Basketball

Basketball, team sport that has been transformed by the presence of African Americans and, as such, has been an important signifier of the cultural, political, and social changes in the United States for more than 100 years.

In December 1891 Canadian-American physical education teacher James Naismith, of the School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, was instructed to invent a new game to entertain the school's athletes during the winter season. With an ordinary soccer ball, Naismith assembled his class of 18 young men, appointed captains of two nine-player teams, and introduced them to the game of Basket Ball (then two words)

Since its creation, and particularly since African Americans entered the ranks of professional players in the 1950s, basketball has become one of the most popular and exciting games in the world. Black players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), including Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal, have helped to transform the game into a billion-dollar industry.

African American women such as Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie have expanded the game beyond its traditional male purview, and the long-standing tradition of women's collegiate basketball has inspired the creation of professional leagues for women, including the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The game has also become important as fashion: The logos of American basketball teams can be found on the clothing of children from South Africa to China. But although the elegance and power of black athleticism has now captured the respect and admiration of the world, for years it was forced to evolve in isolation, as segregation split America along racial lines.