Basketball—From Springfield to Cubbonpet: Devanga Union and Professor N.C. Parappa.
Introduction of Basketball and Its Arrival in India Basketball was invented in 1891 by the late Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Tasked with creating an indoor game to keep students physically active during the harsh winter months, Naismith devised a sport using a soccer ball and two peach baskets as goals. The first official game was played on 21 December 1891. From these humble beginnings, basketball evolved into one of the world's most popular and widely played sports. The game was introduced to India around 1930 through the efforts of the YMCA. The early development of basketball in the country is closely associated with Harry Crowe Buck, founder of the YMCA College of Physical Education, Chennai. Through YMCA centres and sports clubs, basketball gradually spread across India, promoting physical fitness, discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. The inclusion of basketball as...