James Naismith
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James Naismith was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach, best known as the inventor of the game of basketball.
Naismith holding a basketball and basket
Sculpture in Almonte, Ontario. Identical copies are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Lawrence, Kansas.
The original 1891 "Basket Ball" court in Springfield College. It used a peach basket attached to the wall.
1899 University of Kansas basketball team, with James Naismith at the back, right
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library,
James Naismith
…have a losing record (55–60). However, Naismith coached Forrest "Phog" Allen, his eventual successor at Kansas, who went on to join his mentor in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. When Allen became a coach himself and told him that he was going to coach basketball at Baker University in 1904, Naismith discouraged him: "You can't…
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2026
A basketball sculpture soars into the sky above the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The entrance to the former site of the Basketball Hall of Fame near Metro Center Springfield