Exhibition 1

Early Basketball

Basketball in its early days was different from the game we know today. The rules, the equipment, the strategies, the playing styles, the court, the venues, and even the reasons for playing at all, evolved over time.

Basketball was spelled “basket ball” until well into the 1920s. It was legal for a player to pick up his or her dribble and then keep dribbling. Until 1915, it was illegal for a player to shoot the ball if they had already dribbled. Possession of a ball that went out of bounds was awarded to the team that got to it first.

Many early courts were enclosed in a wire mesh cage to protect spectators from players going after such loose balls and to protect players from over-eager fans. That is why early hoopsters were often called cagers.