Ed.jpgToday is unofficially National Basketball Day.  It was on November 6, 1861 that James Naismith was born.    Thirty years later, Naismith was a young physical education teacher at a YMCA in Massachusetts with bored students who needed an indoor athletic distraction during the winter.  Naismith decided to nail two peach baskets to the balcony at both ends of a gymnasium.  He divided his students into teams and they attempted to toss a ball into the baskets…the game of basketball was born. 

According to notes kept by Naismith about the first "Basket Ball" game,  the game was played with nine players on each team using a soccer ball.   Today, even though the rules and equipment have changed slightly, basketball is played by more than 300 million people worldwide, making it one of the most popular team sports.

James Naismith may have invented the game of basketball, but Lifetime re-invented it.  Since 1986, Lifetime has truly transformed the game of basketball by bringing it to your home and your level.  So, in honor of James Naismith and his history-making invention, I wanted to share a few facts about Lifetime's own inventions and history:

  • 1986- Lifetime invents and patents the first basketball system that could be adjusted in seconds
  • 1992- Lifetime invents the first complete basketball system packaged in one box, allowing for mass distribution
  • 1993- Lifetime invents a blow-molded portable basketball base that is airtight and watertight
  • 1996- Lifetime invents the Power Lift®, the first one-hand, pneumatic height adjustment mechanism for basketball hoops
  • Today, Lifetime is the world's leading manufacturer of basketball equipment.
  • Today, Lifetime manufactures more than 60% of the residential basketball systems sold in the U.S.
  • Today, Lifetime manufactures more than 1 million basketball hoops each year

Pretty amazing to think that all of these industry-revolutionizing inventions were ALL developed by Lifetime Products, in Utah!  So, if you ever find yourself wondering which basketball system to buy, remember to look for the Lifetime brand - the company that re-invented the game of basketball by inventing residential adjustable height and portable basketball hoops!