141-609: William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. A member of the Democratic Party , he was a United States senator from New Jersey from 1979 to 1997 and a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination for president in the 2000 election , which he lost to Vice President Al Gore . Bradley was born and raised in Crystal City, Missouri ,
282-471: A Rhodes Scholarship at Worcester College, Oxford . At Princeton, Bradley was taught by John William Ward . His years at Princeton was the subject of Pulitzer Prize -winning author John McPhee 's January 23, 1965, article " A Sense of Where You Are " in The New Yorker , which McPhee expanded into a book of the same name. The title came from Bradley's explanation for his ability to repeatedly throw
423-438: A rebound , that is, a missed shot that bounces from rim or backboard. It is a violation to lift or drag one's pivot foot without dribbling the ball , to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling . The five players on each side fall into five playing positions . The tallest player is usually the center , the second-tallest and strongest is the power forward , a slightly shorter but more agile player
564-477: A Sunday afternoon as an excuse for non-action, as a fix to help them escape their own everyday problems, and society's problems. The toll of providing that experience is beginning to register on me "Are you being subtly programmed into being a certain kind of person with a narrow range of traditional career alternatives?" Bradley asked the audience. "If so, rebel". After four years of political campaigning for Democratic candidates around New Jersey, Bradley decided in
705-404: A backboard that measures 6 by 3.5 feet (1.8 by 1.1 meters) and one basket is at each end of the court. The white outlined box on the backboard is 18 inches (46 cm) high and 2 feet (61 cm) wide. At almost all levels of competition, the top of the rim is exactly 10 feet (3.05 meters) above the court and 4 feet (1.22 meters) inside the baseline. While variation is possible in the dimensions of
846-495: A basket mounted on a wall. Naismith wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto an elevated track. Naismith initially set up the peach basket with its bottom intact, which meant that the ball had to be retrieved manually after each "basket" or point scored. This quickly proved tedious, so Naismith removed the bottom of the basket to allow the balls to be poked out with a long dowel after each scored basket. Shortly after, Senda Berenson , instructor of physical culture at
987-624: A basketball over his shoulder and into the basket while looking away from it. In 1965, Bradley received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement . Bradley's graduation year, 1965, was the last year that the NBA's territorial rule was in effect, which gave professional teams first rights to draft players who attended college within 50 miles of the team. The New York Knicks —one mile closer to Princeton than
1128-501: A children's game called duck on a rock , as many had failed before it. Frank Mahan, one of the players from the original first game, approached Naismith after the Christmas break, in early 1892, asking him what he intended to call his new game. Naismith replied that he had not thought of it because he had been focused on just getting the game started. Mahan suggested that it be called "Naismith ball", at which he laughed, saying that
1269-614: A citation that described him in part as "an outstandingly distinguished athlete, a weighty pillar of the Senate, and still a powerful advocate of the weak". In 2007 Bradley was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award . This award is given in recognition of community service more than 25 years after a scout first earns the Eagle badge. In January 2004, Bradley and Gore both endorsed Howard Dean for president in
1410-406: A day. He put ten pounds of lead slivers in his sneakers, set up chairs as opponents and dribbled in a slalom fashion around them, and wore eyeglass frames that had a piece of cardboard taped to them so that he could not see the floor, for "a good dribbler never looks at the ball." Bradley was considered to be the top high school basketball player in the country. He initially chose to attend Duke in
1551-547: A distant second during each of the primaries on Super Tuesday . On March 9, 2000, after failing to win any of the first 20 primaries and caucuses in the election process, Bradley withdrew his campaign and endorsed Gore; he ruled out the idea of running as the vice-presidential candidate and did not answer questions about possible future runs for the presidency. He said that he would continue to speak out regarding his brand of politics, calling for campaign finance reform, gun control, and increased health care insurance. In 1999 Bradley
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#17328013928271692-405: A dribble, the player cannot carry the ball by placing their hand on the bottom of the ball; doing so is known as carrying the ball . A team, once having established ball control in the front half of their court, may not return the ball to the backcourt and be the first to touch it. A violation of these rules results in loss of possession. The ball may not be kicked, nor be struck with the fist. For
1833-614: A former professional basketball player, had told him ten years earlier that professional sports could help prepare him for politics, depending on what he did with his non-playing time. A year after the Lipsyte conversation, Bradley gave a speech to 113 top Missouri scholar-athletes. Instead of just congratulations as they expected, the NBA starter quoted Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell in giving advice he wished he had heard in high school: Thousands of people who do not know me use my participation on
1974-466: A half-time break under FIBA, NBA, and NCAA rules and 10 minutes in United States high schools. Overtime periods are five minutes in length except for high school, which is four minutes in length. Teams exchange baskets for the second half. The time allowed is actual playing time; the clock is stopped while the play is not active. Therefore, games generally take much longer to complete than
2115-574: A matchup of skills and the will to win." During his NBA career, Bradley used his fame on the court to explore social as well as political issues, meeting with journalists, government officials, academics, businesspeople, and social activists. He also worked as an assistant to the director of the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington, D.C., and as a teacher in the street academies of Harlem . In 1976, he also became an author by publishing Life on
2256-512: A name like that would kill any game. Mahan then said, "Why not call it basketball?" Naismith replied, "We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it." The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany , New York, on January 20, 1892, with nine players. The game ended at 1–0; the shot was made from 25 feet (7.6 m), on a court just half the size of
2397-684: A non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. Bradley is a co-chair for the advisory board of Issue One , a non-profit whose goal is to reduce the influence of money in American politics. Bradley is a member of the board of directors of the American Committee on East-West Accord . And he has been member of the advisory board of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation . Bradley created an autobiographical one-man show, Rolling Along , which
2538-441: A present-day Streetball or National Basketball Association (NBA) court. At the time, soccer was being played with 10 to a team (which was increased to 11). When winter weather got too icy to play soccer, teams were taken indoors, and it was convenient to have them split in half and play basketball with five on each side. By 1897–98, teams of five became standard. Basketball's early adherents were dispatched to YMCAs throughout
