Basketball | Live Scores

Basketball is one of the most globally popular sports ever invented, and uniquely, we know exactly who invented it, where, and why. The sport was conceived out of necessity — during a brutal Massachusetts winter when indoor physical education was desperately needed for restless students. From a gym with peach baskets nailed to a balcony, basketball has grown to become a 2.2-billion-fan global phenomenon with the NBA attracting the highest-paid athletes on Earth.

In December 1891, Dr. James Naismith was tasked by his supervisor at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts to create an indoor game that could keep students active and occupied during winter. Working with just a soccer ball and two peach baskets mounted 10 feet high on the gymnasium balcony, Naismith wrote 13 original rules on December 1, 1891. The first game was played the next day with 18 players — 9 per side.

The sport spread rapidly through YMCA chapters across North America and internationally. Early basketball featured players who had to retrieve the ball manually from the basket after each score — the concept of an open net did not arrive until 1906. Women were playing basketball within months of its invention, with the first women's game recorded at Smith College in March 1892, making it one of the earliest sports to embrace female participation.

The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was founded in 1946 and merged with the National Basketball League in 1949 to form the NBA. The NBA developed its iconic shot clock in 1954, dramatically speeding up the game. The Boston Celtics of the 1960s — led by Bill Russell — won eleven championships in thirteen years. The rivalry between Magic Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird's Boston Celtics in the 1980s revived the NBA and made it a national television phenomenon.

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics changed basketball forever. For the first time, NBA players were allowed to compete, and the United States assembled the "Dream Team" — featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and nine other NBA superstars. The Dream Team defeated opponents by an average of 44 points and inspired a generation of players worldwide. Basketball's global popularity exploded, and within a decade, international players like Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tony Parker were starring in the NBA.

Michael Jordan's six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s elevated basketball into a global cultural phenomenon. The Air Jordan brand, the Space Jam film, and Jordan's transcendent athleticism made him the most commercially valuable athlete in history. LeBron James continued that legacy from 2003 onward, winning four NBA championships and becoming the first player to score 40,000 career points. Stephen Curry's three-point shooting revolution with the Golden State Warriors transformed offensive basketball strategy worldwide.

By June 8, 2026, basketball is 135 years old. The NBA continues its global expansion, with growing markets in Africa, China, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Cambodia's basketball community is developing, with ZakGT covering the NBA and EuroLeague live. The sport's inclusion of 3x3 basketball at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics opened a new chapter, making the sport accessible to communities worldwide without full facilities.