By Jeff Case
Were it not for the innovation one winter in Massachusetts by Dr. James Naismith, the game of basketball we all love around here would perhaps never exist. The founder of basketball has the sport’s Hall of Fame named in his honor, as well as a trophy and is an icon in the game at large. It was in 1891 that Naismith — while serving as a teacher at YMCA International Training College in Springfield, Mass. — would develop the first rules and oversee the first game of basketball.
But what was that inaugural game of basketball like?
The New York Times‘ Richard Sandomir reports on a recently unearthed two-and-a-half minute radio interview Naismith did in the 1930s that may be the only existing recording of Naismith’s voice. It’s a cool listen for both the nostalgia factor and to hear the father of basketball explain how that first game went down.