2679-656: A record set by a member of the NBA's Syracuse Nationals . The following year, as a sophomore , he was a varsity starter in Butch van Breda Kolff 's first year as coach of the Tigers . In his sophomore year Bradley scored 40 points in an 82–81 loss to St. Joseph's and was named to The Sporting News All-American first team in early 1963. The coach of the St. Louis Hawks believed he was ready to play professional basketball. The AP and United Press International polls both put Bradley on
2820-506: A series of venues, including Catholic University , Georgetown and George Mason . The National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools was held from 1929 to 1942 at Hampton Institute . The National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held from 1941 to 1967 starting out at Tuskegee Institute . Following a pause during World War II it resumed at Tennessee State College in Nashville. The basis for
2961-478: A small town 45 miles (72 km) south of St. Louis . He excelled at basketball from an early age. He did well academically and was an all-county and all-state basketball player in high school. He was offered 75 college scholarships, but declined them all to attend Princeton University . He won a gold medal as a member of the 1964 Olympic basketball team and was the Most Outstanding Player of
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#17328013928273102-621: A smart athlete" by society, "or an athlete with character, but still a particular kind of object instead of a particular human being". In Life on the Run , Bradley wrote that he had intended to only play in the NBA for four years before signing a second contract for four more. The New York Times ' s review of the book stated that "it does not seem ... that there was much in the way of intellectual contact" with teammates, and speculated that after basketball "Perhaps he will turn to politics at last". In 1978 Bradley said that congressman Mo Udall , himself
3243-423: A standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a jersey with a clearly visible number, unique within the team, printed on both the front and back. Players wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Typically, team names, players' names and, outside of North America, sponsors are printed on the uniforms. A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach (or sometimes mandated in
3384-490: A student to teacher ratio of 12:1. The average ACT score is 20.8. 88% of students graduate high school and 79% go to college after graduating. In 2017, Crystal City High's football field flooded due to being on the flood plains of the Mississippi River . This was not the first time the football field has flooded, 2015 being the last major flood in the area. Bill Bradley announced his intent to run for President in
3525-653: A teacher after graduating; Gore offered a similar proposal. Bradley also made child poverty a significant issue in his campaign. He promised to address the minimum wage , expand the Earned Income Tax Credit , allow single parents on welfare to keep their child support payments, make the Dependent Care Tax Credit refundable, build support homes for pregnant teenagers , enroll 400,000 more children in Head Start , and increase
3666-678: A teacher and former high school basketball player. Politicians and politics were standard dinner-table topics in Bradley's childhood, and he described his father as a "solid Republican" who was an elector for Thomas E. Dewey in the 1948 presidential election . An active Boy Scout , he became an Eagle Scout and member of the Order of the Arrow . Bradley must surely be the only great basketball player who wintered regularly in Palm Beach until he
3807-490: A teammate's field goal attempt. Goaltending is a defender's touching of a ball that is on a downward flight toward the basket, while the related violation of basket interference is the touching of a ball that is on the rim or above the basket, or by a player reaching through the basket from below. Goaltending and basket interference committed by a defender result in awarding the basket to the offense, while basket interference committed by an offensive player results in cancelling
3948-591: A total of three referees on the court. The table officials are responsible for keeping track of each team's scoring, timekeeping, individual and team fouls , player substitutions, team possession arrow , and the shot clock . The only essential equipment in a basketball game is the ball and the court: a flat, rectangular surface with baskets at opposite ends. Competitive levels require the use of more equipment such as clocks, score sheets, scoreboards, alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated stop-clock systems. A regulation basketball court in international games
4089-562: A touring Canadian women's team based in Edmonton , Alberta, operated between 1915 and 1940. The Grads toured all over North America, and were exceptionally successful. They posted a record of 522 wins and only 20 losses over that span, as they met any team that wanted to challenge them, funding their tours from gate receipts. The Grads also shone on several exhibition trips to Europe, and won four consecutive exhibition Olympics tournaments, in 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936; however, women's basketball
4230-455: A viable candidate, and Bradley won by only a slim margin. In 1995, he announced he would not run for re-election, publicly declaring American politics "broken". While he was a senator, Bradley walked the beaches from Cape May to Sandy Hook , a four-day, 127-mile trip each Labor Day weekend, to assess beach and ocean conditions and talk with constituents. Bradley was criticized for neglecting constituent services while in office. Bradley ran in
4371-627: A winter season (April–September) and did so until the completion of the 20th season in 1998 . The 1998–99 season, which commenced only months later, was the first season after the shift to the current summer season format (October–April). This shift was an attempt to avoid competing directly against Australia's various football codes . It features 8 teams from around Australia and one in New Zealand. A few players including Luc Longley , Andrew Gaze , Shane Heal , Chris Anstey and Andrew Bogut made it big internationally, becoming poster figures for
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4512-444: Is 28 meters (92 feet) long and 15 meters (49 feet) wide. In the NBA and NCAA the court is 94 by 50 feet (29 by 15 meters). Most courts have wood flooring , usually constructed from maple planks running in the same direction as the longer court dimension. The name and logo of the home team is usually painted on or around the center circle. The basket is a steel rim 18 inches (46 cm) diameter with an attached net affixed to
4653-408: Is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court , compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately 9.4 inches (24 cm) in diameter) through the defender's hoop (a basket 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high to a backboard at each end of the court), while preventing
4794-609: Is a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society . In 2008 Bradley was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame . Bradley was born on July 28, 1943, in Crystal City, Missouri , the only child of Warren (June 22, 1901 – October 1, 1994), who despite leaving high school after a year had become a bank president, and Susan "Susie" Crowe (June 12, 1909 – November 30, 1995),
4935-404: Is called a shot. A successful shot is worth two points, or three points if it is taken from beyond the three-point arc 6.75 meters (22 ft 2 in) from the basket in international games and 23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m) in NBA games. A one-point shot can be earned when shooting from the foul line after a foul is made. After a team has scored from a field goal or free throw, play
