One Of The Most Popular Sports In The World Started In Albany, NY

Basketball is one of the most popular sports on earth. It's played at every stage, from the Olympics to pickup games, and has become a popular pastime for millions.

Its inception is well documented, but did you know that New York's Capital is actually at the center of it?

The Invention of a New Sport

The story of basketball starts relatively close to New York's Capital Region. The game was first devised by a man named Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian Physical education professor at the YMCA in Springfield Massachusetts in 1891. He wanted to find a way to continue his classes on a rainy day, and began to create a game that could be played indoors, so no weather could interrupt it.

James Naismith and his first Basketball team in 1891

As he shot down idea after idea, he eventually came up with his masterpiece: a soccer ball thrown into a peach basket 10-feet above the ground. With some tweaking over the next few weeks, the bottom of the basket was removed, and basketball was born.

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The First Ever Basketball Game

While the sport was technically invented in Springfield, Massachusetts, its first game was not played for some time after. He spent some time in early 1892 attempting to find a name for the game, before settling on the simplest version (Basket + Ball = Basketball).

The Original Site of the Albany YMCA

Shortly after, the first ever game was played, and nowhere else but the YMCA in, you guessed it, Albany, NY. It wasn't exactly a barn-burner, ending with a 1-0 score. The only shot made was from 25 feet, and the game was played on a court half the size of a regulation NBA court in modern day.