Jordan landed a 20-foot jump shot to win the game. This moment is often regarded as one of the greatest basketball moments of all time.
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