Although Dr. James Naismith is

recognized for inventing the game of

basketball in December 1891, it wasn't until

June 18, 1932, in Geneva, Switzerland that an

International Federation concerned solely with

basketball was formed.

Then, less than three years later on February

28, 1935, the International Basketball

Federation (FIBB) was officially recognized by

the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

helping clear the way for men's basketball to

become part of the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic

Games.

Actually, the first international body to claim

jurisdiction over the sport of basketball was

the International Amateur Athletic Federation

(IAAF), which in 1926 formed a special

commission to govern all ball games played with

the hands, such as field-handball,

court-handball, volleyball and basketball.

Two years later during the Games of the IXth

Olympiad held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the

IAAF invited representatives from various

national associations to consider the formation

of an independent body to govern all ball games

played with hands. Representatives from 10

countries met in Amsterdam on August 4, 1928

and decided to form the International Amateur

Handball Federation (IAHF).

Although the IAHF Technical Commission for

Basketball was created to direct and control

the game of basketball, it never once met. Six

years after being formed, the IAHF Technical

Commission for Basketball was dissolved and on

September 1, 1934 the IAHF officially renounced

its international control over basketball to

the International Basketball Federation (FIBB).

The forefather of today's FIBA, the

establishment and recognition of FIBB was no

easy task. After several failed attempts to

establish an independent international

federation for basketball, the first

International Basketball Conference was held

[Image] June 18, 1932. It was at this conference that

FIBB was formed with eight national basketball

associations among the original founders of

FIBB -- Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece,

Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and

Switzerland.

As the popularity of basketball grew, so did

the number of FIBB's member nations. By the end

of 1934, Austria, Belgium, Egypt, Estonia,

France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the United

States had joined, raising FIBB's membership

number to 17 nations. By the time of the 1936

Olympic Games in Berlin, FIBB's membership had

expanded to include 32 nations, 23 of which

sent basketball teams to the first Olympic

basketball competition in Berlin.

While FIBA's membership and its international

rules have changed over the years, perhaps the

biggest change within FIBA occurred April 8,

1989. At an extraordinary FIBA World Congress

in Munich, West Germany, FIBA's membership

voted overwhelmingly in favor of eliminating

the distinction between amateur and

professionals, making all players eligible for

FIBA competitions.

Consequently, for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games

in Barcelona, USA Basketball assembled a men's

Olympic team of monumental abilities. Tagged

the "Dream Team," the USA Olympic team

consisted of 11 NBA players and one collegian.

The U.S. squad not only grabbed the world's

attention, but the Olympic gold medal as well.

The abbreviation FIBA, was originally derived

from the French term Federation Internationale

de Basketball Amateur. The word Amateur was

dropped in 1989 after the distinction between

amateurs and professionals was eliminated, The

"A" in FIBA was however left and FIBA is now

recognized as standing for International

Basketball Federation.

The growth of international basketball has

continued and in 1997 FIBA boasted of 201

member nations.