Evolution of the basket

Having had the idea of inventing a game based mainly on dexterity, James Naismith sought "boxes" of 46 square cm in which players could throw a ball. That's why he went to Mr. Stebbins, one of the janitors of the University of Springfield, to ask for help. With only two old peach baskets in his storage room, James Naismith seized them and hung them on the gym ramps. The first basketball hoops had just been born.

As you can see, the original baskets were closed and required a ladder to retrieve the balls inside. Gradually the basket changed: the materials changed, a small chain on which to pull to drop the ball was added and a backboard was designed and introduced in 1894 to prevent any manual intervention from the spectators on the trajectory of the ball. However, it was not until 1906 that the net would be pierced definitely. This system was legalized in 1913-1914.