Events And People In Basketball The father of basketball, Dr. James Naismith came up with the game in 1892 and the first game was played in Beaver Falls Pennsylvania on April 8 1893 between the New Brighton YMCA and the Geneva College.
The game was very popular and by 1914 as many as 360 colleges boasted basketball teams. In 1939, the first NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship tournament was held which was won by the University of Oregon.