Before we pump up our boots and get ready for a fast-paced game of basketball, let us know a little bit about the history of basketball. Basketball was the brainchild of James Naismith. He was born in Almonte, Ontario and was a Canadian physical education instructor. When Naismith was an instructor at the Springfield College (Massachusetts), with the help of American physical education specialist, he invented the game basketball in 1891. Over the century, rules of basketball have undergone a lot of change. Today, high school, college and professional basketball, all are played in a similar fashion. The difference lies between the length and the range of basic skills. There are five players in each team and they play the game with a single ball. The aim is to shoot the maximum number of baskets in the hoop and win the game. List of Basketball Equipment Basketball is one of the most popular games around the world. If one has a basketball and a hoop, they can play this game indoors as well as outdoors. If one is a professional, they will definitely need most of the equipment to practice. But, if one is just starting out and learning a few tricks of the trade, then the basic necessities will suffice their needs. The Ball The most important thing for training is a ball. Without a ball, one cannot possibly practice basketball. There are certain guidelines which one needs to follow when buying a basketball. For practicing, one can play with a rubber ball. For professional competitions, one needs to use an inflated ball made of leather. Official size of a basketball is 29.5 to 30 inches in circumference for men's game and 28.5 inches in circumference for women's game. It should weigh 18 to 22 ounces. When bounced off 6 feet from the floor, a well inflated ball should bounce 49 to 54 inches in height. Shoes One needs specialized shoes when playing basketball. It should be able to give better support to the ankle as compared to running shoes. The basketball shoes should be high-tipped shoes and provide extra comfort during a game. These shoes are specially designed to maintain high traction on the basketball court. The Hoop The hoop or basket is a horizontal metallic rim, circular in shape. This rim is attached to a net and helps one score a point. The rim is mounted about 4 feet inside the baseline and 10 feet above the court. Basketball Court The basketball court is the next important thing for shooting balls in this game. The court is usually made of wooden floorboard. The court size is about 28m x 17m according to the International standards. The National Basketball Association (NBA) regulation states the floor dimension as 29m x 15m. The standard court is rectangular in shape and has baskets placed on opposite ends. Backboard The backboard is the rectangular board that is placed behind the rim. It helps give better rebound to the ball. The backboard is about 1800mm in size horizontally and 1050mm vertically. Many times, backboards are made of acrylic, aluminum, steel or glass. Uniforms When one starts coaching a basketball team, the most important requirement for a team is to have a uniform. This helps one differentiate teams from one another. A uniform consists of a jersey (shirt), shorts, numbers on the front and back of the shirts for identification. Shot Clock The offense is allowed a maximum of 24 seconds to have a ball in hand before shooting. These 24 seconds are counted on the shot clock. If the offense fails to shoot a ball that hits the rim, they will lose the possession of the ball to the other team. Whistle The coach or referee uses a whistle to indicate the start or end of a game. S/he can even use the whistle to stop the play in the middle of a game. Whistle also helps to indicate fouls, timeout, or out of bound balls to the players. In order to get the attention of the players, many times coaches use the whistle to gather the players. It does not matter if one does not have every object mentioned in the list above. All that is needed is a hoop, basketball and proper shoes to practice the game. Hope the above information is helpful to those who are trying to hone their raw talent for a professional career.