Basketball is a monumental presence in the shrinking global community of the early twenty-first century. On the strength of unprecedented commercial success in the 1980s and 1990s, basketball has become one of the most popular sports in the world. The game’s social influence extends to spheres of economics, race and moral debate, while its sensational artistry has revolutionized the appeal of athletic competition as an outlet for fantasies of unfettered greatness and triumph over unthinkable odds.

James Naismith, a physical education instructor at a community youth center in Springfield, Massachusetts, invented basketball in 1891 as an indoor diversion for young male athletes during the Northeast’s cold winter months. (Women have participated in basketball since its inception, but accomplished female players have historically enjoyed fewer educational and professional opportunities than men.) Basketball caught on quickly at high-school and college levels after its invention. By the late 1930s, national intercollegiate tournaments that brought together teams from all over the country had begun to thrive.

A strong economy and the return of troops from abroad at the end of the Second World War opened new avenues for the growth of professional competition. Basketball achieved its first sustained success as a commercial enterprise during this period. The National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed through the merger of two struggling professional leagues in 1949. From its beginnings in remote outposts like Fort Wayne, Indiana, and TriCities, Washington, the NBA plotted a steady rise through the 1950s, showcasing pioneer superstars like George Mikan and Bob Cousy.

The NBA’s introduction of a twenty-four-second shot clock in 1954 marked the beginning of an era of dynamic change for basketball. A faster, more competitive game began to take shape in the 1960s as an unprecedented influx of talent emerged at all levels of the game. A distinct basketball tradition that had taken root in inner cities was producing a growing number of African American players with unique skills. This urban tradition fostered individuality a development that was at odds with basketball’s legacy as a team sport. The rivalry between two African American NBA centers—Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain—embodied the struggle between these opposite impulses.

Russell, a thoughtful and unselfish player, expanded the scope of defensive play with his prolific abilities as a shot blocker. Chamberlain was remarkable for his dazzling, but selfcentered, offensive prowess. He remains the only player in the history of the NBA to score 100 points in a single game.

The advent of the American Basketball Association (ABA), an upstart rival to the NBA, in 1967 intensified the tug-of-war between finesse and teamwork. The ABA took its cues from inner-city playgrounds, where triumph depended as much on creativity as skill. ABA players expressed basketball’s appeal as entertainment, developing a freewheeling ease that favored spectacular shots like the slam dunk. Julius Erving (“Dr J”), the ABA’s marquee player, used his unusual mix of athleticism and grace during the 1970s to innovate the spectacular offensive moves that are standard fare in basketball competition today. Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, another outstanding player to emerge in the 1970s, stretched the bounds of the game further by combining an ethic of teamwork with a personalized style to become one of the most accomplished players in NBA history Abdul-Jabaar, along with Chamberlain, remains one of the league’s top three all-time scorers.

Despite the ABA’s profound influence on the game, the market for basketball could not sustain two major professional leagues. A flagging ABA was folded into the NBA in 1977.

Due in part to a string of scandals about drug use among players, basketball’s popularity began to decline after the merger. Some public criticism took on racial overtones, blaming the league’s difficulties on the fact that the majority of its players were African American. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, an African American known for his energetic and flamboyant style, and Larry Bird, a soft-spoken, white player from the Midwest with a consummate technical command of the game, are widely credited with rescuing the NBA from its troubles. In addition to their extraordinary talent, Bird and Johnson revived a longstanding rivalry between their respective teams, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the 1980s, with a foundation built on the intensity and creativity of Johnson and Bird, basketball entered the most transformative era in its history. The timely interaction of a variety of social phenomena during this period fueled basketball’s rise to untold heights of popularity and profitability. Michael Jordan, one of the most athletic and versatile players ever to compete in the NBA, is recognized as the most powerful catalyst for basketball’s meteoric rise in the 1980s and 1990s. Jordan’s spectacular talent and dramatic flair revolutionized the concept of basketball as entertainment.

Charming, handsome and well-spoken, Jordan’s capital as a media figure today rivals his value as an athlete. While an active player, he drew sell-out crowds all over the country and boosted television ratings. Jordan has parlayed this appeal into multimillion dollar earnings from corporate endorsements. Although sports stars have historically lent their images to advertisers, Jordan’s $2.5 million dollar contract with the athletic shoe company Nike in 1984 established product endorsements as a permanent part of the basketball landscape. In 1998 Jordan earned an estimated $70 million in endorsement and business deals—more than twice his annual salary from the Chicago Bulls.

Profound changes in the media industry during the 1990s also contributed to basketball’s growth. Advances in technology and the emergence of media conglomerates created new markets all over the world. Basketball’s expansion has extended new opportunities to female players, with the advent of a successful women’s professional league in the mid-1990s.

Corporate America played a central role in basketball’s prosperity in the late twentieth century. Companies sponsor exhibitions where aspiring high-school players showcase their abilities, universities are paid millions to use certain brands of athletic wear exclusively and shoe companies have even begun managing players’ careers. Players’ salaries have kept pace with basketball’s progress, increasing from an annual average of $260,000 in 1984, the year Jordan entered the league, to an average of $2.4 million in 1998.

Despite their enormous earning potential, the social status of basketball celebrities remains ambiguous. As money replaces education as the premium offered to promising high-school talents, growing numbers of players forego athletic scholarships to enter the NBA. High schools, colleges and city playgrounds have turned into high-stakes proving grounds for young athletes aspiring to lucrative professional careers (as seen in the documentary Hoop Dreams, 1994). Missed educational opportunities and the rapid transition into fame and wealth appear to have contributed to the unruly and irresponsible behavior of some players both on and off the court. Violent outbursts by players have become regular occurrences during games. Similar tensions have escalated between coaches and players.

These trends have sparked public debate over NBA players’ status as role models to millions of children. The skewed racial makeup of basketball seems to have complicated these dynamics. The NBA remains mostly white at the levels of management, ownership and, to a lesser degree, coaching, while the highly paid players are overwhelmingly African American.