The UConn Huskies men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I men's college basketball team of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut . They currently play in the Big East Conference and are coached by Dan Hurley . With six national championships and 45 conference titles, the program is considered one of the blue bloods of college basketball .
214-645: Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( / k ə ˈ hw aɪ / kə- WHY ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion , he is a six-time All-Star and a six-time member of the All-NBA Team (including three First Team selections). Nicknamed the " Claw " or " Klaw " for his ball-hawking skills and exceptionally large hands, Leonard
428-401: A backboard at each end of the court), while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line , when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws . The team with the most points at
642-630: A .648 winning percentage, both top 25 in NCAA Division I history. Initially a New England regional powerhouse, UConn won multiple conference championships in the 1920s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, including a run of 10-straight Yankee Conference championships from 1951 to 1960. The Huskies appeared in the NCAA tournament 11 times between 1939 and 1970—second most of any school in the tournament's early era—reaching their first Sweet Sixteen in 1956 and first Elite Eight in 1964. The program began its emergence as
856-619: A 102–95 win over the Toronto Raptors, helping the Spurs set a franchise record with their 64th victory. The Spurs topped their 63-win season in 2005–06 and extended their NBA-record home winning streak to start the season to 39 games. Leonard helped the Spurs finish second in the Western Conference with a 67–15 record, and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors for a second straight year, becoming
1070-653: A 107–92 win over the Golden State Warriors. On April 23, Leonard was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year , joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win both NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Finals MVP . The next day, he scored a playoff career-high 32 points in a game 3 first-round victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Spurs went on to lose the series in seven games. On July 16, 2015, Leonard re-signed with
1284-616: A 110–106 win over the Indiana Pacers . It was his fifth straight 30-point game. With their 42nd victory of the season coming against the Pacers, the Spurs extended their streak of consecutive winning seasons to a league-record 20. On March 6, after being named Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career, Leonard scored 39 points to lead the Spurs to a 112–110 win over the Houston Rockets . It
1498-474: A 111–106 comeback win despite trailing by as much as 15. On January 14, 2020, Leonard scored a season-high 43 points in just 29 minutes in a 128–103 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers . He was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from January 13 through 19. On January 24, Leonard recorded his first career triple-double with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists (a new career-high) in
1712-588: A 112–102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers . On October 24, he recorded 21 points and tied a career-high 9 assists in a 141–122 win over the Golden State Warriors. On December 11, Leonard returned to Toronto for the first since joining the Clippers and was met with a tribute and a standing ovation from the crowd before scoring 23 points and recording six assists in 112–92 win over the Raptors. Two days later, Leonard scored
1926-421: A 118–115 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers , becoming the first San Antonio player to score at least 30 in six straight games since Mike Mitchell in 1986. He subsequently earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors for games played from January 16 through 22. On February 13, 2017, Leonard made 13 of 23 shots including two three-pointers and finished with 32 points, six rebounds and four steals in
2140-685: A 122–117 win over the Miami Heat . On February 16, Leonard was named the NBA All-Star Game MVP of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game . After the 2019–20 NBA season was suspended on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Leonard and the Clippers returned to action in the NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando on July 30. Leonard played six out of the team's eight seeding games and
2354-464: A 128–105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on December 30, recording a game-high 28 points and seven assists. Playing in 52 out of the 72 regular season games, Leonard led the Clippers to a 47–25 record and the fourth-place finish in the Western Conference. For the season he averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and a career-high 5.2 assists. After his stellar play on both ends of the floor, he
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#17328519152922568-456: A 19–42 overall record. J. O. Christian coached the remainder of the 1935–36 season, finishing with a 3–10 record as interim head coach. After five straight losing seasons, Don White was named head coach of the Huskies for the 1936–37 season. Prior to arriving at UConn, White spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Washington University . He led Connecticut to an 11–7 record in his first year. In
2782-466: A 2–0 series lead. In game 4 of the series in Memphis, Leonard had another postseason personal best with 43 points in a 110–108 overtime loss; the loss tied the series at 2–2. Behind a 29-point effort from Leonard in game 6, the Spurs advanced to the Western Conference semifinals by beating Memphis 103–96 to take the series 4–2. The Spurs went on to advance to the Western Conference finals with a 4–2 triumph over
2996-418: A 31–6 overall record. The 1989–90 season ultimately marked the beginning of UConn's' sustained success in men's basketball on the national level, and the program began making regular appearances in the NCAA tournament going forward. During the 1994–95 season, the Huskies hosted Syracuse on ESPN. During an exciting stretch of the second half of that game, ESPN color commentator Dick Vitale declared that Storrs
3210-403: A 34–2 overall record to achieve its best seasonal winning percentage in the program's history (as of 2024). After the season, Hamilton was selected in the 1999 NBA draft as the #7 overall pick. Expectations were high at UConn heading into the 2003–04 season. Returning their entire starting lineup from the previous year's Sweet Sixteen team, the Huskies were selected as the preseason #1 team in
3424-640: A 59–42 defeat in front of a sold-out crowd at the Hartford Civic Center. Both Hamilton and starting center Jake Voskuhl were out with injuries. UConn quickly rebounded, however, beating #4 Stanford 70–59 on the road. The Huskies finished the year ranked 1st in the Big East, winning their fifth conference regular season title in six years. On March 3, 1999, UConn defeated #3 seed St. John's 82–63 to win their fourth Big East tournament championship. Kevin Freeman
3638-542: A 65–60 victory over No. 5 Georgetown the following day. On March 11, UConn defeated No. 4 Syracuse 78–75 in the championship game to capture their first ever Big East title, thus assuring their place in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1979. In the NCAA tournament , the Huskies garnered a #1 seed in the East Region for the first time ever. They easily won their first two matches, winning both games by 20 points or more. In
3852-490: A 74–63 loss at home to #11 Georgetown . The team responded with 12 straight conference wins that propelled UConn to a #1 ranking in the AP poll by February. In mid-February, the team lost key starter Jerome Dyson to a season-ending knee injury in a 63–49 win against #23 Syracuse. UConn finished the regular season 4–2 without Dyson—with the two losses coming against Pittsburgh , ranked top-five in both matchups. The Huskies finished
4066-601: A 75–74 victory over the Hoyas. This game is widely considered one of the greatest in Big East tournament history, as UConn was able to end the game with a 12–0 run with under 5 minutes to play. Following the championship, Allen was named the Big East Player of the Year and earned first-team All-Big East for the second year in a row. UConn entered the 1998–99 season ranked #2 in the AP Top 25 poll, returning its entire starting five from
4280-404: A backboard that measures 6 by 3.5 feet (1.8 by 1.1 meters) and one basket is at each end of the court. The white outlined box on the backboard is 18 inches (46 cm) high and 2 feet (61 cm) wide. At almost all levels of competition, the top of the rim is exactly 10 feet (3.05 meters) above the court and 4 feet (1.22 meters) inside the baseline. While variation is possible in the dimensions of
4494-495: A basket mounted on a wall. Naismith wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto an elevated track. Naismith initially set up the peach basket with its bottom intact, which meant that the ball had to be retrieved manually after each "basket" or point scored. This quickly proved tedious, so Naismith removed the bottom of the basket to allow the balls to be poked out with a long dowel after each scored basket. Shortly after, Senda Berenson , instructor of physical culture at
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#17328519152924708-496: A children's game called duck on a rock , as many had failed before it. Frank Mahan, one of the players from the original first game, approached Naismith after the Christmas break, in early 1892, asking him what he intended to call his new game. Naismith replied that he had not thought of it because he had been focused on just getting the game started. Mahan suggested that it be called "Naismith ball", at which he laughed, saying that
4922-405: A dribble, the player cannot carry the ball by placing their hand on the bottom of the ball; doing so is known as carrying the ball . A team, once having established ball control in the front half of their court, may not return the ball to the backcourt and be the first to touch it. A violation of these rules results in loss of possession. The ball may not be kicked, nor be struck with the fist. For
