History
Basketball was first played in Massachusetts in 1891. The game was created by James Naismith. Since the beginning it has been very popular and is becoming a worldwide sport. He used a basket as the hoop so when it went it it was very hard to get back out.
NBA
The NBA (National Basketball Association) is the professional league in America. There are 30 teams spread out among the US currently. The average height of a professional basketball player is 6'7. The tallest player ever was 7'7 and the shortest player ever was 5'3. Of the 30 teams 12 players are on each team.
Popular players
The most common NBA players are names everyone has heard of. The five most common names of 2017 are 1. Lebron James 2. Kevin Durant 3. Stephen Curry 4. Chris Paul 5. Russel Westbrook. People have also heard of Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Rules
Two teams of five players each try to score in a hoop. The game is played on a rectangular floor. Most games play 4 quarters usually about 12 minutes long. The NBA season is 82 games long then if you have a good enough record you go to the playoffs. You get no breaks from basketball they're always traveling from state to state.
Levels
Basketball has 3 levels: High School, College, and Professional. If you become a professional that doesn't mean you have play in the US. People can play professionally in other countries. Some athletes do this to either get more money or just to explore the world. Athletes can also come from other countries to play in the NBA.
Credits:
Created with images by paulbr75 - "outdoor basketball rim net"