Basketball may have been founded here in the US, but that doesn't mean the US has a monopoly over the sport in every aspect. Sure, the US has the best league (NBA) in the world but that shouldn't automatically give it the right to dictate other leagues in the sport. That's why FIBA exists!!! Let's not forget basketball is an international sport. Given your logic, since golf came out of Scotland, shouldn't the Scots control golf as well?
You don't seem to know about the history of American Pro Basketball, which goes back over 100 years. Basketball was invented in the US in 1891. US pro basketball came into existence by 1898. The early barnstorming teams were the foundation of the modern NBA - which was formed by a merger of the BAA and the (secnd) NBL in the late 40's. Pro basketball itself lasted for a LONG time prior to this with some teams able to trace themsleves back a quite a while, like the Harlem Globetrotters, the first Boston Celtics, the early Cincinattir Royals (the automakers sponsored teams early on)....etc etc. The inclusion of FIBA into the organization of amateur athletic unions is irrelevant to this analysis,even if we presume (falsely) that FIBA invented the rules and they remain some sort of Ur-like purity. I don't know how far early European pro-teams go back but I guarantee you it is well after the earliest American barnstormers were formed. But if you want to get technical about it, the true heir to Dr. Naismith's rules are those of the NCAA - because that's who he designed the game for back in 1891. Anyway, for more info about earlly American pro ball - read on: http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php/NBA_Roots The 1926 "Original" Boston Celtics. The gentleman with the pasty thighs is the great grandfather of modern day BBS poster B-Bob.
Actually, if you're gonna make basketball like soccor, to be international in scope, then well guess what? All the rules need to be uniform.
To be fair, The Panathinaikos Basketball team was formed in 1922, about 7 years before the globetrotters, 4 years before that Celtics picture was taken.
You missed the point. I was answering to a poster who said FIBA should follow the NBA and adopt their rules. I NEVER said FIBA invented the rules of basketball. Anyway, FIBA is the international body that rules World basketball and since 1934, USA are a member of it. FIBA rules are not the ones of Europe, but the rules of all the international game.
I have to say SamFisher, Scola's right about this one. It's not a matter of history we're debating here. We all know USA basketball came before FIBA and is thus more influential to the sport itself. But due to the rapid growth of basketball worldwide in the past decade and a half, FIBA is THE organization that regulates all the leagues worldwide. So if there's gonna be a new rule made to the sport of basketball, it goes through FIBA first and NOT the NBA.
