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Oscar Robertson is the Milwaukee Bucks’ first star player. Known as “The Big O”, Robertson is a recipient of the MVP award in 14 professional seasons. Robertson is an inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame and also one of the 50 greatest NBA players in history.

The Milwaukee Bucks is the NBA team representing the city of Milwaukee in Winconsin.

Robertson’s Early Years

The NBA star was born to a poor family on November 24, 1983 in a segregated housing project in Indianapolis. Boys his age were into baseball but Robertson was not interested in the sport. Instead, he preferred to learn basketball. Because of their poverty, Robertson resorted to using tennis balls and rags which he tied together using a rubber band instead of a proper basketball. In place of a hoop, he shot these makeshift basketballs into a peach basket. With these improvised equipment, Robertson honed the skills that would later on propel him to stardom in the NBA.

School

In 1954, Robertson entered a segregated school that is exclusive for African-Americans, called the Crispus Attucks High School. Because of his love for basketball, he joined the high school basketball team in the state competition. The team had previously lost during the state quarterfinals to Milan, who would later on become state champions. However, with Robertson around, the team bounced back getting an excellent record of 31 wins and 1 loss in 1955 and won the state championship. This was the first time an all-black school ever won a state championship in Indianapolis.

The following season, Robertson and the Attucks won their second state championship. The team this time impressed the crowd with 31 wins with no losses at all. The team was also on the way to securing a state record of 45 straight victories. Because of his efforts — he scored 24 points for every game during his senior year — Robertson was awarded the title Indiana “Mr. Basketball” in 1955.

In 1956, Robertson graduated and entered the University of Cincinnati, eventually joining the university’s basketball team. His skills had improved to the point that he scored 33.8 points per game on the average. Robertson’s record was the third highest scoring in the history of college basketball.

For three years, Robertson won the national scoring title. In every year, he was named an All-American player and College Player of the Year. Robertson also set 14 NCAA and 19 school records during his stay in the University of Cincinnati. With him on board, the Cincinnati Bearcats had an overall record of 79 wins and 9 losses, as well as two appearances in the Final Four. However, he failed to lead the team into a championship despite his excellent record in high school. By the time he left college, Robertson was a leading NCAA scorer.

After college, Robertson joined the U.S. basketball team during the 1960 Summer Olympics. His team captain was Jerry West. Robertson and West, along with a few others, were regarded as the greatest collection of amateur basketball players. They were undefeated, and got the gold medal. Robertson and few others then made it to the NBA, where three of them became Hall-of-Famers.

NBA Years

Robertson’s first professional team was the Cincinnati Royals (which would later on become the Sacramento Kings). While he was with the team, Robertson made a mark as a rookie by scoring 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists during his first year with the Royals. His performance led to an NBA rookie of the year award in the 1960-1961 season, and an election into the All-NBA First Team. He also appeared in an All-Star game, during which the West scored victory and Robertson made a record of 23 points, 14 assists and 9 rebounds. However, the Royals during the season never made it past the Western Division with a record of 33 wins and 46 losses.

During the next season (1961-1962), Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 11.4 assists and 12.5 rebounds for every game. He was the only player to do so. He also broke Bob Cousy’s 715-assist record with his 899 assists.

Similar to his stay in the University of Cincinnati, Robertson failed to see a championship with the Royals until he left the team during a trade off in the 1970-1971 season draft. Traded for the Milwaukee Bucks’ Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk, it was with the Bucks that Robertson saw his first championship in 1971. He also helped the Bucks get two division titles during the 1971-1972 and 1972-1973 seasons, and also assisted the team to reach the finals during the 1974 season. However, the team lost to the Bolton Celtics during the season.

The Oscar Robertson Suit

The Oscar Robertson suit is a suit filed by the NBA Player Association — of which Robertson was president — against the league in 1974. The suit basically was settled after six years, which resulted to a merger of the NBA and the ABA, and introduced the free agency status of players after their contracts expired.

Attila Z Jancsina is a freelance copy writer. He occasionally writes for http://www.FirstWisconsinFSBO.com/ Website offers Free FSBO advertisement.

Basketball at the 2008 Olympic Games will be held at Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing from August 9-24, 2008.

Basketball is definitely a global sport that has shown continued growth over recent years. The USA with the NBA and its college basketball system undoubtedly has the toughest competitions in the world that attracts the world’s best players. However, the USA has not always dominated the Olympics and on several occasions they have been embarrassed by some unexpected defeats to lesser known teams.

