Surprising Basketball Facts – Escalon Times

Basketball is a fascinating game that enjoys popularity all over the world. Its appeal can be seen at both the collegiate and professional levels. In fact, the National Basketball Association (NBA) recently announced, at the dawn of the 2024-25 season, that the team’s rosters include no less than 125 international players, from a record number in 43 countries spread over six continents.

There is no denying that basketball attracts people. With many viewers excited about the exciting actions, it is a perfect time for fans of the game to expand their knowledge by learning some fun facts about the game.

Michael Jordan, often cited as the greatest player of all time, was once cut from his high school basketball team. Debates about the greatest player in basketball history will probably never be settled, but many fans are talking about someone nicknamed “His Air Highness”. In fact, Jordan’s impressive track record includes six NBA championships and six NBA Finals MVP awards. Understandably, those who learned about his career path thought his talents were evident from the start. However, this future five-time NBA MVP was not selected for his high school team in his sophomore year. Jordan ultimately used this rejection as motivation, averaging over 25 points per game in his final two years of high school.

In the past, dunks were banned at some levels. Few moments in the game of basketball are as electrifying as a fiery dunk, but such feats were once forbidden in school and college competitions. Between 1967 and 1976, high school and college players were not allowed to dunk, a rule that may have satisfied basketball purists worried about the dominance of taller players, but undoubtedly caused to the players’ confusion. In a 2023 interview, former University of Detroit player Terry Tyler recounted this confusion in his formative years. Interestingly, Tyler eventually participated in a dunk contest after participating in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1986, winning over the five-foot-seven Spud Webb, proving that concerns about taller players can be wrong.

Two men hold the record for tallest players in NBA history. Height is a major asset in professional basketball, as demonstrated by Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, both standing at seven feet seven inches tall. Surprisingly, Muresan, whose NBA career ended with the New Jersey Nets in 2000, found himself the second-highest player in a game in 2007. In an event that looked like a promotional draft with the Maryland Nighthawks of the American Basketball Association, Muresan played temporarily. along with Sun Mingming, a nine-foot-nine Chinese player, according to Guinness World Records.

Dribbling is not always a part of the game Today’s basketball players, who are skilled at handling the ball, do not always have this technique at their disposal. In the early years of the game, players moved by passing the ball, staying unthrown by a teammate. Details are scarce, but basketball historians agree that Yale University players were the first to dribble in a game in 1901.