Bouncing to the history of basketball

Players getting encouraged to perform their best at the Shepparton Drill Hall. Year unknown. Photos: Lost Shepparton.

Basketball was invented in 1891 by a Canadian sports instructor named James Naismith, who wanted to create a sport that was less injury-prone than football. Now regarded as one of the most popular sports in the world, basketball established pretty quickly and grew increasingly popular throughout the 20th century.

The sport bounced into Australia soon afterwards, with the earliest reported game of basketball taking place on our shores in February 1897. Despite how early Australia was to adopt the sport, basketball has only really taken off in popularity locally over the last thirty years.

The top-level men’s National Basketball League began in Australia in 1979 and experienced rapid growth throughout the 1980s, with an influx of American players to the country throughout this time.

Zooming in even more locally, the Greater Shepparton Basketball Association has run competitions for juniors and seniors for over 20 years across seven clubs. The local basketball membership base is in excess of 2,000 seniors and juniors, with over 100 teams competing throughout the summer and winter seasons.

This week, we dribble, bounce and jump back into Greater Shepparton’s past with much thanks from Lost Shepparton and Shepparton Resource Centre. For more great snapshots of the region’s history, visit Lost Shepparton’s Facebook page.