The USA always enters the Olympics as favourites but their inability to gel and play as a team has brought about some bad losses. The question will be is will they have a team of players who play like individuals or will they put aside their egos and play as a team. If they play as a team then they should win the gold medal.

In 1972 the Soviet Union beat the USA to win the gold in a controversial game. After 1988 the Olympics opened the sport up for professional players to play which saw the greatest basketball team of all time to compete in 1992. The “Dream Team” lead by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were just unbeatable and put on a show for all the world to see. Most of the players on the other teams were star struck by playing against these legends of the game.

In 1992 Michael Jordan was the team’s second highest scorer with 14.9 points per game and he had a tournament high 37 steals. The U.S. defeated Croatia 117-85 in the final and as a result Michael Jordan earned his second Olympic gold medal.

David Stern of the NBA has stated a number of times that they wish to expand and promote the game of basketball in China. As a result they have played and will continue to play more exhibition games in China. The presence of China’s greatest player, Yao Ming in the NBA has helped to increase the popularity of basketball in China.

The following teams have already qualified for the Beijing 2008 Olympics: Angola (African Champion), Argentina (Americas runner-up), Australia (Oceania Champion), China (host), Iran (Asian Champion), Lithuania (European Bronze medallist), Russia (European Champion), Spain (World Champion) and USA (Champion of the Americas).

The remaining three positions for the Beijing Olympics will be decided in the twelve team FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men that will take place in Athens, Greece on July 14th. The tournament will involve the following teams: Cameroon and Cape Verde (Africa), Brazil and Canada (Americas), Lebanon, Puerto Rico and the Republic of Korea (Asia), Greece, Germany, Croatia, and Slovenia (Europe) and New Zealand (Oceania). The draw for this tournament will be held on July 20, 2008 in Athens.

The semi finals are scheduled to be played on August 22nd and the finals two days later on August 24th. Although the Americans often underplay the importance of the Olympic Games it is guaranteed that this time they will want to restore their global dominance in basketball by coming out and performing at their best. Anything less than a gold medal will be taken as a failure by many players and supporters in the USA.

For more information on Basketball at the Beijing Olympics you should visit http://www.beijingbasketball.com

Basketball was invented in a pursuit for an indoor game, which would provide complete fitness. Dr James Naismith, a Canadian physical instructor, wrote down the basic rule for the game after initial rejection of many ideas, at a YMCA Training School. This game was officially played for the first time on January 20, 1892, in the YMCA Gymnasium, at Springfield College. Women began playing basketball in 1892, at Smith College, and different sets of rules were laid down for them.

This is a team sport where two teams, consisting of nine members each, throw ball into a ten-foot high basket of the opponent in order to get a score. While one team member aims for the basket, member of the other team prevents him from doing so. The team that has the highest score wins the game. The ball is dribbled and carried forward. In competitive basketball variation there are lot of regulations and the handling of the ball is restricted. Less regulated versions have been developed for recreational purposes and in some countries, this game is considered as a spectator sport.

Initially a soccer ball was used in basketball after which a brown colored ball was introduced. But to increase the visibility of the ball to the players and spectators alike the color was changed to orange, in 1950s by Tony Hinkle. Initially dribbling wasn’t a part of the game. It was included in the game in the 1950s.

Different versions have different rules and time limits. According to NBA, some of the rules have been discussed here. The basketball court should be 94 X 50 feet. There should be baskets on two opposite ends of the court. The court is either made out of wood or cement. The ten feet high basket is made out of steel rim with a net attached. One score, also called shot, is counted as two points or three points when aimed from a distance of 7.24 meter. The game is divided into four quarters which each of them with a time limit of twelve minutes.

A break of fifteen minutes is allowed after the first two quarter and in between each quarter, there is a break of two minutes. In the third quarter, both the teams exchange their baskets. At a time five members of each team are present on the court. Permission is given to have up to seven substitutes. Other than the coach assistant coaches, statisticians, managers, trainers and doctors assists a team. Other equipments, other than the ball, required during the game are scoreboard, score sheets, clocks, stop clocks, whistles, and alternating possession arrows.

The male and the female player require to wear a pair of shorts and a jersey with clear number printed on the front and the back. High-top sneakers can be worn to provide extra ankle support. Sometimes the coach can request clock stoppages in between the game, if he wants to discuss something important with his team members. Usually three referees watch over the game. Other things like timekeeping, fouls by an individual or a team, score, team possession arrow, shot clock and player substitutions are taken care of by the table officials.

Over the period of time, various positions have been developed in basketball. Initially there were one guard, two forwards, and two centers or two guards, two forwards, and one center. Later on point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center positions were added.

