In the U.S. basketball teams make up about 13 percent of franchised sports; an average of 17,558 spectators regularly attend professional basketball games played by the NBA. The combined revenue from the 30 NBA teams is about $3.37 billion and rising. College basketball is also widely popular with millions of spectators each season and raking in multi-billions of dollars in revenue.

The team sport of basketball consists of two teams of five active players each that try to score points against one another by throwing a basketball through a 10 feet high hoop or basket under organized rules. Points are scored by shooting the ball through the basket; the team with the most points at the end of the game wins. The ball can be advanced on the court by dribbling or passing it between teammates.

Basketball has developed to involve common techniques of shooting, passing and dribbling and offensive and defensive strategies. While competitive basketball on the high school, college and professional levels is carefully regulated, many variations of basketball have developed for casual play. Competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport, played on a basketball court, while casual play often takes place outside.

Before there was professional basketball there was college basketball. Dr. James A. Naismith is credited with inventing the sport in 1891 and writing the original rulebook. He founded the University of Kansas basketball program and contributed many other pioneering innovations.

In 1939 the National Association of Basketball coaches formed the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which organized college basketball teams and included an end of the year tournament for each division. For more on the inception of the National Collegiate Athletic Association read sports magazines like the Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine.

Today in the biggest tournament in the NCAA is the Men’s Division I championship tournament, collectively known as March Madness. The single elimination tournament is one of the U.S. most prominent sporting events with millions of fans watching the tournament on television and the Internet, according to a recent article in USA Today.

In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed, organizing the top professional teams and leading to greater popularity of the professional game. The first game was played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers on November 1, 1946. Three seasons later, in 1949, the BAA became the National Basketball Association (NBA). Today the NBA is the top professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent and level of competition.

The list of great NBA players is long. Among them are Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. These players brought high level of skills as well as popularity to the sport. For more Hall of Fame basketball players read Sports Illustrated magazine and ESPN the magazine.