Check out these fun facts about basketball. You’ll be surprised at how the game has changed! Imagine sitting through a basketball game that ended with a score of 15-12. Would you still enjoy the game if the slam dunk were illegal? 

• The first college level men’s basketball game featured the University of Iowa and the University of Chicago. Held on January 18, 1896, the final score was 15-12.
• Women played their first college basketball game the same year. On April 4, 1896, Stanford beat California with a score of 2-1. Nine players took the floor for each team. One of the best fun facts about basketball is that women couldn’t steal the ball. It was unladylike! Also, the uniforms for females had to cover every part of the body, except the head and hands.
• March Madness began in 1939, when the first NCAA tournament was held at the University of Illinois.
• The first baskets were peach baskets. The bottom of the net wasn’t left open until 1913. Before this time, the ball had to be retrieved after each basket scored.
• A soccer ball was the first basketball. The present-day basketball wasn’t introduced until 1929.
• Players climbed the padded walls to score a basket. In 1920, the backboard extended two feet from the wall of the court.
• Slam dunks were illegal in 1967. But, by 1976, the dunk returned!
• Three-point shots were established in 1986.
• Until 1937, the referee tossed a jump ball after each basket.
• Basketball was introduced as an official Olympic event at the 1936 Olympic Games.
• The National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America joined in 1949. Today, the group is known as the NBA, the National Basketball Association.
• Wilt Chamberlain scored the most points ever in a single professional game, 100.