5076-585: Is currently no tournament to determine a national high school champion. The most serious effort was the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at the University of Chicago from 1917 to 1930. The event was organized by Amos Alonzo Stagg and sent invitations to state champion teams. The tournament started out as a mostly Midwest affair but grew. In 1929 it had 29 state champions. Faced with opposition from
5217-430: Is out of bounds if it touches a boundary line, or touches any player or object that is out of bounds. There are limits placed on the steps a player may take without dribbling, which commonly results in an infraction known as traveling . Nor may a player stop their dribble and then resume dribbling. A dribble that touches both hands is considered stopping the dribble, giving this infraction the name double dribble . Within
5358-453: Is resumed with a throw-in awarded to the non-scoring team taken from a point beyond the endline of the court where the points were scored. Games are played in four quarters of 10 ( FIBA ) or 12 minutes (NBA). College men's games use two 20-minute halves, college women's games use 10-minute quarters, and most United States high school varsity games use 8-minute quarters; however, this varies from state to state. 15 minutes are allowed for
5499-471: Is self-discipline." Afraid that he was not qualified for Princeton, Bradley recalled that after almost failing freshman French and biology, he "just lived in the library". Bradley had three to four hours of classes and four hours of basketball practice daily, studied an average of seven hours each weekday, and up to 24 more hours each weekend, frequently spoke for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes around
5640-593: Is the WNBA ( NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship is also popular), whereas the strongest European clubs participate in the EuroLeague Women . A game similar to basketball is mentioned in a 1591 book published in Frankfurt am Main that reports on the lifestyles and customs of coastal North American residents, Wahrhafftige Abconterfaytung der Wilden (German; translates as Truthful Depictions of
5781-476: Is the small forward , and the shortest players or the best ball handlers are the shooting guard and the point guard , who implement the coach's game plan by managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays (player positioning). Informally, players may play three-on-three, two-on-two, and one-on-one. Invented in 1891 by Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts , in
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5922-624: The 1965 NCAA Tournament , when Princeton finished third. After graduating in 1965, he attended Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship where he was a member of Worcester College , delaying a decision for two years on whether or not to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). While at Oxford, Bradley played one season of professional basketball in Europe and eventually decided to join the New York Knicks in
6063-577: The 2000 Democratic presidential nomination . Bradley is the author of seven non-fiction books, most recently We Can All Do Better , and hosts a weekly radio show, American Voices , on Sirius Satellite Radio . He is a corporate director of Starbucks and a partner at investment bank Allen & Company in New York City. Bradley is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One . He also serves on that group's advisory board. Bradley
6204-561: The 2000 presidential primaries , opposing incumbent Vice President Al Gore for his party's nomination. Bradley campaigned as the liberal alternative to Gore, taking positions to the left of Gore on a number of issues, including universal health care , gun control , and campaign finance reform . On the issue of taxes, Bradley trumpeted his sponsorship of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 , which had significantly cut tax rates while abolishing dozens of loopholes . He voiced his belief that
6345-473: The 2004 Athens Olympics , the United States suffered its first Olympic loss while using professional players, falling to Puerto Rico (in a 19-point loss) and Lithuania in group games, and being eliminated in the semifinals by Argentina . It eventually won the bronze medal defeating Lithuania, finishing behind Argentina and Italy . The Redeem Team , won gold at the 2008 Olympics , and the B-Team, won gold at
6486-513: The 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey despite featuring no players from the 2008 squad. The United States continued its dominance as they won gold at the 2012 Olympics , 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics . Worldwide, basketball tournaments are held for boys and girls of all age levels. The global popularity of the sport is reflected in the nationalities represented in the NBA. Players from all six inhabited continents currently play in
6627-474: The Air Force Reserves . (The following year, Oxford allowed Bradley to take "special exams", enabling him to graduate.) He served six months on active duty as an officer, though the requirement was four years' service. (On March 6, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared that he would issue an executive order that Selective Service deferments for post-graduate study would henceforth be limited to
6768-517: The All American Red Heads Team , which competed against men's teams, using men's rules. By 1938, the women's national championship changed from a three-court game to two-court game with six players per team . The NBA-backed Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) began in 1997. Though it had shaky attendance figures, several marquee players ( Lisa Leslie , Diana Taurasi , and Candace Parker among others) have helped
6909-653: The Black Hills of South Dakota to the Sioux tribe that had been illegally seized by President Ulysses S. Grant under the threat of starvation of the tribe in 1877. The legislation proposed to keep Mount Rushmore within the US Park Service and 1.3 million acres of the Black Hills to return to jurisdiction under a Sioux National Council. The legislation died in committee. In 1988, he was encouraged to seek
7050-732: The EuroLeague and the Basketball Champions League Americas . The FIBA Basketball World Cup and Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament are the major international events of the sport and attract top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for national teams, like EuroBasket and FIBA AmeriCup . The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament feature top national teams from continental championships. The main North American league
7191-682: The National Federation of State High School Associations and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that bore a threat of the schools losing their accreditation the last tournament was in 1930. The organizations said they were concerned that the tournament was being used to recruit professional players from the prep ranks. The tournament did not invite minority schools or private/parochial schools. The National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament ran from 1924 to 1941 at Loyola University . The National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament from 1954 to 1978 played at
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#17328013928277332-822: The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in New York, was organized in 1938; the NCAA national tournament began one year later. College basketball was rocked by gambling scandals from 1948 to 1951 , when dozens of players from top teams were implicated in game-fixing and point shaving . Partially spurred by an association with cheating, the NIT lost support to the NCAA tournament. Before widespread school district consolidation, most American high schools were far smaller than their present-day counterparts. During
