No major sport is as uniquely American as basketball. The sport has come a long way since students at a Massachusetts YMCA started throwing balls into peach baskets nailed to the wall. Today, some of the world's most spectacular athletes soar through the air in feats of athleticism on the basketball court. With the advent of the shot clock and the three pointer, the game became more exciting over the years. The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is one of the most popular sporting events in the United States, and the NCAA superstars go on to thrill NBA audiences as professionals. Kids play basketball across the country, from urban playgrounds in New York and L.A. to the gyms of Chicago and dusty farmland courts in Indiana. All that is needed is a ball, a hoop, and a dream. Each book in the Inside the World of Sports series takes you from the very beginning of a sport to a look at its future. Inside these pages, learn more about basketball's greatest moments, iconic athletes, and what the future holds for the game. Each title in this series contains color photos throughout and back matter including: a chronology, glossary of terms for each sport, an index, and further reading lists for books and internet resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons in this series are as follows: Educational Videos are offered throughout the first chapter, through the use of a QR code that when scanned takes the student to an online video showing a greatest moment in sports' history. This gives the readers additional content to supplement the text. Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced type in that chapter, so that readers are able to reference back to the definitions--building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Text-Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis.