Basketball was created in 1891 by Canadian professor James Naismith, from the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) in Springfield, Massachusetts, in the United States. The idea was to serve as an alternative to outdoor sports, as the region has a very harsh winter.
Initially, footballs were thrown into peach baskets, fixed 3.05 m above the ground, a height maintained to this day, now with hoops fixed to tables. Soon, the players realized that it would be easier if the basket had an opening to retrieve the ball.
In the decades since its creation, basketball has gained popularity and new ways of being played. Check out some variations of basketball currently played:
Traditional
Traditional basketball has been played at the Olympics since the 1936 Berlin Games. The sport has 5 athletes on each side and has four halves of 10 minutes each. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. 2 or 3-point baskets can be made, depending on the area from which the shot is made. The free throw, when there is a penalty, is worth 1 point.
In a wheelchair Wheelchair
basketball began to be practiced by former combatants from the Second World War and the sport is very similar to traditional basketball. There are 5 players with physical-motor disabilities on each team, with standardized chairs. Athletes are classified according to the degree of disability, which varies from 1 to 4.5, and each team must have a maximum score of 14 on the court. Wheelchair basketball has been at the Paralympic Games since the first edition, in 1960.
3 x 3
3 x 3 basketball will be at the Olympic Games from the Tokyo 2020 edition onwards (postponed to 2021). This modality is played on half a traditional basketball court, with 3 athletes on each team. Shots from inside the arc convert to 1-point baskets and those from outside the arc, 2 points. The match lasts for a period of 10 minutes or until one of the teams scores 21 points. If normal time ends in a draw, extra time is played until the first team scores two more points.
Street
Basketball Street basketball stands out, mainly, for the technical and improvisation skills of the players. More important than making the basket are the movements to get to it. The dispute takes place anywhere where there is a table and a basket. The number of players can also vary, from 1 to 5 on each team, according to the needs of the group. Street basketball is closely linked to hip-hop culture.
