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CA-K133Culture & sport

Canadian-born James Naismith invented basketball

A statue of James Naismith in Almonte, Ontario, dedicated in 2011, photographed in 2012.
A statue of James Naismith in Almonte, Ontario, dedicated in 2011, photographed in 2012. Naismith statue, Almonte · D. Gordon E. Robertson · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.
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James Naismith, born in Ramsay Township, Ontario, invented basketball. In 1891, as a teacher in Massachusetts, he devised it as a non-contact indoor team game; Parks Canada designated him a National Historic Person.

Scope & context

Naismith and the invention of the game, not the history of basketball in Canada or professional leagues.

Sources behind this record

1
Naismith, James National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada (Directory of Federal Heritage Designations)

Importance; plaque text