Physical education instructor James Naismith, is credited as being the creator of basketball.  Naismith grew up in Canada and attended McGill University.    While in Canada, Naismith was involved in religious activities.  His earliest known autograph dated October 19, 1885 in Montreal, Canada, is in a small hardcover book entitled “The Constitution and Procedure of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.”  This book was auctioned by Heritage Galleries in Dallas, Texas, on April 23, 2009 for $1,015.75 (including buyers premium).

Naismith left Canada and joined the faculty of Young Men’s Christian Association Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts.   In addition to physical education, Naismith also taught Bible studies and psychology.  In November 1891, Naismith taught classes in a gymnasium and was assigned the task of developing a new indoor sport that would not entail the monotony of regular gymnasium exercises.

Nasimith borrowed from lacrosse, football, and a local sport called “duck on a rock” to create the game of basketball.  His original game had thirteen rules and Naismith wanted to use two boxes as catch basins for soccer balls.  Instead, the janitor of the building brought two closed-bottom peach baskets that Naismith nailed to balcony rails in a gymnasium.  Naismith said, “The baskets were about ten feet from the floor, one at each end of the gymnasium.” Naismith had two teams; each with nine players, and the players threw a ball into the baskets to score points.  The original game of basketball was played at the YMCA sym in Springfield, Massachusetts on December 21, 1891.  Naismith later wrote, “…the class did not show much enthusiasm…”

Collectors covet letters autographed by Naismith detailing the history of basketball.  Heritage Galleries sold an eight-page handwritten letter autographed by James Naismith detailing the first basketball game on December 7, 2006, for $71,700 (including buyers premium).

The game of basketball steadily gained in popularity. The 1936 Olympic games in Berlin was the first of the Olympic events to showcase basketball.  National basketball games are now televised and watched by millions of fans.  Salaries of professional basketball players rival those of other athletes in baseball and football.  Naismith spent the remainder of his life teaching physical education.  Naismith taught at the YMCA in Denver, Colorado, and later at the University of Kansas where he became their first basketball coach.

Many autograph collectors think of pioneering sports personalities as James Naismith in the same context as Alexander Cartwright, the inventor of baseball.  Autographs of James Naismith will continue to be highly treasured as long as basketball enjoys popularity as an international sport.

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Go to Famous-Celebrity-Autographs.com for a wide variety of autographs by famous people. This website is a valuable resource for autograph collectors. For a fascinating book with celebrity biographies that is illustrated with their autographed checks, go to Money Secrets of the Rich and Famous.

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