5136-494: A former player and an assistant under Shabel. Carlson led UConn to back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in over 30 years and was fired. UConn named Dee Rowe head coach ahead of the 1969–70 season. Under Rowe, the Huskies returned to form, winning the Yankee Conference title in his first year. Rowe posted six winning seasons in eight years, with two NCAA berths and two NIT appearances. On Feb. 19, 1974, UConn became
5350-452: A former player at the school in the 1920s, was in his second season as UConn's freshman team coach when Gullion resigned. Prior to that, Greer had coached at South Windsor's Ellsworth High School, winning five state championships between 1939 and 1945. Led by senior Walt Dropo , a three-sport star at the school, the Huskies started the 1946–47 season 4–2 under Gullion, with road losses to rival Rhode Island and an NYU team that appeared in
5564-606: A four-star recruit by Rivals.com , Leonard was listed in the recruiting rankings of 2009 as the No. 8 small forward and the No. 48 player nationwide. As a freshman at San Diego State University in 2009–10, Leonard averaged 12.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game for the Aztecs . He helped the team achieve a 25–9 record and led them to win the Mountain West Conference (MWC) tournament title. The Aztecs thus received an automatic bid to
5778-459: A half-time break under FIBA, NBA, and NCAA rules and 10 minutes in United States high schools. Overtime periods are five minutes in length except for high school, which is four minutes in length. Teams exchange baskets for the second half. The time allowed is actual playing time; the clock is stopped while the play is not active. Therefore, games generally take much longer to complete than
5992-561: A journeyman in the NBA . He returned to UConn in 2010 to serve as one of Calhoun's assistant coaches during the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons. UConn came into the 2012–13 season facing a ban from postseason play by the NCAA because of a low APR score in 2010. In Ollie's first game, UConn upset #14 Michigan State 66–62 at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The Huskies entered the AP Top 25 at #23 and reached #21
6206-504: A name like that would kill any game. Mahan then said, "Why not call it basketball?" Naismith replied, "We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it." The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany , New York, on January 20, 1892, with nine players. The game ended at 1–0; the shot was made from 25 feet (7.6 m), on a court just half the size of
6420-532: A national powerhouse after becoming a charter member of the newly formed Big East Conference in 1979, building steadily from its first national postseason championship in the NIT in 1988 to its first NCAA championship in 1999 . Since 1999, the Huskies have won six national championships in a span of 25 years, a run only rivaled by UCLA under John Wooden . In 2024, UConn became the eighth school in NCAA Division I history to win back-to-back national championships, and
6634-611: A new career high with 38 points in a 108–105 loss to the Phoenix Suns , becoming the first Spur to record three consecutive 30-point games since Tony Parker in 2012. On January 19, he was named a starter for the Western Conference All-Star team in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game and had 34 points against the Denver Nuggets for his fifth straight 30-point performance. Two days later, he set a new career high with 41 points in
Kawhi Leonard - Misplaced Pages Continue
6848-402: A playoff career-high 45 points, on 16-of-23 (69.6%) shooting, to lead the Raptors in a 108–95 victory. He became just the second player in Raptors history to eclipse 40 points in a playoff game, joining Vince Carter (50 points, 2001). In the deciding game 7, Leonard hit a shot from the corner at the buzzer that bounced off the rim four times before falling to give the Raptors a 92–90 victory over
7062-441: A present-day Streetball or National Basketball Association (NBA) court. At the time, soccer was being played with 10 to a team (which was increased to 11). When winter weather got too icy to play soccer, teams were taken indoors, and it was convenient to have them split in half and play basketball with five on each side. By 1897–98, teams of five became standard. Basketball's early adherents were dispatched to YMCAs throughout
7276-517: A record of 9–19, his only losing season as UConn's head coach. Heading into the 1987–88 season, Robinson and Gamble regained their academic eligibility and the team showed significant improvement. The Huskies won a game in the Big East tournament for the first time since 1980 and gained a berth in the National Invitation Tournament . UConn went on a run in the tournament and defeated Ohio State 72–67 at Madison Square Garden to win
7490-420: A right knee injury, and without his help, the Clippers would go on to lose the first round series against the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in six games. On October 17, 2024, less than a week before the Clippers' season opener against the Phoenix Suns , it was announced that Leonard would be ruled out indefinitely to begin the new season due to inflammation in his right knee sustained at
7704-530: A role in Duke's first Final Four run in 1963 and initially accepted an offer to coach at Rutgers the following season, but withdrew after feeling unprepared to lead their program to success. Instead, he chose to accept an offer from Connecticut, which he believed had a clear path to the NCAA tournament in the Yankee Conference. Shabel implemented a number of changes that had a significant impact on UConn's program and its culture. He introduced multiple defensive schemes for
7918-456: A score of 101–55 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Under Shabel, the Huskies won four Yankee Conference championships in four years, leading to three NCAA tournament berths. By the mid-1960s, UConn had appeared in the NCAA tournament 11 times, second most in the country. After the 1966–67 season, Shabel stepped down as head coach to become the athletic director at Penn . He later attributed the move to
8132-583: A season-high 15 rebounds and six assists to lead the Clippers to a 119–114 win over the Phoenix Suns , earning the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket and a first-round rematch against the Suns. On April 10, Leonard earned his eighth career NBA Player of the Week Award and his second with the Clippers. In the final week of the regular season, Leonard led the Clippers to a 3–0 record, behind averages of 25.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists. In game 1 of
8346-501: A series of venues, including Catholic University , Georgetown and George Mason . The National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools was held from 1929 to 1942 at Hampton Institute . The National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held from 1941 to 1967 starting out at Tuskegee Institute . Following a pause during World War II it resumed at Tennessee State College in Nashville. The basis for
8560-421: A sponge. When you consider he's only had [two years] of college and no training camp yet, you can see that he's going to be something else." — Gregg Popovich , in 2012, on Leonard Leonard and teammate Tiago Splitter were selected to play in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge as members of Team Chuck . Although he suited up for the event, he did not play due to a calf strain. After starter Richard Jefferson
8774-423: A standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a jersey with a clearly visible number, unique within the team, printed on both the front and back. Players wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Typically, team names, players' names and, outside of North America, sponsors are printed on the uniforms. A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach (or sometimes mandated in
Kawhi Leonard - Misplaced Pages Continue
8988-529: A step-back, game-winning shot as time expired to defeat #1 seed Pittsburgh 76–74. Dave Pasch immortalized the shot with his call on the ESPN broadcast: "Cardiac Kemba does it again!" The Huskies defeated #4 seed Syracuse in overtime in the semifinals and then defeated #3 seed Louisville in the championship game to claim the program's seventh Big East tournament title. UConn became the first school to win five conference tournament games in five days, and Kemba Walker scored
9202-490: A teammate's field goal attempt. Goaltending is a defender's touching of a ball that is on a downward flight toward the basket, while the related violation of basket interference is the touching of a ball that is on the rim or above the basket, or by a player reaching through the basket from below. Goaltending and basket interference committed by a defender result in awarding the basket to the offense, while basket interference committed by an offensive player results in cancelling
9416-476: A then season-high 42 points along with 11 rebounds in a 124–117 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves . It was the first time in franchise history that two players eclipsed 40 points, as teammate Paul George scored 46 points. On Christmas Day , the Clippers and Lakers met once again in a much anticipated matchup, in which Leonard put up 35 points on 11-of-19 shooting and 12 rebounds to lead the Clippers to
9630-591: A total of three referees on the court. The table officials are responsible for keeping track of each team's scoring, timekeeping, individual and team fouls , player substitutions, team possession arrow , and the shot clock . The only essential equipment in a basketball game is the ball and the court: a flat, rectangular surface with baskets at opposite ends. Competitive levels require the use of more equipment such as clocks, score sheets, scoreboards, alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated stop-clock systems. A regulation basketball court in international games
9844-557: A touring Canadian women's team based in Edmonton , Alberta, operated between 1915 and 1940. The Grads toured all over North America, and were exceptionally successful. They posted a record of 522 wins and only 20 losses over that span, as they met any team that wanted to challenge them, funding their tours from gate receipts. The Grads also shone on several exhibition trips to Europe, and won four consecutive exhibition Olympics tournaments, in 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936; however, women's basketball