7473-527: The New York Knicks . Jackson was a vocal supporter of Bradley's run for the presidency and often wore his campaign button in public. Jackson announced his acceptance of the position of head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers while Bradley was campaigning in California in 1999, and he was a "regular draw on the Bradley money trail" during the campaign. Bradley later called it a "great honor" to be
7614-782: The Original Celtics and two all-African American teams, the New York Renaissance Five ("Rens") and the (still existing) Harlem Globetrotters played up to two hundred games a year on their national tours. In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed. The first game was played in Toronto , Ontario, Canada between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers on November 1, 1946. Three seasons later, in 1949,
7755-459: The Philadelphia 76ers —drafted Bradley as a territorial pick in the 1965 draft , but he did not sign a contract with the team immediately. While studying Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) at Oxford, he commuted to Italy to play professional basketball for Olimpia Milano , then called Simmenthal, during the 1965–66 season, where the team won a European Champions Cup (predecessor to
7896-572: The Soviet Union , Brazil and Australia rivaling the American squads. In 1989, FIBA allowed professional NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time. Prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics , only European and South American teams were allowed to field professionals in the Olympics. The United States' dominance continued with the introduction of the original Dream Team . In
8037-400: The University of Chicago , Columbia University , Cornell University , Dartmouth College , the University of Minnesota , the U.S. Naval Academy , the University of Colorado and Yale University began sponsoring men's games. In 1905, frequent injuries on the football field prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to suggest that colleges form a governing body, resulting in the creation of
8178-478: The University of Chicago , while Adolph Rupp , a student of Naismith's at Kansas, enjoyed great success as coach at the University of Kentucky . On February 9, 1895, the first intercollegiate 5-on-5 game was played at Hamline University between Hamline and the School of Agriculture, which was affiliated with the University of Minnesota . The School of Agriculture won in a 9–3 game. In 1901, colleges, including
8319-563: The deficit , which included, in 1981, supporting Reagan's spending cuts but opposing his parallel tax cut package, one of only three senators to take this position. He sponsored the Freedom Support Act , an exchange program between the republics of the former Soviet Union and the United States. Bradley was re-elected in 1984 with 65% of the vote against Montclair mayor Mary V. Mochary . In 1987, Bradley re-introduced legislation that would return 1.3 million acres of land in
8460-522: The second team , establishing him as the top sophomore player in the country; Bradley also hit .316 as a first baseman for the baseball team. The following year The Sporting News again named him to its All-American team as its only junior, and as its player of the year. At the Olympic basketball trials in April 1964, Bradley played guard instead of his usual forward position but was still a top performer. He
8601-620: The 1967–68 season, after serving six months in the Air Force Reserve . He spent his entire ten-year professional basketball career playing for the Knicks, winning NBA titles in 1970 and 1973. Retiring in 1977, he ran for a seat in the United States Senate the following year , from his adopted home state of New Jersey . He was re-elected in 1984 and 1990 , left the Senate in 1997, and was an unsuccessful candidate for
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#17328013928278742-466: The 2004 Democratic primaries. In January 2008, Bradley announced that he was supporting Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary . He campaigned for Obama and appeared on political news shows as a surrogate. Bradley's name was mentioned as a possible replacement for Tom Daschle as nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration after Daschle withdrew from consideration;
8883-546: The 2016–17 season, 980,673 boys and girls represented their schools in interscholastic basketball competition, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations . The states of Illinois , Indiana and Kentucky are particularly well known for their residents' devotion to high school basketball, commonly called Hoosier Hysteria in Indiana; the critically acclaimed film Hoosiers shows high school basketball's depth of meaning to these communities. There
9024-592: The BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). By the 1950s, basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball. In 1959, a basketball hall of fame was founded in Springfield , Massachusetts, site of the first game. Its rosters include the names of great players, coaches, referees and people who have contributed significantly to
9165-533: The Conference of Physical Training in Springfield to draw up general rules for women's basketball. Thus, the sport quickly spread throughout America's schools, colleges and universities with uniform rules for both sexes. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball . These round balls from " association football " were made, at the time, with a set of laces to close off the hole needed for inserting
9306-510: The Democratic nomination for president, but he declined to enter the race, saying that he would know when he was ready. In 1990 , a controversy over a state income tax increase—on which he refused to take a position—and his proposal on merit pay for teachers, which led the NJEA to support his opponent, turned his once-obscure rival for the Senate, future governor Christine Todd Whitman , into
9447-773: The Final Four MVP. In total, Bradley scored 2,503 points at Princeton, averaging 30.2 points per game. He was awarded the 1965 James E. Sullivan Award , presented annually to the United States' top amateur athlete, the first basketball player to win the honor, and the second Princeton student to win the award, after runner Bill Bonthron in 1934. Bradley holds a number of Ivy League career records, including total and average points (1,253/29.83, respectively), and free throws made and attempted (409/468, 87.4%). Ivy League season records he holds similarly include total and average points (464/33.14, 1964) and most free throws made (153 in 170 attempts, 90.0%, 1962–1963). Bradley also holds
9588-492: The G League has 31 teams. FIBA (International Basketball Federation) was formed in 1932 by eight founding nations: Argentina , Czechoslovakia , Greece , Italy , Latvia , Portugal , Romania and Switzerland . At this time, the organization only oversaw amateur players. Its acronym, derived from the French Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball Amateur , was thus "FIBA". Men's basketball
9729-665: The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). In 1910, that body changed its name to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The first Canadian interuniversity basketball game was played at YMCA in Kingston , Ontario on February 6, 1904, when McGill University – Naismith's alma mater – visited Queen's University . McGill won 9–7 in overtime;
9870-464: The Knicks retired his number 24 jersey; he was the fourth player so honored by the Knicks, after Willis Reed , Walt Frazier , and DeBusschere. He is one of only two players, along with Manu Ginóbili , to have won a EuroLeague title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. Politics was a frequent subject of discussion in the Bradley household, and some of his relatives held local and county political offices. He majored in history at Princeton and
