Who invented basketball?
James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He later moved to Kansas, where he became the University of Kansas' first basketball coach and helped launch one of the sport's most successful programs.
When and where did he create the game?
Naismith devised basketball in December 1891 while working as a physical-education instructor in Springfield, Massachusetts. He nailed up a peach basket and wrote 13 original rules.
What is his connection to Kansas?
Naismith joined the University of Kansas in 1898 and became its first basketball coach. He is notably the only coach in Kansas basketball history with a losing overall record.
Among his players was Phog Allen, who would go on to coach the program for decades. That mentor relationship links the game's inventor directly to the "Beware of The Phog" tradition.
Why does this matter to the banner?
The lineage from Naismith to Allen is a big part of what makes Kansas basketball historically significant. The replica banner is a way for fans to own a piece of that heritage.
Last updated June 2026.