{"id":495271,"date":"2025-12-21T16:14:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T20:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.net\/en\/uncategorized\/basketball-celebrates-134-years-of-history-a-legacy-of-passion-evolution-and-global-glory\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T16:14:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T20:14:40","slug":"basketball-celebrates-134-years-of-history-a-legacy-of-passion-evolution-and-global-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/sports\/basketball\/basketball-celebrates-134-years-of-history-a-legacy-of-passion-evolution-and-global-glory\/","title":{"rendered":"Basketball celebrates 134 years of history: a legacy of passion, evolution, and global glory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Santo Domingo.-<\/strong> This Sunday, December 21st<\/strong>, the world celebrates 134 years since the creation of basketball<\/strong>, a sport that was born from the innovative vision of Canadian professor James Naismith in December 1891, and that over time has evolved into one of the most influential, globalized, and exciting sports disciplines on the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That simple game created by Professor Naismith in a gymnasium at Springfield University, Massachusetts, with a soccer ball and two peach baskets, has given way to a multi-million dollar sports industry<\/strong> that impacts millions of people on all continents. What began as an alternative to keep students active during the winter, is today synonymous with spectacle, human development, national pride and collective passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a Gym to the Five Continents<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since its inception, basketball has undergone an unstoppable expansion process. The founding of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)<\/strong> in 1932 marked the beginning of its consolidation as an Olympic sport, being officially incorporated in the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. <\/p>\n\n\nThe growth of basketball is not limited to the United States. In Europe, leagues like Spain’s Liga ACB, the EuroLeague, and France’s LNB have raised their competitive level. In Latin America, countries like Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic have consolidated their local tournaments and national teams.\n\nIn Asia, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Japanese B.League have gained notoriety for both the quality of the spectacle and the investment and fanbase. In Africa, the creation of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) with the support of the National Basketball Association (NBA) <\/a><\/strong>and FIBA is a clear sign of the promising future of this sport in all corners of the planet.\n\n\n

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Impact on the Dominican Republic<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\nIn the case of the Dominican Republic, basketball has been a vehicle for sports and social development. Figures like “Al Horford”, Karl-Anthony Towns, Francisco Garc\u00eda, “Chris Duarte” and many others have raised the tricolor flag high in the NBA and other international leagues.\n\nOver the decades, the sport has gained popularity in countries as diverse as Lithuania, Spain, Argentina, Serbia, the Philippines, China, Turkey, Australia, and, of course, the United States. Today, more than 200 national federations are affiliated with FIBA, making basketball a true global sporting power.\n\n\n

The NBA and the Global Phenomenon<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\nThe creation of the National Basketball Association (NBA)<\/strong> in 1946 was a turning point. This league has transformed into the highest standard of professional basketball, giving rise to legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry, and expanding its cultural, economic, and social influence worldwide.\n\nThe NBA has not only grown in global audience, but has also seen more and more international players integrated into its ranks. Stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Don\u010di\u0107 (Slovenia), Joel Embiid (Cameroon), and Nikola Joki\u0107 (Serbia) are proof that basketball no longer has borders. Today, more than 25% of active NBA players were born outside the U.S.\n\n\n
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Expanding Leagues<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\nThe women’s leagues<\/strong>, in particular, are reaching a new level of recognition, with players like Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, and Sabrina Ionescu leading a revolution in the WNBA and in international competitions.\n\n\n

You may be interested in:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n3×3 basketball, now an Olympic discipline, has also demonstrated its popularity and urban appeal, attracting new generations and expanding the reach of the discipline. At the national level, basketball continues to grow thanks to the superior tournaments in each province, the formative leagues, the school programs and the institutional impulse of entities such as the Dominican Basketball Federation (FEDOMBAL). The country has participated in several editions of the FIBA World Cup and maintains a competitive place in America.\n\n\n

More than a sport<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\nBasketball has proven to be a tool for inclusion, education, and personal growth. It has become a platform to empower young people, foster teamwork, develop discipline, and open doors to educational and professional opportunities at all levels.\n\nIn many countries, basketball has served as an escape route from vulnerable environments, and as a meeting point between cultures. Its language is universal, and its values \u2014respect, effort, strategy, solidarity\u2014 are applicable to daily life.\n\n\n
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Today, on its 134th anniversary, basketball continues to reinvent itself. Technology, artificial intelligence, data analysis, streaming broadcasts, and the focus on women’s development are shaping the future of this sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\nThis commemoration honors the evolution of a sport that unites nations, inspires generations, and transforms lives. From the makeshift courts in humble neighborhoods to the great stadiums of the world’s major leagues, basketball keeps bouncing high… and has no ceiling.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Santo Domingo.- This Sunday, December 21st, the world celebrates 134 years since the creation of basketball, a sport that was born from the innovative vision of Canadian professor James Naismith in December 1891, and that over time has evolved into one of the most influential, globalized, and exciting sports disciplines on the planet. That simple […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5935,"featured_media":495272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[35743],"tags":[19211,71],"class_list":["post-495271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-basketball","tag-nba"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phj1q1-24Qf","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Captura-de-pantalla-2025-12-21-160654.jpg","dum_api":{"author_name":"Frank De la Cruz","author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c2789791c75551aa59d38b206f11e1cd3cf28702e2da17d53623d90308c8ff30?s=96&d=mm&r=g","categories_name":["Basketball"],"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cdn.deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Captura-de-pantalla-2025-12-21-160654.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5935"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deultimominuto.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}