10011-406: The McKinsey Global Institute, from 2001 to 2004, and is a member of the board of directors of QuinStreet and the private company Raydiance . Bradley is a senior advisor to the private equity firm Catterton Partners . Bradley is also a board member of DonorsChoose.org , an online charity that connects individuals to classrooms in need. He is also the Chair of the Advisory Council for Acumen Fund ,
10152-510: The Miss Head's School. In 1899, a committee was established at the Conference of Physical Training in Springfield to draw up general rules for women's basketball. These rules, designed by Berenson, were published in 1899. In 1902 Berenson became the editor of A. G. Spalding 's first Women's Basketball Guide. The same year women of Mount Holyoke and Sophie Newcomb College (coached by Clara Gregory Baer ), began playing basketball. By 1895,
10293-484: The NBA) for a short meeting with the players, are allowed. They generally last no longer than one minute (100 seconds in the NBA) unless, for televised games, a commercial break is needed. The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee (referred to as crew chief in the NBA), one or two umpires (referred to as referees in the NBA) and the table officials. For college, the NBA, and many high schools, there are
10434-404: The NBA, and U Sports (Canadian universities) play for both sexes, and 30 seconds in NCAA play for both sexes), holding the ball while closely guarded (5 seconds), and remaining in the restricted area known as the free-throw lane, (or the " key ") (3 seconds). These rules are designed to promote more offense. There are also limits on how players may block an opponent's field goal attempt or help
10575-704: The NBA. Top international players began coming into the NBA in the mid-1990s, including Croatians Dražen Petrović and Toni Kukoč , Serbian Vlade Divac , Lithuanians Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis , Dutchman Rik Smits and German Detlef Schrempf . In the Philippines, the Philippine Basketball Association 's first game was played on April 9, 1975, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao , Quezon City , Philippines. It
10716-543: The Run . Using a 20-day stretch of time during one season as the main focus of the book, he chronicled his experiences in the NBA and the people he met along the way. Bradley wrote that he was uncomfortable using his celebrity status to earn extra money endorsing products as other players did. Retiring from basketball in 1977, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983, along with teammate Dave DeBusschere . In 1984,
10857-462: The SAT , which—despite being likely in the top third of all test takers that year—normally would have caused selective schools like Princeton University to reject him. Bradley's basketball ability benefited from his height—5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) in the seventh grade, 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) in the eighth grade, and his adult size of 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) by
10998-593: The Savages : "Among other things, a game of skill is described in which balls must be thrown against a target woven from twigs, mounted high on a pole. There's a small reward for the player if the target is being hit." In December 1891, James Naismith , a Canadian-American professor of physical education and instructor at the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College ) in Springfield, Massachusetts ,
11139-428: The United States, and it quickly spread through the United States and Canada. By 1895, it was well established at several women's high schools. While YMCA was responsible for initially developing and spreading the game, within a decade it discouraged the new sport, as rough play and rowdy crowds began to detract from YMCA's primary mission. However, other amateur sports clubs, colleges, and professional clubs quickly filled
11280-459: The United States, basketball has evolved to become one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most significant professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition (drawing most of its talent from U.S. college basketball ). Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as
11421-454: The WNBA to break even this year." Measurements and time limits discussed in this section often vary among tournaments and organizations; international and NBA rules are used in this section. The object of the game is to outscore one's opponents by throwing the ball through the opponents' basket from above while preventing the opponents from doing so on their own. An attempt to score in this way
11562-478: The Wichita State game, his teammates forced Bradley to shoot by returning passes to him. Van Breda Kolff often encouraged Bradley to be more of a "one on one" player, stating that "Bill is not hungry. At least ninety percent of the time, when he gets the ball, he is looking for a pass." The coach described Bradley as "not the most physical player. Others can run faster and jump higher. The difference ...
11703-402: The act of shooting, depending on whether the shot was successful. One point is awarded for making a free throw, which is attempted from a line 15 feet (4.6 m) from the basket. Crystal City High School (Missouri) Crystal City High School is a high school in Crystal City, Missouri and the only high school in Crystal City 47 Public Schools . The high school has 161 students with
11844-412: The age of 15—and unusually wide peripheral vision, which he worked to improve by focusing on faraway objects while walking. During his high school years, Bradley maintained a rigorous practice schedule, a habit he carried through college. He would work on the court for "three and a half hours every day after school, nine to five on Saturday, one-thirty to five on Sunday, and, in the summer, about three hours
11985-407: The allotted game time, typically about two hours. Five players from each team may be on the court at one time. Substitutions are unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped. Teams also have a coach, who oversees the development and strategies of the team, and other team personnel such as assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers. For both men's and women's teams,
12126-495: The availability of food stamps . Although Gore was considered the party favorite, Bradley received a number of high-profile endorsements, including senators Paul Wellstone , Bob Kerrey , and Daniel Patrick Moynihan ; former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich ; former New York City mayor Ed Koch ; former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker ; and basketball stars Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson . Bradley and Jackson have been close friends since they were teammates playing for
12267-490: The basket if one is scored. The defense gains possession in all cases of goaltending or basket interference. An attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through certain types of physical contact is illegal and is called a personal foul. These are most commonly committed by defensive players; however, they can be committed by offensive players as well. Players who are fouled either receive the ball to pass inbounds again, or receive one or more free throws if they are fouled in
12408-414: The basketball is also regulated. For men, the official ball is 29.5 inches (75 cm) in circumference (size 7, or a "295 ball") and weighs 22 oz (620 g). If women are playing, the official basketball size is 28.5 inches (72 cm) in circumference (size 6, or a "285 ball") with a weight of 20 oz (570 g). In 3x3 , a formalized version of the halfcourt 3-on-3 game, a dedicated ball with