Actions, which lead to violations are double dribbling, traveling, and carrying the ball and shot clock. Foul is illegal physical contact with the opponent team members, which would hinder them.

The other variations of the professional basketball are wheelchair basketball for the physically handicapped, water basketball to be played in a swimming pool, beach basketball which has very few or no regulations, half court game which has only one basket, and street ball and one-on-one which has two players and smaller court.

Alan Richardson is the owner of http://www.sportsequipmentsite.com where you can find a massive selection of sporting equipment and apparel.

Basketball, as we know it today, was not always as simple as it seems. There were no big, multi-million dollar stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan or Larry Byrd. There were no arenas like there are today – no Spectrums or Los Angeles Coliseums. There were not any television broadcasts or broadcasters, no hardwood floors or even nets. The basketball game of many years back was a terrifying experience to say the very least. It was a right of passage and a way to settle disputes.

Basketball as it was first seen took place 100’s of years ago and was played by the Mayans and Incas of Mexico, Peru and other South American countries. The game, or what they called a game, was played in a brick trench roughly the length of a Canadian Arena Football field (half the length of an American one) and the width was half of an American football field as well. The teams were made up of 7 men on each side. There were metal hoops placed various heights and distances apart, and these hoops were worth a certain amount of points.

Winning one of these games was, literally, life and death. In fact, the ball was not a ball at all, but was a decapitated human head. The players would not dribble the ball. They instead, tossed it back and forth, much like in Australian rugby, until a player could toss the head through a hoop. On one side of the trench were your opponents hoops, and the other your own. You could take points away from the opposing team by throwing the head into the opposing team’s hoops. These games could go on for many hours without a victor in sight. There were no time outs, half times or removal of a player from the “court” or “arena” and certainly injuries were not a factor. The rules were simple and precise: toss to your teammates and throw into the hoop.

Unlike the game of basketball that we know and love today, the winners did not get bonuses in their paychecks or get awarded fancy cars, jets or luxurious vacations. They were not even pampered. These players were warriors, plain and simple. The winning team got to do one important thing: live. The losing team was sacrificed in a blood ceremony by having their heads removed and their bodies cremated. There was no dishonor in this death. Whatever the issue was, be it war, marriage or crop management and disbursement, it was now settled. This was a “gentleman’s way” to manage conflict without hundreds or thousands of deaths, much like dueling in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Sebastian Marders has been expressing himself through creative writing from an early age. He loves writing about a variety of things and sharing the website that inspires each piece with his readers. If you would like to know more then please visit http://3ballhoops.com.

When we sit and watch a basketball game, we are always yelling at our team for every screw up they throw our way. We are fans – and as fans – it is our job to judge, heckle and to annoy these men who, as far as we are concerned, are not worth as much as they are paid to play a “simple sport” or “game.” Basketball is big business like any other sport.

Make no bones about it though – it is not easy. There are a lot of things that go into making a great basketball player and height, surprisingly, is not one of them. It helps – do not get me wrong – but there have been some short men to play the sport over the last hundred years or so (Muggsy Bogues to name one of recent play). Strength, stamina and endurance are all important factors in your basketball game. The following simple techniques will help you achieve your potential.

1) Run the Wood

Endurance is a major factor in the game of basketball and you are required to constantly run, run, run up and down the court. So in order to meet the needs of the game, this is what you do – run up and down a basketball court for 20 minutes to start. Gradually increase your time and speed. Timing your pivots and run backs are important as well, so make sure to touch the line before you pivot as making quick changes during a game are important.

2) Tire Throw

Besides throwing the basketball into a hoop, you always need to be able to pass with accuracy. A simple way to accomplish this feat is by stealing an idea from football players. Unused car tires make a perfect target for throwing your “rock” and hitting the mark. If you have some friends who want to improve their skills at the same time, you can take turns running in-between several hanging tires, to pass the ball through the holes, avoiding possible steals.

3) Nothing Beats Calisthenics

No one likes doing these. I know I hated them. It brings me back to high school gym class, but nothing can get your stamina, endurance and strength up as much as doing jumping jacks, push ups, pull ups and up downs (jogging in place, hitting the floor and getting up to do it all again).

Doing these simple things for at least 20 minutes before your practice will help you gain endurance, stamina and strength to make your game all that much more improved.

Sebastian Marders has been expressing himself through creative writing from an early age. He loves writing about a variety of things and sharing the website that inspires each piece with his readers. If you would like to know more then please visit http://3ballhoops.com.