Basketball English

Lesson 18
 GUESS THE WORD BY SAYING OTHER WORDS IN
ENGLISH.
_ _ _ _ _ _ If the word you say contains a letter of the KEY word
you discover the letter.
What are the most important inventions in
basketball history?

Discuss with your group and make a list of 3 objects / things / rules + reasons why they are
important.
Creating and inventing
Complete the table for each of the verbs

VERB PERSON OBJECT / THING

Build Builder Building

Compose

Create

Design

Develop

Discover

Invent

Plan
 The greatest innovations in bball gear history - part 1
The beauty of basketball is its simplicity: Ball, Basket, Player – that’s really all you need. But since Dr. Naismith invented this thing in 1891,
there have been a few innovations that have revolutionized the sport. So, here are our top 5 basketball gear innovations that have helped
shape the game we know and love.

1. BOUNCING BASKETBALLS

In Dr. Naismith’s original 13 rules, there was no mention of dribbling or bouncing the ball, just that a player couldn’t 1. travel / travelled (run with the ball).

This was in part because they 2. use / used a soccer ball, which at the time was made from skin or leather, wrapped around an inflated animal bladder –

nasty for sure but more to the point, not guaranteed to stay round and bounce evenly. It wasn’t until 3 years later in 1894 when Naismith’s boy, A.G. Spalding

3. produce / produced the first basketball specifically designed to 4. stay / stayed round and bounce evenly. Amazingly, it still 5. taked / took until
1916 for the rules to be amended allowing players to shoot after dribbling. But the real hero here is the Industrial Revolution, which in 1942 led to the
development of the molded basketball with a rubber bladder.

2. CHUCK TAYLOR ALL-STARS

The #1 selling shoe of all-time, Chucks 6. was / were originally designed as a basketball sneaker and is what more than 90% of all ballers rocked on the

court in the 1960s. The Converse All-Star dropped in 1917, one of the first shoes with rubber soles and an extra tall canvas “upper”,the famous hi-top. In

1921, Chuck Taylor 7. joint / joined the Converse All-Stars company hoops squad and sold kicks at basketball clinics all over the country. More salesman

than baller (although he clearly had some game) his big innovation was to 8. add / adding a patch to protect the ankle, which convinced the higher-ups at

Converse to give Chuck his own P.E. In the 30s, they added his signature and the rest is basketball innovation history.
Checking memory

1. Which reasons does the writer give to say that bouncing balls are a great innovation?
2. What about the shoes?
3. What was the material of the first shoes?
4. Can you predict the next 3 innovations?
3. "SHORT" SHORTS

Nope, not giving John Stockton credit on this one. We date the innovation of “short” basketball shorts back to the 1920s. Before shorts were
invented everything was made out of wool so you can imagine what the locker rooms smelled like. But as the sport grew in popularity, players
wanted freedom of movement on the court, which led to the use of stretchable wool, sleeveless jerseys and those nut-huggers that amazingly,
remained in-style for more than 70 years (80 if you count Stockton).

4. BACKBOARDS

Much to our surprise, Tim Duncan did not invent the backboard. This innovation was born sometime between 1893-96 but it wasn’t to help those
early-gen bricklayers – they were actually to prevent fans from touching the balls while in play. By the early 1900s, players started using the
backboard to bank in shots and in 1919, Indiana University had a local glass company create 1.5” thick glass boards so fans in their new gym
could see all the action. Innovation for players AND fans…

5. COMPRESSION'S GRANDAD: THE JOCKSTRAP

We know, the mere mention of jockstraps makes you think of that old guy in the gym who still uses the hook shot as his go-to move. But on the
serious tip, what’s more important than keeping all your parts in the right place on the court?? Before there was padded compression, bike
shorts or sports bras, there was the jockstrap. Invented in 1874 to help “support” bike jockeys (deliverymen) while on the job, the Bike Company
(still around, btw) popularized the garment for all forms of athletic activity.
Which invention…

1. was made in the 1920s?

2. was made some years after basketball invention?
3. made a change on the looks of the players?
4. was done by a player?
5. helped player make more shots?
6. replaced an element from another sport?
7. is the predecessor of modern basketball gear?