Basketball is a popular sport around the world. But do you how it was invented? James Naismith grew up in Ontario, Canada. He was a good athlete and loved games. After college, Naismith took a job at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. During the long winters his students grew restless. They needed a new game they could play inside. His idea was to toss a ball through a peach basket. The basket would be mounted on the wall ten feet above the floor. The required "shot" would be need to be a soft "lob" of the ball. With this idea basketball was invented in December, 1891.