12549-503: The best possible tax code would be one with low rates and no loopholes, but he refused to rule out the idea of raising taxes to pay for his health care program, calling the idea of such a pledge "dishonest". On public education, Bradley proposed to make over $ 2 billion in block grants available to each state every year. He further promised to bring 60,000 new teachers into the education system in hard-to-staff areas over ten years by offering college scholarships to anyone who agreed to become
12690-415: The career point record at Princeton and many other school records, including the top ten slots in the category of total points scored in a game, but likely could have scored many more points if he had not insisted so often on passing the ball, in what his coaches called "Bradley's hope passes", to inferior teammates closer to the basket; he only emphasized his own scoring when Princeton was behind or, as during
12831-516: The champion dwindled after 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education began an integration of schools. The last tournaments were held at Alabama State College from 1964 to 1967. Teams abounded throughout the 1920s. There were hundreds of men's professional basketball teams in towns and cities all over the United States, and little organization of the professional game. Players jumped from team to team and teams played in armories and smoky dance halls. Leagues came and went. Barnstorming squads such as
12972-419: The circumference of a size 6 ball but the weight of a size 7 ball is used in all competitions (men's, women's, and mixed teams). The ball may be advanced toward the basket by being shot, passed between players, thrown, tapped, rolled or dribbled (bouncing the ball while running). The ball must stay within the court; the last team to touch the ball before it travels out of bounds forfeits possession. The ball
13113-415: The country, and taught Sunday school at the local Presbyterian Church . When practicing he did not move from a location on the court unless he made at least ten of 13 shots, and could detect whether a basket was an inch too low from the regulation ten feet. Bradley took losses personally, outraged when other freshman players laughed and joked after a loss. His only criticism of childhood hero Wilt Chamberlain
13254-439: The court and backboard, it is considered important for the basket to be of the correct height – a rim that is off by just a few inches can have an adverse effect on shooting. The net must "check the ball momentarily as it passes through the basket" to aid the visual confirmation that the ball went through. The act of checking the ball has the further advantage of slowing down the ball so the rebound does not go as far. The size of
13395-626: The development of the game. The hall of fame has people who have accomplished many goals in their career in basketball. An upstart organization, the American Basketball Association , emerged in 1967 and briefly threatened the NBA's dominance until the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Today the NBA is the top professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition. The NBA has featured many famous players, including George Mikan ,
13536-401: The election with about 56% of the vote. During the campaign, Yale football player John Spagnola was Bradley's bodyguard and driver. In the Senate, Bradley acquired a reputation for being somewhat aloof and was thought of as a "policy wonk", specializing in complex reform initiatives. Among these was the 1986 overhaul of the federal tax code , co-sponsored with Dick Gephardt , which reduced
13677-833: The ending of the game was replayed three times until the Soviet Union finally came out on top. In 1950 the first FIBA World Championship for men, now known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup , was held in Argentina. Three years later, the first FIBA World Championship for women, now known as the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup , was held in Chile. Women's basketball was added to the Olympics in 1976, which were held in Montreal , Quebec, Canada with teams such as
13818-499: The fall of 1961. However, after breaking his foot in the summer of 1961 during a baseball game and thinking about his college decision outside of basketball, Bradley decided to enroll at Princeton due to its record in preparing students for government or United States Foreign Service work. He had been awarded a scholarship at Duke, but not at Princeton; the Ivy League does not allow its members to award athletic scholarships, and he
13959-478: The first decades of the 20th century, basketball quickly became the ideal interscholastic sport due to its modest equipment and personnel requirements. In the days before widespread television coverage of professional and college sports, the popularity of high school basketball was unrivaled in many parts of America. Perhaps the most legendary of high school teams was Indiana's Franklin Wonder Five , which took
14100-810: The first dominating "big man"; ball-handling wizard Bob Cousy and defensive genius Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics ; charismatic center Wilt Chamberlain , who originally played for the barnstorming Harlem Globetrotters ; all-around stars Oscar Robertson and Jerry West ; more recent big men Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Shaquille O'Neal , Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone ; playmakers John Stockton , Isiah Thomas and Steve Nash ; crowd-pleasing forwards Julius Erving and Charles Barkley ; European stars Dirk Nowitzki , Pau Gasol and Tony Parker ; Latin American stars Manu Ginobili , more recent superstars, Allen Iverson , Kobe Bryant , Tim Duncan , LeBron James , Stephen Curry , Giannis Antetokounmpo , etc.; and
14241-406: The first-ever rights fees to be paid to a women's professional sports league. Over the eight years of the contract, "millions and millions of dollars" were "dispersed to the league's teams." In a March 12, 2009, article, NBA commissioner David Stern said that in the bad economy, "the NBA is far less profitable than the WNBA. We're losing a lot of money among a large number of teams. We're budgeting
14382-425: The game had spread to colleges across the country, including Wellesley , Vassar , and Bryn Mawr . The first intercollegiate women's game was on April 4, 1896. Stanford women played Berkeley , 9-on-9, ending in a 2–1 Stanford victory. Women's basketball development was more structured than that for men in the early years. In 1905, the executive committee on Basket Ball Rules (National Women's Basketball Committee)
14523-517: The game in an 80–78 loss to Michigan and their star player Cazzie Russell in the 1964 ECAC Holiday Basketball semi-final at Madison Square Garden, then led Princeton to the NCAA Final Four after defeating heavy favorite Providence and Jimmy Walker by 40 points. The team then lost to Michigan in the semifinals, but Bradley scored a record 58 points in the consolation game to lead the team to victory against Wichita State and earn himself
14664-489: The inflatable bladder after the other sewn-together segments of the ball's cover had been flipped outside-in. These laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith (whereas in American football , the lace construction proved to be advantageous for gripping and remains to this day). The first balls made specifically for basketball were brown, and it
14805-556: The league's popularity and level of competition. Other professional women's basketball leagues in the United States, such as the American Basketball League (1996–98) , have folded in part because of the popularity of the WNBA. The WNBA has been looked at by many as a niche league. However, the league has recently taken steps forward. In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ESPN . The new television deal ran from 2009 to 2016. Along with this deal, came
