Basketball came about in 1891 from James Naismith, a physical education, gym, instructor at Young Men’s Christian Association Training School in Springfield, MA.
United States professional teams were organized in 1898 into the National Basketball League. Following suit was the Basketball Association of America in 1946, but the two leagues were soon merged in 1949 to become the National Basketball Association (NBA). Another rival was the American Basketball Association (ABA) formed in 1967. It was able to last by itself until 1976, when it was merged with the NBA1. For more historical information you can visit NBA.com.