10058-604: A tournament-record 130 points. The Huskies were awarded a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament and ultimately advanced to their fourth Final Four after a 65–63 victory over #5 seed Arizona in the Elite Eight. They defeated #4 seed Kentucky 56–55 in the Final Four and #8 seed Butler 53–41 in the national championship game to capture the schools third NCAA title. Walker was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, averaging 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game throughout
10272-491: A trade from the Spurs and that he did so after months of tension between his camp and the Spurs stemming from a disagreement over his injury rehabilitation program. A month later, on July 18, Leonard and teammate Danny Green were traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan , Jakob Pöltl and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick. It was a risky move for the Raptors and their president, Masai Ujiri , given
10486-412: A varsity sport in the 1914–15 season following the construction of Hawley Armory , the school's first on-campus basketball court. The Aggies, as they were called at the time, had no coach from 1901 to 1915 and posted a 1–4 record on the 1914-15 season. Looking to improve on its performance in the previous seasons, Connecticut named John F. Donahue as the program's first head coach in 1915. However, he led
10700-621: A winter season (April–September) and did so until the completion of the 20th season in 1998 . The 1998–99 season, which commenced only months later, was the first season after the shift to the current summer season format (October–April). This shift was an attempt to avoid competing directly against Australia's various football codes . It features 8 teams from around Australia and one in New Zealand. A few players including Luc Longley , Andrew Gaze , Shane Heal , Chris Anstey and Andrew Bogut made it big internationally, becoming poster figures for
10914-444: Is 28 meters (92 feet) long and 15 meters (49 feet) wide. In the NBA and NCAA the court is 94 by 50 feet (29 by 15 meters). Most courts have wood flooring , usually constructed from maple planks running in the same direction as the longer court dimension. The name and logo of the home team is usually painted on or around the center circle. The basket is a steel rim 18 inches (46 cm) diameter with an attached net affixed to
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#173285191529211128-450: Is called a shot. A successful shot is worth two points, or three points if it is taken from beyond the three-point arc 6.75 meters (22 ft 2 in) from the basket in international games and 23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m) in NBA games. A one-point shot can be earned when shooting from the foul line after a foul is made. After a team has scored from a field goal or free throw, play
11342-561: Is currently no tournament to determine a national high school champion. The most serious effort was the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at the University of Chicago from 1917 to 1930. The event was organized by Amos Alonzo Stagg and sent invitations to state champion teams. The tournament started out as a mostly Midwest affair but grew. In 1929 it had 29 state champions. Faced with opposition from
11556-541: Is often regarded as one of the greatest two-way players in NBA history, earning seven All-Defensive Team selections and winning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015 and 2016 . In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team . Leonard played two seasons of college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs and was named a consensus second-team All-American as a sophomore. He opted to forgo his final two seasons of college eligibility to enter
11770-430: Is out of bounds if it touches a boundary line, or touches any player or object that is out of bounds. There are limits placed on the steps a player may take without dribbling, which commonly results in an infraction known as traveling . Nor may a player stop their dribble and then resume dribbling. A dribble that touches both hands is considered stopping the dribble, giving this infraction the name double dribble . Within
11984-453: Is resumed with a throw-in awarded to the non-scoring team taken from a point beyond the endline of the court where the points were scored. Games are played in four quarters of 10 ( FIBA ) or 12 minutes (NBA). College men's games use two 20-minute halves, college women's games use 10-minute quarters, and most United States high school varsity games use 8-minute quarters; however, this varies from state to state. 15 minutes are allowed for
12198-576: Is the WNBA ( NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship is also popular), whereas the strongest European clubs participate in the EuroLeague Women . A game similar to basketball is mentioned in a 1591 book published in Frankfurt am Main that reports on the lifestyles and customs of coastal North American residents, Wahrhafftige Abconterfaytung der Wilden (German; translates as Truthful Depictions of
12412-593: Is usually the center , the second-tallest and strongest is the power forward , a slightly shorter but more agile player is the small forward , and the shortest players or the best ball handlers are the shooting guard and the point guard , who implement the coach's game plan by managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays (player positioning). Informally, players may play three-on-three, two-on-two, and one-on-one. Invented in 1891 by Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts , in
12626-469: The 2004 Athens Olympics , the United States suffered its first Olympic loss while using professional players, falling to Puerto Rico (in a 19-point loss) and Lithuania in group games, and being eliminated in the semifinals by Argentina . It eventually won the bronze medal defeating Lithuania, finishing behind Argentina and Italy . The Redeem Team , won gold at the 2008 Olympics , and the B-Team, won gold at
12840-509: The 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey despite featuring no players from the 2008 squad. The United States continued its dominance as they won gold at the 2012 Olympics , 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics . Worldwide, basketball tournaments are held for boys and girls of all age levels. The global popularity of the sport is reflected in the nationalities represented in the NBA. Players from all six inhabited continents currently play in
13054-824: The 2011 NBA draft . He was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 15th overall pick before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs on draft night. With the Spurs, Leonard won an NBA championship in 2014 , when he was named the Finals Most Valuable Player . After seven seasons with the Spurs, Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2018. In 2019 , he led the Raptors to their first NBA championship and won his second Finals MVP award (one of only three players to win Finals MVP with multiple teams, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James ). He subsequently moved to his hometown of Los Angeles and signed with
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#173285191529213268-506: The All American Red Heads Team , which competed against men's teams, using men's rules. By 1938, the women's national championship changed from a three-court game to two-court game with six players per team . The NBA-backed Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) began in 1997. Though it had shaky attendance figures, several marquee players ( Lisa Leslie , Diana Taurasi , and Candace Parker among others) have helped
13482-464: The Boston Celtics . Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court , compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately 9.4 inches (24 cm) in diameter) through the defender's hoop (a basket 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high to
13696-474: The Dallas Mavericks . On January 20, Leonard scored a then season-high 36 points on 13-of-18 shooting, 4-of-5 from three and 6-of-6 from the free throw line and delivered seven assists in an 131–126 win over his former team, the San Antonio Spurs . On February 14, Leonard scored 33 points, tying his career high with seven three-pointers in a 134–124 win over the reigning champions Golden State Warriors . He
13910-705: The EuroLeague and the Basketball Champions League Americas . The FIBA Basketball World Cup and Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament are the major international events of the sport and attract top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for national teams, like EuroBasket and FIBA AmeriCup . The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament feature top national teams from continental championships. The main North American league
14124-585: The NCAA tournament but would lose in the first round to Tennessee , 62–59, with Leonard recording 12 points and 10 rebounds. He led the MWC in rebounding and was named MWC Freshman of the Year, First Team All-MWC, and the 2010 MWC tournament MVP. During his sophomore season, Leonard averaged 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest as the Aztecs finished with a 34–3 record and won back-to-back conference tournament championships. Led by Leonard, San Diego State once again made
14338-519: The NCAA tournament . This time the Aztecs advanced to the Sweet 16, but then they lost to eventual national champions, Connecticut . Leonard was named to the Second Team All-America and left San Diego State to enter the 2011 NBA draft . On February 1, 2020, San Diego State retired Leonard's number 15, making him the first Aztecs men's basketball player to have his jersey raised to the rafters. It
14552-673: The National Federation of State High School Associations and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that bore a threat of the schools losing their accreditation the last tournament was in 1930. The organizations said they were concerned that the tournament was being used to recruit professional players from the prep ranks. The tournament did not invite minority schools or private/parochial schools. The National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament ran from 1924 to 1941 at Loyola University . The National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament from 1954 to 1978 played at
14766-417: The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship in 1988 and the NIT third-place game in 1997 , with 13 NIT appearances in total. The Huskies also have one American Athletic Conference tournament championship and two ECAC New England regional tournament championships . From the Huskies' first game in 1900–01 season to the end of the 2023–24 season , the program has amassed 1,805 wins and compiled
