In 1891, James Naismith, a YMCA instructor based in Massachusetts, erected a peach basket in a gymnasium and invented the game of basketball. This is the background you should keep in mind -

Naismith, was a physical educator and inventor who wanted to keep his students active in winter. Massachusetts has a punishing winter and students were forced to stay indoors. The usual winter athletic activities were marching, calisthenics, and apparatus work but they weren’t nearly as interesting as football or lacrosse which were played during summers.