For centuries, sports has become an integral part of American culture. Today, many of the world’s popular sports hail from the land of Red, White and Blue such as Basketball, baseball and many others.
The popularity of such sporting codes echo the rise of American influence on pop culture as a whole, from Coca Cola to Levis jeans. The debate of the most popular sport in America is a contentious one, however one thing we cannot argue against is, a fair number of American either participate in basketball or avidly follow it.
Inventor of basketball
Dr. James Naismith is credited with inventing basketball for his high school students in an effort to help them stay in shape during the ice-cold New England winter.
Peach basketball hoops
Early basketball hoops were made from peach baskets and the backboards were made of wire. Today some of the biggest basketball arenas such as The Staples Center play host to an array of Hollywood stars frequently spotted in front row seats of most NBA games.
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Starting line-ups
Originally, the starting line-up consisted of two teams of 9 players, which was based on the number of players in a baseball team. This was later revised to only consist of 5 players per team.
Allen Ray's horrific injury
Allen Ray was horrifically injured during a college basketball game and was lucky enpugh to see another day. His eye popped out after a Pittsburgh player injured him however doctors were able to pop the gauged eye back with his unaffected.
Biggest winning margin
Lebron James’ hometown team hold the record for the biggest winning margin which came against, coincidentally another team he played for and won championships with, the Miami Heat. The Heat were smashed 148-80 in 1991.
Jordan, the G.O.A.T
After Michael Jordan scored 63 points in a playoff game against Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics, Larry described Michael Jordan as “God disguised as Michael Jordan.
Globetrotting with the Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters have played as much as 20,000 games in 118 countries since 2008, including South Africa as one of their visited places. They are not part of the National Basketball Association. The Guinness World Record for the longest successful basketball shot was set at just under 34 meters set by Cory “Thunder” Law.
Banned shoes in the NBA
The National Basketball Association has banned Concept 1 propulsion footwear. These shoes have a compressing pad which activates as the player prepares to jump. This pressure is then store in the shoe and utilized again when the player prepares to jump again helping him jump a little higher.
Inventor of the shot clock
Danny Biasone is credited with inventing the shot clock during the 1953-54 season. This was to help speed up the game as some teams would hold on the ball and recycle play in a lethargic manner. This was cited as the “most important event in the NBA”.
One of the greatest NBA images, ever
Lebron James dunking while Dwayne Wade gallops away in celebration has got to be one of the greatest NBA images ever captured.
Bet on basketball with Betway
Betway strives to offer the most competitive odds on every popular basketball match available, across a number of international leagues. We also strive to provide a comprehensive range of betting markets for every sports fan to choose from across all of our fixtures. It’s only by offering the widest variety of games and markets that Betway remains a leader in the online sports betting world.
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