14980-583: The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in New York, was organized in 1938; the NCAA national tournament began one year later. College basketball was rocked by gambling scandals from 1948 to 1951 , when dozens of players from top teams were implicated in game-fixing and point shaving . Partially spurred by an association with cheating, the NIT lost support to the NCAA tournament. Before widespread school district consolidation, most American high schools were far smaller than their present-day counterparts. During
15194-574: The Olympic team , which included Kobe Bryant , LeBron James , Kevin Durant , and Chris Paul . On October 26, 2012, the Spurs exercised the team option on Leonard, re-signing him through the 2013–14 season. Leonard was selected to play for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge where he was once again drafted to Team Chuck . He recorded 20 points and 7 rebounds as Team Chuck defeated Team Shaq for
15408-741: The Original Celtics and two all-African American teams, the New York Renaissance Five ("Rens") and the (still existing) Harlem Globetrotters played up to two hundred games a year on their national tours. In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed. The first game was played in Toronto , Ontario, Canada between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers on November 1, 1946. Three seasons later, in 1949,
15622-556: The Soviet Union , Brazil and Australia rivaling the American squads. In 1989, FIBA allowed professional NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time. Prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics , only European and South American teams were allowed to field professionals in the Olympics. The United States' dominance continued with the introduction of the original Dream Team . In
15836-400: The University of Chicago , Columbia University , Cornell University , Dartmouth College , the University of Minnesota , the U.S. Naval Academy , the University of Colorado and Yale University began sponsoring men's games. In 1905, frequent injuries on the football field prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to suggest that colleges form a governing body, resulting in the creation of
16050-474: The University of Chicago , while Adolph Rupp , a student of Naismith's at Kansas, enjoyed great success as coach at the University of Kentucky . On February 9, 1895, the first intercollegiate 5-on-5 game was played at Hamline University between Hamline and the School of Agriculture, which was affiliated with the University of Minnesota . The School of Agriculture won in a 9–3 game. In 1901, colleges, including
16264-482: The 1940–41 season, the team went 14–2 and won the school's fourth New England Conference championship. One of the first true stars from Connecticut was Hartford's Bernie Fisher, who played under White. He was captain of the 1944–45 team, which was the first Huskies team to play a game in Madison Square Garden. That season also included a 67–59 win over Rhode Island , a team ranked #19 in the country that year by
16478-500: The 1950–51 season, where they lost to St. John's 63–52 at Madison Square Garden. The Huskies finished the season with a 22–4 overall record. In 1953–54 season, Greer famously led UConn to a 78–77 victory against undefeated Holy Cross, breaking the Crusaders' 47-game home winning streak and keeping them out of the NCAA tournament. Holy Cross won the NIT title a few weeks later. UConn made its second NCAA tournament appearance and finished
16692-489: The 1961–62 season, but finished one game behind UMass in the race for the Yankee Conference title. Greer died of a heart attack 10 games into the 1962–63 season. His final game was a 92–64 win over Maine, played at the UConn Field House on January 12, 1963. He died two days after and was replaced by assistant coach George Wigton. Wigton and the Huskies posted an 11–3 record through their final 14 regular season games to win
16906-541: The 2016–17 season, 980,673 boys and girls represented their schools in interscholastic basketball competition, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations . The states of Illinois , Indiana and Kentucky are particularly well known for their residents' devotion to high school basketball, commonly called Hoosier Hysteria in Indiana; the critically acclaimed film Hoosiers shows high school basketball's depth of meaning to these communities. There
17120-463: The 76ers to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. He finished the game with 41 points on 16-of-39 shooting. This was the first game 7 buzzer beater in NBA history and caused the normally calm Leonard to let out a victorious scream as he was swarmed by his teammates. Leonard said of the shot afterward: "It was great. That's something I've never experienced before, Game 7, game-winning shot. It
17334-469: The AP Top 25 poll. UConn faced its first setback in the fourth game of the season, losing to Georgia Tech 77–61 in the Preseason NIT semifinals. However, the team responded with 11 consecutive wins, including an 86–59 victory over #7 Oklahoma at Gampel Pavilion on January 11, 2004. The streak ended with an 86–83 loss at #11 North Carolina on January 17, 2004. UConn ultimately finished the year second in
17548-578: The BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). By the 1950s, basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball. In 1959, a basketball hall of fame was founded in Springfield , Massachusetts, site of the first game. Its rosters include the names of great players, coaches, referees and people who have contributed significantly to
17762-432: The Big East. On March 13, 2004, the Huskies defeated #1 seed Pittsburgh 61–58 to win the program's sixth Big East tournament championship. Ben Gordon scored a tournament-record 84 points over three games and was named tournament's MVP. The Huskies were awarded a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the program's second Final Four with an 87–71 win over #8 seed Alabama in the Elite Eight on March 27, 2004. In
17976-661: The Clippers as a free agent in July 2019. Leonard attended Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, California , before transferring to Martin Luther King High School for his junior year. In his senior year there, he and Tony Snell led the King High Wolves to a 30–3 record. Leonard averaged 22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3 blocks per game that year and was named California Mr. Basketball . Considered
18190-610: The Clippers finished the season 42–40 and qualified for the play-in tournament, but failed to qualify for the playoffs after being defeated by both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Orleans Pelicans . Leonard made his return from injury on October 3, 2022, putting up 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a 102–97 preseason win over the Trail Blazers. On October 20, Leonard made his regular season return, logging 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists off
18404-480: The Clippers in the elimination game 6, tying his career-high 45 points and subsequently recorded 28 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals in the decisive game 7 win, to advance to the next round. In the Western Conference semifinals the Clippers were again facing a 0–2 deficit at the beginning of the series, this time to the first-seeded Utah Jazz . Leonard led another comeback while scoring 34 and 31 points respectively in convincing victories at home to even
18618-426: The Clippers' first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns , Leonard posted a game-high 38 points, five rebounds and five assists in a 115–110 win. He missed the last three games of the Clippers first-round playoff series because of a torn meniscus in his right knee. Without him and Paul George , the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Suns in five games. In the first two games Leonard played against
18832-521: The Conference of Physical Training in Springfield to draw up general rules for women's basketball. Thus, the sport quickly spread throughout America's schools, colleges and universities with uniform rules for both sexes. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball . These round balls from " association football " were made, at the time, with a set of laces to close off the hole needed for inserting
19046-479: The G League has 31 teams. FIBA (International Basketball Federation) was formed in 1932 by eight founding nations: Argentina , Czechoslovakia , Greece , Italy , Latvia , Portugal , Romania and Switzerland . At this time, the organization only oversaw amateur players. Its acronym, derived from the French Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball Amateur , was thus "FIBA". Men's basketball
19260-458: The Houston Rockets in the second round, despite playing without Leonard in game 6 due to an ankle injury. In the third quarter of game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors, Leonard landed on Zaza Pachulia 's foot after attempting a field goal and re-aggravated his existing ankle injury. He exited the game with 26 points and sat out the remainder of the series as
19474-484: The Huskies catapulted to #7 in the AP Top 25 poll. The team reached #4 in the poll by the start of conference play. However, the Huskies struggled against their Big East opponents, finishing the regular season in a tie for ninth place after losing four of their last five games. In the first two rounds of the Big East tournament , UConn defeated #16 seed DePaul and #8 seed Georgetown. In the quarterfinals, Kemba Walker hit
19688-404: The Huskies entered the AP ranking for the first time ever at #20. 1990 also marked the opening of Gampel Pavilion, the program's new on-campus home, which opened on January 21. UConn entered the Big East tournament ranked No. 8 in the nation and with a 12–4 record in conference play. As the #2 seed in the tournament, the Huskies handily defeated Seton Hall in the quarterfinals before capturing
19902-614: The Huskies were unable to participate in the Big East Tournament, nor were they able to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Conference realignment resulted in the breakup of the old Big East at the end of the 2012–13 season. Instead of leaving with the so-called Catholic 7 schools, UConn chose to remain a member of the original Big East's legal successor, later named the American Athletic Conference . Until leaving