14946-572: The medical and dental fields.) Bradley joined the New York Knicks in December 1967, having missed the preseason and several weeks of the 1967–1968 season . He was placed in the backcourt, although he had spent his high school and college careers as a forward . Neither he nor the team did well, and in the following season, he was returned to the forward slot. Then, in his third season , the Knicks won their first NBA championship, followed by
15087-423: The mezzanine balcony of the playing court, but this proved impractical when spectators in the balcony began to interfere with shots. The backboard was introduced to prevent this interference; it had the additional effect of allowing rebound shots. Naismith's handwritten diaries, discovered by his granddaughter in early 2006, indicate that he was nervous about the new game he had invented, which incorporated rules from
15228-574: The modern EuroLeague ). Bradley was also a member of the Oxford University Basketball Club and helped lead the men's basketball team to back-to-back British University Sports Federation (B.U.S.F.) championships in 1965 and 1966 and the Amateur Basketball Association (A.B.B.A.) National Championship in 1966. Bradley dropped out of Oxford in April 1967, two months before graduation, to enter
15369-489: The nation by storm during the 1920s, dominating Indiana basketball and earning national recognition. Today virtually every high school in the United States fields a basketball team in varsity competition. Basketball's popularity remains high, both in rural areas where they carry the identification of the entire community, as well as at some larger schools known for their basketball teams where many players go on to participate at higher levels of competition after graduation. In
15510-402: The nearby Smith College , went to Naismith to learn more about the game. Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could teach, she started to organize games with her pupils, following adjusted rules. The first official women's interinstitutional game was played barely 11 months later, between the University of California and the Miss Head's School. In 1899, a committee was established at
15651-400: The new sport and the values it could teach, she instantly introduced the game as a class exercise and soon after teams were organized. The first women's collegiate basketball game was played on March 21, 1893, when her Smith freshmen and sophomores played against one another. The first official women's interinstitutional game was played later that year between the University of California and
15792-458: The offense, a violation of these rules results in loss of possession; for the defense, most leagues reset the shot clock and the offensive team is given possession of the ball out of bounds. There are limits imposed on the time taken before progressing the ball past halfway (8 seconds in FIBA and the NBA; 10 seconds in NCAA and high school for both sexes), before attempting a shot (24 seconds in FIBA,
15933-405: The opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line , when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws . The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with
16074-517: The position went to Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius . He has occasionally been involved in political matters, most recently consulting the Senate Finance Committee on tax reform along with former colleague Bob Packwood . He has worked as a corporate consultant and investment banker . He has been a managing director of Allen & Company LLC, since 2001, was chief outside advisor to McKinsey & Company 's nonprofit division,
16215-482: The presenter when Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. Bradley's campaign initially had strong prospects due to high-profile endorsements and as his fundraising efforts gave him a deep war chest; however, it floundered due to Gore's strong Democratic establishment support. Bradley was much embarrassed by his two to one defeat in the Iowa caucus, despite spending heavily there, as
16356-459: The score tied, an additional period of play ( overtime ) is mandated. Players advance the ball by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling) or by passing it to a teammate, both of which require considerable skill. On offense, players may use a variety of shots – the layup , the jump shot , or a dunk ; on defense, they may steal the ball from a dribbler, intercept passes, or block shots; either offense or defense may collect
16497-582: The score was 7–7 at the end of regulation play, and a ten-minute overtime period settled the outcome. A good turnout of spectators watched the game. The first men's national championship tournament, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball tournament, which still exists as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament , was organized in 1937. The first national championship for NCAA teams,
16638-421: The second in the 1972–73 season , when he made the only All-Star Game appearance of his career. Over 742 NBA games – all with the Knicks – Bradley scored a total of 9,217 points, an average of 12.4 points per game, and averaged 3.4 assists per game. His best season scoring average was 16.1 points per game in the 1972–73 season, during which he also averaged a career-best 4.5 assists per game. As in college Bradley
16779-468: The sport in Australia. The Women's National Basketball League began in 1981. Women began to play basketball in the fall of 1892 at Smith College through Senda Berenson , substitute director of the newly opened gymnasium and physical education teacher, after having modified the rules for women. Shortly after Berenson was hired at Smith, she visited Naismith to learn more about the game. Fascinated by
16920-528: The summer of 1977 to retire from the Knicks and run in the 1978 United States Senate election in New Jersey . He felt his time had been well-spent in "paying his dues". The seat was held by liberal Republican and four-term incumbent Clifford P. Case . Case lost the Republican primary to anti-tax conservative Jeffrey Bell , who, like Bradley, was 34 years old as the campaign season began. Bradley won
17061-438: The tax rate schedule to just two brackets, 15 percent and 28 percent, and eliminated many kinds of deductions. Domestic policy initiatives that Bradley led or was associated with included reform of child support enforcement; legislation concerning lead -related children's health problems; the Earned Income Tax Credit ; campaign finance reform ; a re-apportioning of California water rights; and federal budget reform to reduce
17202-572: The three players who many credit with ushering the professional game to its highest level of popularity during the 1980s and 1990s: Larry Bird , Earvin "Magic" Johnson , and Michael Jordan . In 2001, the NBA formed a developmental league, the National Basketball Development League (later known as the NBA D-League and then the NBA G League after a branding deal with Gatorade ). As of the 2023–24 season,
17343-634: The unions pledged their support for Gore. Bradley then lost the New Hampshire primary 53–47%, which had been viewed as a must-win state for his campaign to remain competitive. It also did not help that Bradley was overshadowed by Senator John McCain 's far more attention-gaining insurgent campaign for the Republican nomination. McCain was also ultimately successful, but he resonated better with independent voters and stole Bradley's "thunder" on several occasions, including an upset win in New Hampshire over eventual GOP nominee George W. Bush . Bradley finished
17484-657: The void. In the years before World War I , the Amateur Athletic Union and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (forerunner of the NCAA ) vied for control over the rules for the game. The first pro league, the National Basketball League, was formed in 1898 to protect players from exploitation and to promote a less rough game. This league only lasted five years. James Naismith
