How to Memorize Basketball Rules, Positions and NBA History
Learn basketball with Flip It deck XO4648: 96 cards on rules, court measurements, the five positions, NBA and FIBA history, plus two tips that make dates stick.
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Basketball's rulebook fits on a napkin; its history does not. The Flip It deck Basketball: NBA Rules, Players & Teams (deck code XO4648) holds 96 question-and-answer cards running from a rainy gym class in 1891 to the 31 teams of today's G League.
Study this deck: Basketball: NBA Rules, Players & Teams
1 / 10Who invented basketball?
Tap the card for the answer · swipe right if you knew it, left if not
Ten cards from the deck
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who invented basketball? | James Naismith, a Canadian-American gym teacher |
| What were the first hoops made of? | Peach baskets nailed to an elevated track |
| How high is the hoop mounted? | 10 feet (3.05 m) |
| What is the diameter of the hoop? | 18 inches (46 cm) |
| What is traveling? | Lifting or dragging the pivot foot without dribbling |
| What are the five playing positions? | Center, power forward, small forward, shooting guard, point guard |
| What was the score of the first official game? | 1-0, on a shot made from 25 feet |
| When was the NBA formed? | 1949, when the BAA merged with the NBL |
| What was the Edmonton Grads' record? | 522 wins and only 20 losses |
| When did the WNBA begin? | 1997 |
What the 96 cards cover
- Origins: Springfield 1891, peach baskets, the original soccer ball, metal hoops in 1906, Tony Hinkle's orange ball, Frank Mahan naming the game, the playground game duck on a rock.
- Rules and measurements: 10-foot rim, 18-inch hoop, 9.4-inch ball, five players per side, two- and three-point field goals, one-point free throws, overtime, dribbling, layup, dunk, rebound, traveling, double dribble.
- Positions: center (usually the tallest), power forward, small forward, shooting guard, point guard and the coach's game plan.
- College game: Hamline 1895, Kingston 1904, Roosevelt and the IAAUS, the NCAA in 1910, the NIT in 1938, the NCAA tournament in 1939, the 1948-51 point-shaving scandals, the Franklin Wonder Five, Hoosier Hysteria.
- Pro leagues: BAA 1946, Toronto Huskies vs New York Knickerbockers, NBA 1949, the Hall of Fame in 1959, ABA 1967, the 1976 merger, the G League.
- Players: George Mikan, Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker.
- International: FIBA in 1932 and its eight founding nations, Berlin 1936, the thrice-replayed 1972 Munich final, the FIBA World Cup, EuroBasket, EuroLeague, the PBA in 1975, Australia's NBL in 1979, the 1992 Dream Team, the 2004 Athens losses, the 2008 Redeem Team.
- Women's game: Senda Berenson at Smith College, the 1899 rules, the 1902 Spalding guide, 37 state tournaments by 1925, the Edmonton Grads, the All American Red Heads, Olympic inclusion in 1976, the WNBA, EuroLeague Women.
Two tips for this deck
1. Write one timeline before your first session. Roughly a third of the cards are dates, and dates only stick when they sit next to each other: 1891 invention, 1892 first game, 1932 FIBA, 1936 Olympic debut, 1946 BAA, 1949 NBA, 1967 ABA, 1976 (merger and women's Olympics), 1992 Dream Team, 1997 WNBA. Ten numbers on one line turn thirty separate cards into one story you can recite.
2. Perform the violation cards. Traveling, double dribble, dribbling and the rebound are motions, not definitions. Stand up and do them once each while you answer: pick up your pivot foot, palm an imaginary ball then bounce it again. Motor memory makes these four cards permanent in a single pass, which is more than you can say for re-reading the text.
Pacing
Ten cards a day clears the deck in ten days. Front-load the rules and positions, since every later card about leagues and players assumes them.
Where to find it
Open Flip It and look for deck code XO4648 — Basketball: NBA Rules, Players & Teams, 96 cards.
Also in this category: How to Learn Olympic History.
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