20116-410: The Huskies' first season as an independent before retiring from coaching at 48 years old, citing heath issues at the time. He later would cite "burn out" as the reason for his decision. Former UConn star Dom Perno was tapped as Rowe's successor for the 1977–78 season. Perno oversaw UConn's transition from an independent program to a member of the newly formed Big East Conference in 1979, where UConn
20330-545: The Huskies' struggles became apparent in March 1961, when two players were questioned as part of the 1961 NCAA men's basketball gambling scandal that resulted in the arrest of 37 players from 22 schools. Team captain Pete Kelly and center Glenn Cross were ultimately found to have accepted bribes to shave points throughout the season. Greer was devastated and never recovered from the scandal. The Huskies improved to winning form in
20544-630: The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). In 1910, that body changed its name to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The first Canadian interuniversity basketball game was played at YMCA in Kingston , Ontario on February 6, 1904, when McGill University – Naismith's alma mater – visited Queen's University . McGill won 9–7 in overtime;
20758-505: The Miss Head's School. In 1899, a committee was established at the Conference of Physical Training in Springfield to draw up general rules for women's basketball. These rules, designed by Berenson, were published in 1899. In 1902 Berenson became the editor of A. G. Spalding 's first Women's Basketball Guide. The same year women of Mount Holyoke and Sophie Newcomb College (coached by Clara Gregory Baer ), began playing basketball. By 1895,
20972-481: The NBA) for a short meeting with the players, are allowed. They generally last no longer than one minute (100 seconds in the NBA) unless, for televised games, a commercial break is needed. The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee (referred to as crew chief in the NBA), one or two umpires (referred to as referees in the NBA) and the table officials. For college, the NBA, and many high schools, there are
21186-404: The NBA, and U Sports (Canadian universities) play for both sexes, and 30 seconds in NCAA play for both sexes), holding the ball while closely guarded (5 seconds), and remaining in the restricted area known as the free-throw lane, (or the " key ") (3 seconds). These rules are designed to promote more offense. There are also limits on how players may block an opponent's field goal attempt or help
21400-673: The NBA. Top international players began coming into the NBA in the mid-1990s, including Croatians Dražen Petrović and Toni Kukoč , Serbian Vlade Divac , Lithuanians Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis , Dutchman Rik Smits and German Detlef Schrempf . In the Philippines, the Philippine Basketball Association 's first game was played on April 9, 1975, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao , Quezon City , Philippines. It
21614-481: The NCAA tournament the previous year. Gullion resigned after the loss to NYU. The school then asked Greer to helm the team. He led UConn to a perfect 12–0 mark to finish the year, giving the team an overall record of 16–2 on the season. This was the best single season finish in school history to that point. In the 1947–48 season, UConn moved into a new home arena, the Storrs Cage, replacing Hawley Armory. The structure
21828-430: The NIT, the school's first national basketball title. UConn finished the season with a 20–14 record, its first winning season since 1982. The Huskies would ultimately achieve winning records in every season from 1988 through 2016. The 1990 "Dream Season" brought UConn basketball back to the national stage. Led by Chris Smith , Nadav Henefeld , Scott Burrell , Tate George , and Rod Sellers , UConn went from unranked in
22042-484: The National Semifinals, UConn came back from an 8-point deficit with three minutes remaining to defeat #1 seed Duke 79–78 on April 3, 2004. The Huskies won their second NCAA championship on April 5, 2004, defeating #3 seed Georgia Tech 82–73 in a rematch of their regular season contest. Emeka Okafor was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, and UConn finished the season with a 33–6 overall record. After
22256-559: The Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. In game 3 of the series against the Thunder, Leonard helped his team go up 2–1 with 31 points and 11 rebounds. However, the Spurs went on to lose the next three games, bowing out of the playoffs with a 4–2 defeat. In the Spurs' season opener on October 25, 2016, Leonard recorded a career-high 35 points and five steals in a 129–100 win over the Golden State Warriors. On January 14, 2017, he set
22470-522: The Raptors into the 2019 Finals on the back of what was being described as an all-time great NBA playoff performance. In game 2, Leonard had 34 points and 14 rebounds in a 109–104 loss to the Golden State Warriors . Leonard helped the Raptors take a 3–1 series lead with 36 points and 12 rebounds in a 105–92 game 4 win on the road in Oakland . In game 6, he scored 22 points in a 114–110 win to help lift
22684-458: The Raptors take a 3–2 lead with 35 points on five 3-pointers to go with seven rebounds and nine assists in a 105–99 win. In game 6, he had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors into the NBA Finals for the first time with a 100–94 victory. Leonard put an exclamation point on the conference victory with a huge dunk on Giannis Antetokounmpo that was set up by a Kyle Lowry steal. Leonard led
22898-400: The Raptors to a 4–2 series victory in claiming his second NBA championship. He was subsequently named NBA Finals MVP for the second time, becoming just the third Finals MVP to have won the award with two teams, joining LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar . He is also the first person to win Finals MVP with a team from each conference. Leonard scored 732 points during the 2019 playoffs; this
23112-578: The Savages : "Among other things, a game of skill is described in which balls must be thrown against a target woven from twigs, mounted high on a pole. There's a small reward for the player if the target is being hit." In December 1891, James Naismith , a Canadian-American professor of physical education and instructor at the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College ) in Springfield, Massachusetts ,
23326-552: The Spurs lost to the Warriors in four games. Leonard finished the season with averages of 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game in the regular season, and 27.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals for the playoffs. He was subsequently selected to the All-NBA First Team for the second straight year, as well as earning All-Defensive First Team honors for the third consecutive season. Leonard missed
23540-563: The Spurs to a five-year, $ 90 million contract. On October 28, he tied his career-high 32 points in a 112–106 season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder . On December 3, he scored 27 points and made a career-high seven three-pointers in a 103–83 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. On January 21, 2016, he was named as a starter to the Western Conference team for the 2016 All-Star Game , earning his first All-Star selection and became
23754-514: The Suns he averaged 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals per game. On December 8, 2023, Leonard scored a season-high 41 points, along with five rebounds and five assists in a 117–113 win over the Utah Jazz . He made a season-high 14 field goals in 23 attempts, was six-of-eight from three-point range and made all seven of his free throws. On December 16, Leonard scored 36 points on 12-of-16 shooting, five-of-six from three, seven-of-seven from
23968-534: The Sweet Sixteen following an 84–75 win over Manhattan in the first round. The Huskies narrowly lost to Temple 65–59 in the East Regional semifinal game played at Madison Square Garden. UConn made five consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament between 1956 and 1960. In 1960–61, UConn unexpectedly posted the program's first losing season in 17 years. It was the only losing season of Greer's tenure. The reason for
24182-464: The Sweet Sixteen, UConn trailed No. 17 Clemson 70–69 with 1 second remaining. Scott Burrell's full-court pass found Tate George on the far baseline. George spun, fired, and hit a buzzer-beater that is known in Connecticut simply as "The Shot". However, they would be eliminated on a buzzer-beater two days later by No. 15 Duke in the Elite Eight, losing in overtime 79–78. UConn finished the season with
24396-484: The Sweet Sixteen. Before the game, Princeton coach Butch van Breda Kolff said he was so confident in his team's ability to win that he did not watch the Huskies' game against Temple. A tightly contested game throughout, UConn's Dom Perno stole the ball from future Hall of Famer Bill Bradley in the final seconds to seal a 52–50 win, sending the Huskies to the Elite Eight for the first time ever. The run ended there, however, as UConn lost to Shabel's former team, Duke, by
24610-428: The United States, and it quickly spread through the United States and Canada. By 1895, it was well established at several women's high schools. While YMCA was responsible for initially developing and spreading the game, within a decade it discouraged the new sport, as rough play and rowdy crowds began to detract from YMCA's primary mission. However, other amateur sports clubs, colleges, and professional clubs quickly filled
24824-459: The United States, basketball has evolved to become one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most significant professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition (drawing most of its talent from U.S. college basketball ). Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as
25038-450: The WNBA to break even this year." Measurements and time limits discussed in this section often vary among tournaments and organizations; international and NBA rules are used in this section. The object of the game is to outscore one's opponents by throwing the ball through the opponents' basket from above while preventing the opponents from doing so on their own. An attempt to score in this way
25252-525: The Week for games played November 26 – December 2. On January 1, 2019, he scored a career-high 45 points in a 122–116 win over the Utah Jazz . On January 31, against the Milwaukee Bucks , Leonard's career-high streak of scoring at least 20 points in 22 consecutive games ended when he had 16 points in a 105–92 loss. In game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers , Leonard had
