The Evolution Of Basketball: Changes In Basketball

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Changes in Basketball Can you imagine playing the game of basketball without a three point line? Basketball has constantly changed throughout history and continues to change today. The National Basketball Association has risen in popularity and is now one of America’s most popular sports. Because basketball continues to be a popular sport, a fan should learn about the origin of the NBA, how the game evolved from the late 1940s to the early two thousands, and how the players today impact the way it is played. Although many sports are not considered American-made like soccer, basketball is one of the few sports that began in America. In fact, it is the only major sport that can be considered American-made (Encyclopedia.com Basketball). The …show more content…

When the league was formed, the game was only made up of seventeen teams, both from small and large cities(History.com Staff NBA is born). The first NBA finals was played in 1947, and the first All-Star game was in 1951(NBA.com NBA Top Moments). However, through the 1950s fan support was lacking. By 1954, the NBA was down to only eight teams(History.com Staff NBA is born). This same year a person by the name of Leo Ferris invented the twenty-four second shot clock. This helped speed up the pace of play, which allowed the game to become faster and more exciting. In the 1960s the NBA was beginning to grow, but a rival league known as the American Basketball Association of the ABA challenged the NBA. However, this didn’t last long, by 1976 the ABA and NBA merged into one league. Another milestone for the …show more content…

Today’s league contains thirty teams and these teams are divided into two conferences, the east and west. Fifteen teams are in the east and fifteen teams are in the west. Another way they are divided is there are six divisions that contain five teams each. Two NBA teams the Golden State Warriors, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have battled it out in the finals for the last three years and are the front runners this year(Trenchard NBA Then and Now). In today’s league, players are relying more and more on a three point shot(Segal 14). Players like Stephen Curry are revolutionizing the game of basketball with their shooting talent(Segal 15). This causes players to have to contain a three point shot in their arsenal to even be considered a superstar(Trenchard NBA Then and Now). There are now even more international players in the league today, and many of them show great potential. International players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kristaps Porzingis are just a few examples of rising stars in the game(Segal 79). As of today the NBA is in a phase known as the LeBron era because of how he took the league by storm ever since he arrived.(Segal 22). Right now, guards are being seen as more of the focal point of the team rather than big men(Segal 33). Some of today’s brightest stars include guards like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Stephen Curry(Segal 10). Last but not least,

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