Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
James Naismith
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
James Naismith James Naismith
How March Madness made college basketball America's favorite pastime
Quizzes
Serena Williams poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy after winning the Women's Singles final against Venus Williams of the United States on day 13 of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (tennis, sports)
Great Moments in Sports Quiz
Stick figure illustrations holding hands with the Canadian flag.
Spot the Canadian Quiz
Cricket bat and ball. cricket sport of cricket.Homepage blog 2011, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics
Sports Quiz
Men fencing (sport; swordplay; sword)
Sports Season
Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal as Churandy Martina (left) of Netherlands Antilles and Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe come in after him in the Men's 200m Final at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Summer Olympics, track and field, athletics)
I Am the Greatest (Athlete)
Related Questions
Read Next
A ball swishes through the net at a basketball game in a professional arena.
Why Are Basketball Hoops 10 Feet High?
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
Car with a pickle design in the Zagreb Red Bull Soapbox Race, Zagreb, Croatia, September 14, 2019. (games, races, sports)
10 Unusual Sports
NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.
10 Great Sports Rivalries
United States' Kobe Bryant, left, drives past Puerto Rico's Elias Ayuso during in the third quarter of their FIBA Americas Championship basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007
Olympics: Basketball
Discover
Lead image for "A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps"
A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.
10 Great Sports Rivalries
Calendar marking march 15th
22 Questions About Time and Timekeeping Answered
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
Hemp (Cannabis sativa).
9 Mind-Altering Plants
Hindu Holi Festival celebrations with colored water, powder and colorful flower petals thrown over celebrants at a Hindu temple in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India on March 24, 2021.
Holi: Festival of Colors

James Naismith: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/James-Naismith
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Born November 6, 1861 • Canada
Died November 28, 1939 (aged 78) • Lawrence • Kansas
Awards And Honors Basketball Hall of Fame (1959)

Photos and Videos

James Naismith
James Naismith
How March Madness made college basketball America's favorite pastime
See All Videos and Images →
Dennis Johnson
American basketball player
Meadowlark Lemon
American basketball player
A Hall of Fame coach
John Calipari
American basketball coach
Bill Russell
Bill Russell
American basketball player
Spencer Haywood
Spencer Haywood
American basketball player
Steve Nash
Steve Nash
Canadian basketball player
Gregg Popovich
Gregg Popovich
American basketball coach
Larry Brown
Larry Brown
American basketball player and coach
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
American basketball player
Grant Hill
Grant Hill
American basketball player
Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd
American basketball player and coach
Rodman, Dennis
Dennis Rodman
American basketball player
Pitino, Rick
Rick Pitino
American basketball coach
Geno Auriemma
Geno Auriemma
American coach
Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson
American basketball player and coach
Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan
American basketball player
Don Nelson
American basketball player and coach
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
American basketball player
Riley, Pat
Pat Riley
American basketball player, coach, and executive
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
American basketball player

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Assorted sports balls including a basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, baseball and others.
American Sports Nicknames
Cricket bat and ball. cricket sport of cricket.Homepage blog 2011, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics
Sports Quiz
Serena Williams poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy after winning the Women's Singles final against Venus Williams of the United States on day 13 of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (tennis, sports)
Great Moments in Sports Quiz
A ball swishes through the net at a basketball game in a professional arena.
Basketball Quiz
Stick figure illustrations holding hands with the Canadian flag.
Spot the Canadian Quiz
Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal as Churandy Martina (left) of Netherlands Antilles and Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe come in after him in the Men's 200m Final at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Summer Olympics, track and field, athletics)
I Am the Greatest (Athlete)
MILANO, ITALY - SEPT 17: Allen Ezail Iverson during his European tour on September 17, 2009 in Milan, Italy
Basketball Player Nicknames
Men fencing (sport; swordplay; sword)
Sports Season
List
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
Demystified
A ball swishes through the net at a basketball game in a professional arena.
Why Are Basketball Hoops 10 Feet High?