THE GAME OF BASKETBALL.

The Basketball game can be enjoyed outdoors and can also be played indoors in a well constructed stadium. Players get exercise they need to stay fit and healthy. Basketball is one of the most popular and widely viewed sports in the world which also features in the Olympics. It is in North America where it is played mostly and the league is the best in the world.
Two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet high hoop under regulated rules. Points are scored by shooting the ball through the basket above; the team with more points at the end of the specified period of time wins. The ball can be moved on the court by bouncing it or passing it between team mates. Uncalled for physical contact is not permitted and there are instructions on how the ball can be handled.
It has developed through time to involve common techniques of shooting, passing and dribbling, as well as players' positions, and offensive and defensive structures. Typically, the tallest members of a team will play center(middle) or one of two forward(in front) positions, those who possess the best ball handling skills and speed, play the guard positions which is usually played by shorter players.
While competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport, played on a basketball court, less regulated variations have become mostly popular as an outdoor sport among both inner city and rural groups world wide.
HISTORY

Dr. James Naismith a Canadian physical education professor from McGill University of Montréal In early December 1891,sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New England winters. Finally after rejecting other ideas, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track.

In contrast with modern basketball nets, this peach basket retained its bottom, and balls had to be handled manually after each "basket" or point scored; this proved difficult, however, so a hole was drilled into the bottom of the basket, allowing the balls to be poked out with a long dowel each time.

Metal hoops with backboards replaced peach baskets. A further change was soon made, so the ball merely passed through, paving the way for the game we know today. A soccer ball was used to shoot goals. Victory was through earning most points, whenever a person got the ball in the basket.

Competitive levels require the use of more equipment such as clocks, score sheets, scoreboard, alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated stop-clock systems. The essential equipment in basketball is the basketball and the court: a flat, rectangular surface with baskets at opposite ends

Variations of basketball are activities based on the game of basketball, using common basketball skills and equipment (primarily the ball and basket). Some variations are only slight rules changes, while others are distinct games with varying degrees of basketball influences.
Wheelchair basketball is played on specially designed wheelchairs for the physically impaired. The governing body is the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF). Water basketball, played in a swimming pool, merges basketball and water polo rules. Beach basketball is another variation of basketball.