# The Professional Game Emerges · Basketball Level 9: Master

Basketball · Level 9: Master · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/basketball/level-9/the-professional-game-emerges/)

The Professional Game Emerges in Basketball (Level 9: Master) on Insporta: 100 sourced facts behind 10 tests. Covers: early pro leagues; and more.

Early pro leagues, barnstorming teams, the BAA, the birth of the NBA, George Mikan, the shot clock, integration, the ABA, Europe's club cup and the WNBA's start.

## Test 1: Early pro leagues

- Players were paid for a game there in 1896. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- It lasted only a few seasons. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Few towns could support a paid team. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Some courts were even surrounded by cages or nets. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- A net or wire cage kept the ball in play. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Its teams came from Midwest towns. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Pro basketball had no settled homes yet. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1896, 1898, 1937. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Cages gave way to arenas. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Mark A is 1898. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

## Test 2: Barnstorming teams

- He built the team in the 1920s. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 'Harlem' was chosen for the name's image. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- They won hundreds of games on tour. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- It was held in Chicago. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- It plays during their warm-up circle. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Travelling brought in paying crowds. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Constant touring was their way of life. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1923, 1926, 1939. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The 1920s, 1948, then the 1950s onward. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The Globetrotters won by two, showing Black players could beat the best. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

## Test 3: The BAA

- It was founded in 1946. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Hockey arena owners wanted events on free nights. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The league's MVP trophy once carried his name. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Toronto hosted it at Maple Leaf Gardens. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Hockey arenas sat empty on many nights. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Joe Fulks was their scoring star. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The NBA counts BAA history as its own. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- June 1946, November 1946, 1947. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1946, 1963, 1975, 1984. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The Knicks won 68-66. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

## Test 4: The NBA is born

- The new league took a new name. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The BAA had arenas; the NBL had many of the best players. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The number soon fell as small-town teams folded. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Towns like Sheboygan could not compete. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- They brought George Mikan with them. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The team moved to Detroit in 1957. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Merged teams brought their past with them. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1937, 1946, 1949. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Rivalry, defections, merger, new name. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The merged league took the name National Basketball Association. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

## Test 5: George Mikan

- He led them to a run of titles. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- He played in Chicago. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Big men were rare and less skilled then. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- They could swat shots off the rim. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Fort Wayne stalled to keep the ball from Mikan. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Holding the ball forever became impossible. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1944, 1951, 1954. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- College, Lakers, dynasty. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The lane was doubled from about 1.8 to 3.7 metres. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

## Test 6: The shot clock

- He owned the Syracuse Nationals. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Scoring rose at once. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Holding the ball made games dull. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Biasone's own team. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Teams averaged far more points. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Fans returned for a quicker game. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- There was no time limit before 1954. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Problem, sum, test, result. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1954, 1956, 1985. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- A 48-minute game is 2,880 seconds; teams then took about 120 shots in all. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

## Test 7: Integration

- He played for the Washington Capitols in October 1950. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Boston picked him in 1950. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- He joined the Knicks from the Globetrotters. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Three pioneers joined that year. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- He was player-coach of Boston from 1966. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Their wins made the case for integration. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Integration began in 1950. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- April 1950, October 1950, 1966. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Draft in April, signing in May, the first game in October. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Mark D is 1966. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

## Test 8: The ABA

- The American Basketball Association. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The NBA added it in 1979. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Julius Erving won it. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 'Dr. J' took off from the line. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The Nets, Nuggets, Pacers and Spurs. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- They went on to win five NBA titles. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The NBA borrowed it later. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1967, January 1976, June 1976. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1967, 1979, 1984. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- It was red, white and blue. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

## Test 9: Europe's club cup

- FIBA organised it. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The Spanish club has won it more than any other. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Its name and organiser changed in 2000. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- It became a national celebration. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Club structures and sponsors grew. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The army club was a power. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The Final Four decides the club title. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1958, 1977, 2000. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1958, 1964, 1977. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The Latvian club beat Academic Sofia. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

## Test 10: The WNBA begins

- The league was founded in 1996. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- It answered the playground phrase for the next game. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Houston would dominate the early years. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- She was the first Finals MVP. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The American Basketball League folded in its third season. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- The NBA's support gave it money and venues. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Short-lived leagues came before the WNBA. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1976, 1996, 1997. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- 1996, June 1997, August 1997. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)
- Four teams in each of two conferences. (Source: General basketball reference, professional basketball history)

Sources: General basketball history references (Naismith Hall of Fame, FIBA, NBA, Olympic records); original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered FIBA rules belong to the Rules category.

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