James Naismith

James Naismith was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach, best known as the inventor of the game of basketball. After moving to the United States, he wrote the original basketball rule book and founded the University of Kansas basketball program in 1898. Naismith lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as well as the birth of the National Invitation Tournament (1938) and the NCAA Tournament (1939).

6 November 1861

Born on the same birth day (6 November): Aaron Hernandez • Aliona Bolsova • Emma Stone • Frank Vandenbroucke (cyclist) • Pierson Fodé • Thandiwe Newton

Born in the same month (November 1861): Adina Emilia de Zavala • Camillo Laurenti • Frederick Jackson Turner • Georgina Febres-Cordero • Jeff Milton • Lesser Ury • Luigi Facta • Spyridon Samaras