25466-467: The Western Conference semifinals, losing in seven games after surrendering a 3–1 series lead. In game 7, Leonard performed poorly, scoring only 14 points while shooting 6-of-22 from the field. Leonard was selected to his fourth All-NBA Team . In the Clippers' season opener on December 22, 2020, Leonard recorded 26 points and two steals in a 116–109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. On December 25, in
25680-608: The Yankee Conference title and advance to the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in program history. Under Greer, UConn won 12 Yankee Conference titles in 16 seasons, including 10 consecutive titles from 1951 to 1960. Greer also led UConn to its first seven NCAA berths and one NIT appearance while compiling an overall head coaching record of 286–112. UConn named Fred Shabel as Greer's permanent replacement at head coach on April 1, 1963. Shabel previously spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Duke , four of which were under College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Vic Bubas . He played
25894-423: The act of shooting, depending on whether the shot was successful. One point is awarded for making a free throw, which is attempted from a line 15 feet (4.6 m) from the basket. UConn Huskies men%27s basketball UConn has won six NCAA tournament championships ( 1999 , 2004 , 2011 , 2014 , 2023 and 2024 ), which puts the program in a tie for third most all time and is the most of any program since
26108-407: The allotted game time, typically about two hours. Five players from each team may be on the court at one time. Substitutions are unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped. Teams also have a coach, who oversees the development and strategies of the team, and other team personnel such as assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers. For both men's and women's teams,
26322-415: The ball from a dribbler, intercept passes, or block shots; either offense or defense may collect a rebound , that is, a missed shot that bounces from rim or backboard. It is a violation to lift or drag one's pivot foot without dribbling the ball , to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling . The five players on each side fall into five playing positions . The tallest player
26536-490: The basket if one is scored. The defense gains possession in all cases of goaltending or basket interference. An attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through certain types of physical contact is illegal and is called a personal foul. These are most commonly committed by defensive players; however, they can be committed by offensive players as well. Players who are fouled either receive the ball to pass inbounds again, or receive one or more free throws if they are fouled in
26750-414: The basketball is also regulated. For men, the official ball is 29.5 inches (75 cm) in circumference (size 7, or a "295 ball") and weighs 22 oz (620 g). If women are playing, the official basketball size is 28.5 inches (72 cm) in circumference (size 6, or a "285 ball") with a weight of 20 oz (570 g). In 3x3 , a formalized version of the halfcourt 3-on-3 game, a dedicated ball with
26964-554: The bench in a 103–97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers . On December 5, Leonard put up a game-winner in a 119–117 win over the Charlotte Hornets . On December 12, Leonard recorded 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting, nine rebounds and six assists, as the Clippers beat the Boston Celtics 113–93. On January 10, 2023, Leonard scored 33 points on 9-of-12 shooting, 3-of-5 from three and 12-of-12 from the free throw line, along with nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in an 113–101 win over
27178-516: The champion dwindled after 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education began an integration of schools. The last tournaments were held at Alabama State College from 1964 to 1967. Teams abounded throughout the 1920s. There were hundreds of men's professional basketball teams in towns and cities all over the United States, and little organization of the professional game. Players jumped from team to team and teams played in armories and smoky dance halls. Leagues came and went. Barnstorming squads such as
27392-419: The circumference of a size 6 ball but the weight of a size 7 ball is used in all competitions (men's, women's, and mixed teams). The ball may be advanced toward the basket by being shot, passed between players, thrown, tapped, rolled or dribbled (bouncing the ball while running). The ball must stay within the court; the last team to touch the ball before it travels out of bounds forfeits possession. The ball
27606-409: The concerns over Leonard's health and the possibility of him leaving as a free agent at the end of the season. In his debut for the Raptors in their season opener on October 17, Leonard had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 116–104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers . Two days later, he had 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 113–101 win over the Boston Celtics . Leonard was named Eastern Conference Player of
27820-429: The conclusion of the NBA lockout , he signed a multi-year deal with the Spurs. "I think he's going to be a star. And as time goes on, he’ll be the face of the Spurs, I think. At both ends of the court, he is really a special player. And what makes me be so confident about him is that he wants it so badly. He wants to be a good player, I mean a great player. He comes early, he stays late, and he's coachable. He's just like
28034-472: The conference standings to claim the program's 14th Yankee Conference title. In a one-game playoff, UConn defeated Rhode Island 61–60 on the road to break the tie, clinching the program's ninth appearance in the NCAA tournament. In the first round, UConn avenged a regular season loss to Temple, beating the heavily favored Owls 53–48 in the Philadelphia. They faced even more difficult matchup with Princeton in
28248-509: The corner when it named J. Wilder Tasker as head coach for the 1921–22 season. The Aggies played their most aggressive schedule to date, and opened the season with a 38–33 win against Harvard in Cambridge. In its second game, the team notched the program's first major upset, a 33–31 win over Army at West Point on December 21, 1921. Army was ranked #3 in the nation that season by the retrospective Premo-Porretta Power Poll . Connecticut finished
28462-439: The court and backboard, it is considered important for the basket to be of the correct height – a rim that is off by just a few inches can have an adverse effect on shooting. The net must "check the ball momentarily as it passes through the basket" to aid the visual confirmation that the ball went through. The act of checking the ball has the further advantage of slowing down the ball so the rebound does not go as far. The size of
28676-608: The development of the game. The hall of fame has people who have accomplished many goals in their career in basketball. An upstart organization, the American Basketball Association , emerged in 1967 and briefly threatened the NBA's dominance until the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Today the NBA is the top professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition. The NBA has featured many famous players, including George Mikan ,
28890-420: The end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play ( overtime ) is mandated. Players advance the ball by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling) or by passing it to a teammate, both of which require considerable skill. On offense, players may use a variety of shots – the layup , the jump shot , or a dunk ; on defense, they may steal
29104-681: The end of the previous regular season. According to Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue , Leonard suffered a "setback" in July while participating in United States national team camp in Las Vegas prior to his withdrawal from the 2024 Summer Olympics . In 2015, Leonard played in Team USA's Showcase game, scoring 14 points for the USA White Team. Leonard was a finalist for both the 2016 and 2020 United States men's Olympic basketball team rosters. Leonard
29318-796: The ending of the game was replayed three times until the Soviet Union finally came out on top. In 1950 the first FIBA World Championship for men, now known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup , was held in Argentina. Three years later, the first FIBA World Championship for women, now known as the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup , was held in Chile. Women's basketball was added to the Olympics in 1976, which were held in Montreal , Quebec, Canada with teams such as
29532-487: The entire series. On July 13, Leonard underwent surgery to repair a partial tear of the ACL in his right knee. After opting out of the final year of his original contract, Leonard re-signed with the Clippers on August 12, 2021, to a max four-year, $ 176.3 million contract with the fourth year being a player option. Leonard remained inactive the entire season after recovering from the partial ACL tear in his right knee. Without Leonard,
29746-604: The field. Leonard helped the Spurs to a 62–20 record – the number one seed in the NBA – and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the first time. The Spurs and the Miami Heat met once again in the NBA Finals . On June 10, 2014, in game 3 of the series, Leonard scored a then career-high 29 points in a 111–92 victory. San Antonio went on to win the series 4–1. Leonard averaged 17.8 points on 61% shooting and
29960-510: The first 27 games of the season with a right quadriceps injury, making his season debut on December 12, 2017, against the Dallas Mavericks . He appeared in nine games between December 12 and January 13. He returned from a three-game absence on January 13 against the Denver Nuggets after straining his left shoulder against the Phoenix Suns on January 5. On January 17, he was ruled out for an indefinite period of time to continue his rehabilitation process from right quadriceps tendinopathy . Leonard
30174-472: The first decades of the 20th century, basketball quickly became the ideal interscholastic sport due to its modest equipment and personnel requirements. In the days before widespread television coverage of professional and college sports, the popularity of high school basketball was unrivaled in many parts of America. Perhaps the most legendary of high school teams was Indiana's Franklin Wonder Five , which took
