Basketball

History of basketball

There are some great websites to find out about the history and rules of basketball.

Britannica School

This is one of the EPIC resources, which is a collection of reliable databases covering lots of different topics. It’s put together for New Zealand school students and helps to answer questions like this.

• Select the Primary level and search for the keyword ‘basketball’.

• Select the article basketball (sport) to read about the rules and equipment of the sport.

• Choose the article Michael Jordan (U.S. athlete) to read about one of the most famous American basketball players in the world.

• To find further information and articles suitable for older children choose Article Reading Level 2 from the top of the page.

Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.

FIBA International Basketball Federation

Founded in 1932, FIBA oversees 213 National Basketball Federations from all over the world. It governs the sport of basketball worldwide; promoting basketball, making rules and holding events such as the Basketball World Cup, the Olympics and other international basketball events.

This is a great website for the latest news and rankings around the world.

• Look under the tab Rankings to see the top ranked teams for Men, Women, Boys, and Girls.

• Select the tab Hall of Fame to find about those who had a part in making basketball what it is today.

To find the official and up-to-date rules.

• On the homepage look down the page for About Us .

• Select the link Basketball rules.

• Under Document select the latest rules.

Tips: Many web pages have links to further information or to other recommended sites. Following these links is a great way to find out more. This searching method is called “pearl growing” because you are picking up pieces of sand to make a beautiful pearl!

Basketball in New Zealand

Basketball was introduced into New Zealand in 1908 and was run by the YMCA. The New Zealand Basketball Federation was formed in December 1971.

The websites below have more about the history of basketball in New Zealand.

Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about Aotearoa New Zealand. If we look down to the bottom of the page, we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.

• Look down the page to Sections then select Daily Life, Sport and Recreation.

• Under Sports, you will find a link to Basketball which is about early basketball in New Zealand, including the development of the National League and international teams the Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns.

Tips: A website’s address (URL) can give you a hint about how reliable it is. Look for addresses in the results that include .govt or .edu in the URL. These are quality sites from overseas government or educational organisations.

Basketball New Zealand

Basketball New Zealand is the national body for the sport of basketball in New Zealand. Their role is to develop, grow and promote basketball and the players of the game.

Here you will find up-to-date information about matches played by the Tall Blacks and Tall Fernsand local league games played in New Zealand.

• To find out about the current Tall Blacks or the Tall Ferns select the links found under the heading National Teams.

• To find the results of previous years, go to Competitions then look for the Results Archive.

Basketball leagues and cups

These websites have information on some popular basketball leagues and the Basketball World Cup.

FIBA Basketball World Cup

The Basketball World Cup is held every four years with the 32 best teams in the world competing. This official site has current news, videos and photos about previous Basketball World Cup events and matches, teams, and statistics and more.

• Go to More and then Events History to look for information and results from previous World Cups since 1950.

Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.

New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL)

This site is also run by Basketball New Zealand and is the home site of the National Basketball League (NBL) which is the premier men’s basketball league in New Zealand.

• Go to the Teams tab and choose a team. This has links to the team website and more.

• Explore the History tab to read about the history of the NBL and past men and women champions.

• The Stats tab includes Competition stats and Live stats.

National Basketball Association (NBA)

This is the official site of the NBA, a popular basketball league. There are 30 teams from across North America.

• There are links across the top of the page for all kinds of information.

• Games has results from the latest games.

• Select Standings to find out where different teams are placed in the league.

• Choose Teams to get links to official pages for the different teams, their players, games, stats, and more.

• Go to Players and select a player's name to find out more about them eg Steven Adams.

Books

Your school library or public library will have lots of books on basketball.

Here are some suggested titles:

• Slam Dunk by Mark Woods and Ruth Owen.

• The Everything Kids' Basketball Book: the all-time greats, legendary teams, today's superstars--and tips on playing like a pro by Bob Schaller with coach Dave Harnish.

• Legends: the best players, games, and teams in basketball by Howard Bryant.

• Basketball by Clive Gifford.

• Basketball for fun and fitness by Jeff Mapua.

SCIS no. 5354315