17625-454: Was a serious girlfriend in college. Bradley married Ernestine (née Misslbeck) Schlant, a German-born professor of comparative literature , in 1974. She has a daughter, Stephanie, from a previous marriage, and they have one daughter, Theresa Anne. Bradley and Schlant divorced in 2007. His partner since 2009 has been former LBJ Library director Betty Sue Flowers . Source * Ruled ineligible after tournament Basketball Basketball
17766-509: Was an aggressive player, pushing and shoving to intimidate and distract opponents. Bradley had an intense rivalry with Jack Marin , who played chiefly with the Baltimore Bullets , to the point of Bradley's "shrieking incoherently" at Marin on one occasion, and their exchanging slaps on others. Hall of Fame Knick's coach Red Holzman did not consider the physical aspect too serious, describing their rivalry as "two intense players in
17907-668: Was awarded the Honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D) by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Later in 2000, Bradley was offered the chairmanship of the United States Olympic Committee , which he turned down. In September 2002 , Bradley turned down a request from New Jersey Democrats to replace Robert Torricelli on the ballot for his old Senate seat, which another former senator, Frank Lautenberg , accepted. Oxford University awarded Bradley an honorary Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) in 2003, with
18048-403: Was common by 1896, with a rule against the double dribble by 1898. The peach baskets were used until 1906 when they were finally replaced by metal hoops with backboards. A further change was soon made, so the ball merely passed through. Whenever a person got the ball in the basket, his team would gain a point. Whichever team got the most points won the game. The baskets were originally nailed to
18189-632: Was created by the American Physical Education Association . These rules called for six to nine players per team and 11 officials. The International Women's Sports Federation (1924) included a women's basketball competition. 37 women's high school varsity basketball or state tournaments were held by 1925. And in 1926, the Amateur Athletic Union backed the first national women's basketball championship , complete with men's rules. The Edmonton Grads ,
18330-514: Was disqualified from receiving financial aid because of his family's wealth. Bradley wore #42 in honor of childhood hero Dick Kazmaier , who had won the Heisman Trophy at Princeton. He was so superior to the rest of the freshman team that coach Eddie Donovan chose lineups by saying "You, you, you, you, and Bradley". Bradley averaged more than 30 points per game for the freshman team, at one point making 57 consecutive free throws , breaking
18471-527: Was filmed before a live audience in a New York theater in 2022. The film debuted at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and launched on streaming service Max in February 2024. As a young man Bradley avoided women who wanted to date a celebrity. He wrote in Life on the Run that being famous had taught him what beautiful women experienced, "the unnaturalness of being a sex object". Future TV journalist Diane Sawyer
18612-506: Was first included at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics , although a demonstration tournament was held in 1904. The United States defeated Canada in the first final, played outdoors. This competition has usually been dominated by the United States, whose team has won all but three titles. The first of these came in a controversial final game in Munich in 1972 against the Soviet Union, in which
18753-601: Was founded as a "rebellion" of several teams from the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association, which was tightly controlled by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (now defunct), the then-FIBA recognized national association. Nine teams from the MICAA participated in the league's first season that opened on April 9, 1975. The NBL is Australia's pre-eminent men's professional basketball league. The league commenced in 1979 , playing
18894-485: Was instrumental in establishing college basketball . His colleague C. O. Beamis fielded the first college basketball team just a year after the Springfield YMCA game at the suburban Pittsburgh Geneva College . Naismith himself later coached at the University of Kansas for six years, before handing the reins to renowned coach Forrest "Phog" Allen . Naismith's disciple Amos Alonzo Stagg brought basketball to
19035-476: Was not an official Olympic sport until 1976. The Grads' players were unpaid, and had to remain single. The Grads' style focused on team play, without overly emphasizing skills of individual players. The first women's AAU All-America team was chosen in 1929. Women's industrial leagues sprang up throughout the United States, producing famous athletes, including Babe Didrikson of the Golden Cyclones , and
19176-538: Was one of three chosen unanimously for the Olympic team, the youngest chosen, and the only undergraduate. The Olympic team won its sixth consecutive gold medal. As a senior and team captain in the 1964–1965 season, Bradley became a household name . Only the third tallest on his team, but called "easily the No. 1 player in college basketball today", "the best amateur basketball player in the United States", and "The White Oscar Robertson ", he scored 41 points before fouling out of
19317-424: Was only in the late 1950s that Tony Hinkle , searching for a ball that would be more visible to players and spectators alike, introduced the orange ball that is now in common use. Dribbling was not part of the original game except for the "bounce pass" to teammates. Passing the ball was the primary means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the asymmetric shape of early balls. Dribbling
19458-647: Was present in the Senate chamber when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. Van Breda Kolff and many others who knew him predicted that Bradley would be Governor of Missouri , or president, by 40. His Rhodes application stated "I can best serve mankind as a politician". Bradley spent his time at Oxford focusing on European political and economic history. During his third year with the Knicks, Bradley told Robert Lipsyte that he regretted only focusing on school and basketball at Princeton; "perhaps considered
19599-754: Was that Chamberlain lacked a killer instinct . Others noted that Bradley seemed to lack enemies despite great athletic, academic, and social success. Classmate Larry Lucchino described Bradley as having an "aura ... of near-idolatry". All 15 Princeton University eating clubs asked him to join; Bradley chose Cottage Club . Fans shouted "Don't touch God!" when opposing players' bodies hit his on court. Roommates helped answer dozens of letters each week asking for autographs, mementos, and public appearances. Each year improving from mediocre freshman grades, Bradley graduated magna cum laude after writing his senior thesis about Harry S. Truman 's 1940 United States Senate campaign , titled "On That Record I Stand", and received
19740-543: Was thirteen years old. Bradley began playing basketball at the age of nine. He was a star at Crystal City High School , where he scored 3,068 points in his scholastic career, was twice named All-American , and was elected to the Missouri Association of Student Councils. He received 75 college scholarship offers, although he applied to only five schools and only scored a 485 out of 800 on the Verbal portion of
19881-402: Was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New England winters. After rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums , he invented a new game in which players would pass a ball to teammates and try to score points by tossing the ball into
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