30388-798: The first dominating "big man"; ball-handling wizard Bob Cousy and defensive genius Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics ; charismatic center Wilt Chamberlain , who originally played for the barnstorming Harlem Globetrotters ; all-around stars Oscar Robertson and Jerry West ; more recent big men Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Shaquille O'Neal , Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone ; playmakers John Stockton , Isiah Thomas and Steve Nash ; crowd-pleasing forwards Julius Erving and Charles Barkley ; European stars Dirk Nowitzki , Pau Gasol and Tony Parker ; Latin American stars Manu Ginobili , more recent superstars, Allen Iverson , Kobe Bryant , Tim Duncan , LeBron James , Stephen Curry , Giannis Antetokounmpo , etc.; and
30602-501: The first five overtimes, but UConn was unable to put the game away. The Huskies went scoreless in the first two and a half minutes of the sixth overtime and fell to the Orange 127–117. Despite the loss, UConn was awarded a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the program's third Final Four with a 82–75 win over #3 seed Missouri . The Huskies' run ended in the Final Four with an 82–73 loss to #2 seed Michigan State . UConn finished
30816-516: The first non-center to win the honor in back-to-back seasons since Dennis Rodman in 1989–90 and 1990–91. Additionally, he finished runner-up in the MVP voting behind Stephen Curry . In game 3 of the first-round playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, Leonard helped the Spurs go up 3–0 in the series with a 32-point effort, tying his playoff career-high. After sweeping the Grizzlies, the Spurs moved on to face
31030-593: The first school in New England—and one of the first in the country—to start five Black players in an intercollegiate basketball game. In 1976, UConn won the ECAC New England regional championship to earn an NCAA berth and then beat Hofstra in the first round of the 1976 NCAA tournament to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time ever. At the end of the 1975–76 season , the Yankee Conference dropped basketball, which left UConn as an independent. Rowe coached
31244-481: The first time, began calling offensive sets from the bench and pushed for the creation of the UConn pep band. Unlike Greer, who remained seated during most games, Shabel often stood and walked along the sideline. Shabel's first year at the helm was an uneven one, with an 6–8 record in non-conference play in the 1963–64 season. However, the Huskies went 8–2 in Yankee Conference regular season play, tying with Rhode Island atop
31458-409: The first to do so in 17 years. After the 2023–24 season, Fox Sports dubbed the Huskies' sustained success "the greatest run of the 21st century" and recognized UConn as "one of the greatest programs in the history of college basketball." Connecticut Agricultural College played its first organized men's basketball game on February 8, 1901, a 17–12 win against Willimantic High School. The victory led
31672-406: The first-ever rights fees to be paid to a women's professional sports league. Over the eight years of the contract, "millions and millions of dollars" were "dispersed to the league's teams." In a March 12, 2009, article, NBA commissioner David Stern said that in the bad economy, "the NBA is far less profitable than the WNBA. We're losing a lot of money among a large number of teams. We're budgeting
31886-523: The following week. After a 4–0 start, they fell out of the poll for the remainder of the year following a 66–60 loss to New Mexico in the Paradise Jam championship game. The season featured wins at #17 Notre Dame and against #6 Syracuse at the XL Center, as well as a double-overtime loss to #7 Georgetown at Gampel Pavilion. UConn finished the season with a 20–10 overall record. Due to their postseason ban,
32100-476: The fourth quarter of a game against the Denver Nuggets, Leonard received an elbow to the face from teammate Serge Ibaka , causing a facial injury which forced Leonard out of the game early. Leonard suffered a wound in his mouth as a result of his injury, which required him to get eight stitches. After being absent for two games due to the injury, Leonard returned to the Clippers wearing a clear plastic mask with
32314-469: The free throw line in a 144–122 win over the New York Knicks . On January 10, 2024, Leonard signed an extension with the Clippers that will pay him $ 153 million over the next three years. On January 23, he recorded just his second career triple-double, posting 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 127–116 win against the Los Angeles Lakers . In the playoffs, Leonard played just two games because of
32528-425: The game had spread to colleges across the country, including Wellesley , Vassar , and Bryn Mawr . The first intercollegiate women's game was on April 4, 1896. Stanford women played Berkeley , 9-on-9, ending in a 2–1 Stanford victory. Women's basketball development was more structured than that for men in the early years. In 1905, the executive committee on Basket Ball Rules (National Women's Basketball Committee)
32742-489: The inflatable bladder after the other sewn-together segments of the ball's cover had been flipped outside-in. These laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith (whereas in American football , the lace construction proved to be advantageous for gripping and remains to this day). The first balls made specifically for basketball were brown, and it
32956-545: The league's popularity and level of competition. Other professional women's basketball leagues in the United States, such as the American Basketball League (1996–98) , have folded in part because of the popularity of the WNBA. The WNBA has been looked at by many as a niche league. However, the league has recently taken steps forward. In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ESPN . The new television deal ran from 2009 to 2016. Along with this deal, came
33170-423: The mezzanine balcony of the playing court, but this proved impractical when spectators in the balcony began to interfere with shots. The backboard was introduced to prevent this interference; it had the additional effect of allowing rebound shots. Naismith's handwritten diaries, discovered by his granddaughter in early 2006, indicate that he was nervous about the new game he had invented, which incorporated rules from
33384-422: The most notable players of the era was future NBA legend Ray Allen , who played for the Huskies from 1993 until he was selected as the #5 overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft . In his junior season, Allen averaged 23.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 34.7 minutes per game. In the 1996 Big East Championship against Georgetown , Allen made the winning shot with only 14 seconds remaining to achieve
33598-489: The nation by storm during the 1920s, dominating Indiana basketball and earning national recognition. Today virtually every high school in the United States fields a basketball team in varsity competition. Basketball's popularity remains high, both in rural areas where they carry the identification of the entire community, as well as at some larger schools known for their basketball teams where many players go on to participate at higher levels of competition after graduation. In
33812-402: The nearby Smith College , went to Naismith to learn more about the game. Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could teach, she started to organize games with her pupils, following adjusted rules. The first official women's interinstitutional game was played barely 11 months later, between the University of California and the Miss Head's School. In 1899, a committee was established at
34026-400: The new sport and the values it could teach, she instantly introduced the game as a class exercise and soon after teams were organized. The first women's collegiate basketball game was played on March 21, 1893, when her Smith freshmen and sophomores played against one another. The first official women's interinstitutional game was played later that year between the University of California and
34240-432: The next two seasons before stepping down halfway through the 1930–31 season. He left Connecticut with a 35–19 overall record. Dole, who was still head coach of Connecticut's football team, coached the remainder of the men's basketball season, posting a 5–3 record as interim head coach and bringing his overall record to 39–25. Connecticut named John Heldman Jr. head coach ahead of the 1931–32 season. Harrison "Honey" Fitch ,
34454-454: The offense, a violation of these rules results in loss of possession; for the defense, most leagues reset the shot clock and the offensive team is given possession of the ball out of bounds. There are limits imposed on the time taken before progressing the ball past halfway (8 seconds in FIBA and the NBA; 10 seconds in NCAA and high school for both sexes), before attempting a shot (24 seconds in FIBA,
34668-491: The preseason to winning the Big East regular season and tournament championships, both for the first time. January 1990 in particular marked several major milestones for the team. After an already historic 13–3 start to the season, the Huskies were able to defeat No. 5 Syracuse and No. 2 Georgetown in back-to-back games played at the Hartford Civic Center. After their 70–65 victory over the Hoyas on January 20, 1990,
34882-576: The previous season and added 2008 McDonald's All-American Kemba Walker to the roster. The team started the year 11–0, including double-digit wins over #17 Miami and #25 Wisconsin en route to the US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam championship. With an 88–83 win over #8 Gonzaga in Seattle on December 20, 2008, UConn earned its third ranked victory of the year ahead of conference play. The Huskies' first stumble came in their Big East opener,
35096-462: The previous year's Elite Eight team. Calhoun convinced leading scorer Richard "Rip" Hamilton to return for his junior season instead of departing for the NBA, putting the Huskies in position to make a historic run. UConn started the season 19–0, with wins over five ranked teams. By early December, the Huskies were ranked #1 in the AP poll, where they stayed for a program-record 10 weeks. The team's first loss came to No. 16 Syracuse on February 1, 1999,
