Basketball

James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, holding a soccer ball and a basket

How a College Gym Teacher in Massachusetts Invented a New Sport to Keep His Students Entertained and Fit During the Frigid Winter

From a humble first game with peach baskets and a soccer ball on this day in 1891, basketball evolved quickly into one of the world's most popular sports

Muhammad Ali

These 17 Pictures Tell the Stories of Black Athletes in America

A new book from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture shows the images and impacts of athletes on and off the playing field

"Change Your Game / Cambia tu juego" looks at scores of innovations that improve performance, ensure safety and more accurately score games.

From the JogBra to Gatorade to Breakaway Basketball Rims, Sports Are a Field for Invention

A new exhibition at the National Museum of American History aims to inspire the next generation of innovators

Sports psychology research has increased dramatically in the last decade or so. 

What We've Learned Through Sports Psychology Research

Scientists are probing the head games that influence athletic performance, from coaching to coping with pressure

The Lakers were in town playing the Cavaliers in Cleveland over the weekend, so James took his Lakers teammates on a tour of the new museum.

A LeBron James Museum Is Now Open in Akron, Ohio

Museum-goers follow the star from his childhood apartment to his expansive NBA career

A game of doubles pickleball 

Why LeBron James Is Buying a Pickleball Team

The Los Angeles Lakers star is a fan of America's fastest-growing sport

Tinker Hatfield’s game-changing design for the Air Jordan XIII in pen and crayon, dated 1996.

What Made the Air Jordan a Slam-Dunk Design

The world is bonkers for sneakers. This pivotal 1996 concept for basketball superstar Michael Jordan is a big reason why

The Rolling Devils pose for a team photo, c. 1947.

The Paralyzed World War II Veterans Who Invented Wheelchair Basketball

In the late 1940s, paraplegics popularized the sport—and changed the game for the disability rights movement

The Bucks refused to take the floor in protest of ongoing police brutality and racial injustice across America. All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday were subsequently postponed and the strike quickly spread to the to other sports leagues.

Athletes Shut Down Sports to Protest Police Brutality

A sports curator at the Smithsonian provides his thoughts on the past and future implications of the events of the week

Michael Jordan, says Smithsonian sports curator Damion Thomas, "had a singular ability that distinguished him from all the other incredibly talented basketball players that always come to mind."

A Smithsonian Curator Reevaluates the Incredible Legacy of Michael Jordan

Historian Damion Thomas speaks about what made the NBA All-Star 'brilliant'

Following the news of the death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, this 2007 portrait by Rick Chapman is now on view at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

Smithsonian Historians Reflect on Kobe Bryant's Legacy as His Portrait Goes on View

A 2007 photograph of the N.B.A. All-Star offers visitors a chance to pay their respects

The Patents Behind Basketball

This March Madness consider how the sport has evolved in its 128-year history, through innovations in ball design, hoops and training devices

Despite statistical methods that help sports fans improve their brackets, the probability of a perfect bracket remains something of a mystery in mathematics.

The Mathematical Madness Behind a Perfect N.C.A.A. Basketball Bracket

Picking a perfect bracket is so unlikely that it will almost certainly never occur, even if March Madness continues for billions of years

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum was co-founded by two friends who have been collecting the figures for the past 16 years

Milwaukee Museum Features More Than 6,500 Collectible Bobbleheads (and Counting)

The duo behind project find the art in the unblinking figurine, displaying bobbleheads from all walks of life, including sports, pop culture and politics

Reebok marketed their slim, pliable Freestyle shoes to aerobics lovers in the 1980s.

A Brief History of America’s Obsession With Sneakers

Invented for athletics, sneakers eventually became status symbols and an integral part of street style

Small differences account for a shooter’s consistency.

The Math Behind the Perfect Free Throw

A basketball computer program simulates millions of trajectories in search of the ideal shot

What surprises will this year’s tournament have in store?

Can a Computer Model Predict the First Round of This Year's March Madness?

Two mathematicians at Ohio State University are using machine learning to forecast tournament upsets

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s New York Times Bestseller introduces young readers to impactful black inventors and innovators.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Travels from Court to Classroom to Highlight History of African-American Inventors

The NBA all-star says he hopes young students realize the power and influence they can achieve in STEM-related fields

“As a guard, what I liked about the ABA ball was the color,” said former ABA player Gene Littles. “It was a special feeling to take a long shot and watch those colors rotate in the air and then see the ball with all those colors nestle into the net. It made your heart beat just a little bit faster when you hit a 25-footer with the ABA ball.” -Loose Balls by Terry Pluto

The ABA Was Short-Lived, but Its Impact on Basketball Is Eternal

The spectacular play you see today owes a mighty debt to the revolutionary, slam-dunking basketball league

A Brooklyn Basketball Court Is Named After Notorious B.I.G.

Previous attempts to honor the rapper were stymied by community board members who took offense to Biggie’s lyrics, criminal history and even his weight

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