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Basketball was invented in December 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor. He was teaching at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. His students needed a sport to play indoors during the cold winter months. Naismith wanted something that required skill rather than just strength and that could be played safely inside a gym. -
The first official basketball game was played on January 20, 1892, at the YMCA gym in Springfield. There were nine players on each team, and the score ended 1–0!