Basketball is the core event of the Olympic Games. It is a physical confrontational sport centered on the hand. On December 21, 1891, it was invented by James Naismith, a physical education teacher at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1896, basketball was introduced to Tianjin, China. In 1904, the St. Louis Olympic Games held a basketball exhibition for the first time. In 1936, basketball was listed as an official event in the Berlin Olympic Games, and China also sent a basketball team to participate in the Olympic basketball event for the first time. In 1992, the Barcelona Olympic Games began, and professional players can participate in Olympic basketball games.
The International Basketball Federation, the highest organization of basketball, was established in 1932 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The league with the highest level of basketball in the contemporary world is the American Men’s Basketball Professional League (NBA). The highest level of basketball in China is the Chinese Professional Basketball League (CBA) competition. Women’s basketball did not develop until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1976, women’s basketball was listed as an official event of the Olympic Games.
