Origins & Early Life

James Naismith ( NAY-smith; November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939) was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach, best known as the inventor of the game of basketball. First developing the game in Canada, he wrote the original basketball rule book after moving to the United States and founded the University of Kansas basketball program in 1898. Naismith lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, and to see the birth of the National Invitation Tournament (1938) and the NCAA Tournament (1939). He also lived to see the creation of half of the leagues that eventually became the present-day National Basketball Association, with the 1935 creation of the Midwest Basketball Conference before it became the National Basketball League in 1937.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Naismith studied and taught physical education at McGill University in Montreal until 1890, before moving later that year to Springfield, Massachusetts, where in 1891 he designed basketball while teaching at the International YMCA Training School. Seven years after inventing basketball, Naismith received his medical degree...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aleksey Yermolov — Contemporary (Died in 1861) (1861): Prominent Russian general known for service in the Napoleonic Wars and the Caucasian Campaign.
• Alfred North Whitehead — Contemporary (Born in 1861) (1861): Pioneering philosopher and mathematician who established Process Philosophy.
• Antoine Bourdelle — Contemporary (Born in 1861) (1861): French sculptor and teacher, pivotal figure between Beaux-Arts and modern sculpture.
• Ada Yonath — Contemporary (Born in 1939) (1939): Pioneering crystallographer known for elucidating the structure and function of the ribosome.
• Alexander Yegorov (general) — Contemporary (Died in 1939) (1939): Soviet military leader and one of the original Marshals of the Soviet Union.
• Alphonse Mucha — Contemporary (Died in 1939) (1939): Master of Art Nouveau, famed for decorative posters and The Slav Epic.
• Alexander S. Wiener — Shared historical date (11-06 · Died) (1976): Pioneering American biologist known for discoveries in serology and immunogenetics.
• Alfred F. Young — Shared historical date (11-06 · Died) (2012): Pioneering American historian of the Revolution and working-class social history.
• ʻAbdu'l-Bahá — Shared historical date (11-28 · Died) (1921): Successor to Baháʼu'lláh and guiding light of the Baháʼí Faith.
• Adria Petty — Shared historical date (11-28 · Born) (1974): American director, editor, and artist known for music video work with Beyoncé.
• 1861 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1861
• November 6 (11-06) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on November 6
• 1939 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1939
• November 28 (11-28) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on November 28