Naismith, James (1861–1939)

Canadian-born inventor of basketball. He invented basketball as a game to be played indoors during the winter, while attending the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1891. Among his books is Basketball, Its Origin and Development, published posthumously 1941.

Born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada, Naismith was educated at McGill University, where he later served as director of physical education. He received an MD degree from the University of Colorado and served on the physical education faculty of the University of Kansas 1898–1937.