James Naismith was a Canadian physical education instructor at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. In December of 1891, Luther Halsey Gulick (the director of the school) asked Dr. Naismith to find a physical activity that can occupy "a class of incorrigibles".
The class was tired of calisthenics [gymnastic exercises to acheive bodily fitness] and Dr. Naismith wanted to create a game that was fun and exciting; less about strength and toughness and more about skills and focus. He needed a game that can be played indoors in a relatively small space during the winter time, and to keep his football players in shape during the off-season.
He did a lot of research on different ancient sports and was inspired by a certain Aztec game called "Ollamalitzli" translated meaning "ballgame". The sport was basically a combination of soccer and basketball involved with two teams who tried to kick a ball into a small circular goal. Taking the task at hand, he rounded up two peach baskets and a soccer ball and 13 rules were developed for the new game.