35310-467: The program's first African American player, joined the team in the 1932–33 season. Heldman made the controversial decision to bench Fitch in a game against the US Coast Guard Academy in 1934 after Coast Guard refused to play if Fitch was on the floor. Heldman coached the following year, but resigned after the first game of the 1935–36 season, a loss to the school's alumni. Heldman finished with
35524-441: The retrospective Premo-Porretta Power Poll. White left the Huskies after eight seasons to become the head coach at Rutgers . He compiled an overall record of 94–59 during his time with Connecticut. Connecticut hired Blair Gullion as White's replacement for the 1945–46 season. Gullion spent three seasons as head coach at Tennessee prior to World War II and took over as Connecticut's head coach after returning from his service in
35738-437: The school to add men's basketball as a varsity sport the following year. The program's first intercollegiate game came in the 1904–05 season, a 66–22 loss to UMass . Connecticut did not have a home court during these early years and eventually ceased competition in 1908 as a result. An independent team was given permission to compete under the school's name from 1910 to 1914. Connecticut resumed sponsorship of men's basketball as
35952-451: The school's ambivalence about committing greater financial resources to athletics, including the administration's decision to decline an invitation to the NIT in 1966 without consulting him. After Shabel's departure, UConn offered the head coaching job to Larry Brown , then a young assistant coach at North Carolina . Brown declined, saying he felt he was too "young" to take a head coaching position. The job ultimately went to Burr Carlson,
36166-412: The school's football team, Louis A. Alexander was named Connecticut's first men's basketball-only head coach in 1927. In his first season, Alexander won the school's third New England Conference championship. That season included a 39–36 win over Springfield College , a team ranked #11 in the nation that year by the retrospective Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Alexander led the team to winning records again in
36380-439: The score was 7–7 at the end of regulation play, and a ten-minute overtime period settled the outcome. A good turnout of spectators watched the game. The first men's national championship tournament, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball tournament, which still exists as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament , was organized in 1937. The first national championship for NCAA teams,
36594-419: The season opener against the Dallas Mavericks due to an infection in his right eye caused by conjunctivitis, Leonard made his season debut against the Phoenix Suns on October 31 despite still suffering from blurry vision. He continued to play through the blurred vision and on November 10, 2014, he scored a season-high 26 points in the Spurs' 89–85 win over the Los Angeles Clippers . Following a three-game stint on
36808-408: The season with a 31–5 overall record. After the season, Hasheem Thabeet and A. J. Price were selected in the 2009 NBA draft as the #2 and #52 overall picks, respectively. UConn entered the 2010–11 season unranked and picked to finish tenth in the Big East. But after a 10–0 start that included wins over #2 Michigan State and #8 Kentucky en route to the Maui Invitational Tournament championship,
37022-444: The season, Okafor and Gordon were selected in the 2004 NBA draft as the #2 and #3 overall picks, respectively. Calhoun said he considers the 2003–04 team to be the best he ever coached. Calhoun was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005. After steadily rebuilding over the prior two years, UConn entered the 2008–09 season ranked #2 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. The Huskies returned their entire starting lineup from
37236-517: The season. UConn finished the season with a 32–9 overall record, becoming the first and (as of 2024) only men's or women's basketball team to play 41 games in one season. After the season, Walker was selected in the 2011 NBA draft as the #9 overall pick. Calhoun officially announced his retirement on September 13, 2012. Kevin Ollie was named UConn's next head coach at Jim Calhoun's retirement press conference in Gampel Pavilion. Ollie played for Calhoun from 1991 to 1995 before spending 13 seasons as
37450-455: The second straight year 163–135. The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the NBA Finals where they faced the Miami Heat . Leonard averaged 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds during the Finals as the Spurs lost the series in seven games. On April 6, 2014, Leonard scored a season-high 26 points in the Spurs' 112–92 win over the Memphis Grizzlies . He finished the season averaging 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals while shooting 52.2% from
37664-405: The series. He, however, got injured at the end of game 4 after being fouled by Joe Ingles . Leonard was ruled out for the remainder of the series with a knee sprain, as the Clippers won the next two games and advanced to the first Western Conference finals in franchise history. The Clippers' playoffs run was then cut short by the Phoenix Suns in six games, with Leonard unable to recover and missing
37878-402: The sidelines between December 17 and 20, Leonard had an injection in his injured right hand on December 22 and was ruled out indefinitely. He returned to action on January 16, 2015, after missing 15 games, recording 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals to lead the Spurs to a 110–96 win over the Portland Trail Blazers . On April 5, Leonard recorded 26 points and a career-high 7 steals in
38092-433: The sixth Spurs player in franchise history to be selected as an All-Star starter, joining George Gervin , Larry Kenon , Alvin Robertson , David Robinson and Tim Duncan . On March 23, 2016, Leonard had another 32-point outing in a 112–88 win over the Miami Heat, helping the Spurs extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 45 games (dating to 2014–15 season). On April 2, he set a new career-high with 33 points in
38306-411: The sport in Australia. The Women's National Basketball League began in 1981. Women began to play basketball in the fall of 1892 at Smith College through Senda Berenson , substitute director of the newly opened gymnasium and physical education teacher, after having modified the rules for women. Shortly after Berenson was hired at Smith, she visited Naismith to learn more about the game. Fascinated by
38520-403: The team to four losing seasons and an 11–23 overall record during his tenure as head coach. Connecticut named M. Ross Swartz as Donahue's replacement in 1919. He posted a 7–5 record in his first year—the school's first winning season since returning basketball as a varsity sport—but finished 7–9 in his second. With losing records in five out of the previous six years, Connecticut finally turned
38734-426: The team to the NCAA tournament five times in his last six years with the school. In his final season, Calhoun's Northeastern team defeated UConn 90–73 in a game at the Hartford Civic Center . Calhoun inherited a team that included future NBA player Clifford Robinson . However, Robinson and fellow starter Phil Gamble were declared academically ineligible halfway through the year. Calhoun finished his first year with
38948-416: The three players who many credit with ushering the professional game to its highest level of popularity during the 1980s and 1990s: Larry Bird , Earvin "Magic" Johnson , and Michael Jordan . In 2001, the NBA formed a developmental league, the National Basketball Development League (later known as the NBA D-League and then the NBA G League after a branding deal with Gatorade ). As of the 2023–24 season,
39162-432: The tournament expanded to 64 teams. The Huskies have won eight Big East tournament championships (tied for most all time) and 11 Big East regular season championships (most all time). UConn has 36 NCAA tournament appearances (tied for 13th most all time) and has played in seven NCAA Final Fours (10th most all time), 13 NCAA Elite Eights (11th most all time) and 19 NCAA Sweet Sixteens (tied for 11th most all time). UConn won
39376-411: The void. In the years before World War I , the Amateur Athletic Union and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (forerunner of the NCAA ) vied for control over the rules for the game. The first pro league, the National Basketball League, was formed in 1898 to protect players from exploitation and to promote a less rough game. This league only lasted five years. James Naismith
39590-419: The war. He coached the Huskies to an 12–6 record in his first season. At the start of the 1946–47 season, Connecticut joined the newly formed Yankee Conference . Gullion left the team six games into the season to accept a position as Washington University 's athletic director, finishing with a 15–8 overall record as head coach. Hugh Greer became UConn's head coach after Gullion's midseason departure. Greer,
39804-539: The year 15–4 overall, the program's best season to date. Tasker returned for the 1922–23 season but abruptly resigned after the team's first game, a 52–19 loss to Army. He left Connecticut with a 15–5 overall record. Roy J. Guyer coached the remainder of the season, finishing 8–6 as interim head coach. Connecticut named Sumner Dole as head coach ahead of the 1923–24 season. After posting a losing record in his first season, Dole led Connecticut to back-to-back New England Conference championships in 1925 and 1926. Hugh Greer
40018-408: The year tied for second in the Big East and received the #3 seed in the conference tournament. In the Big East tournament quarterfinals, UConn lost to #6 seed Syracuse in a six-overtime game remembered as one of the greatest college basketball games of all time. The Orange appeared to a hit a game-winning shot at the end of regulation, but the basket was waived off after review. Syracuse never led in
40232-486: The year with a 23–3 overall record. The UConn Field House replaced the Cage as the team's home court at the start of the 1954–55 season. UConn defeated rival Rhode Island in resounding fashion, 116–77, in the field house's inaugural game on December 1, 1954. The Huskies ended the season with their first National Invitation Tournament appearance and a 20–5 overall record. In the 1955–56 season, Greer led UConn to its third NCAA tournament appearance and its first trip to
40446-444: Was 12-of-17 from the floor, 7-of-9 from the three-point range and made both of his free throws in 34 minutes. On February 24, Leonard scored a season-high 44 points on 16-of-22 shooting, 6-of-9 from three, 6-of-6 from the free throw line in a 176–175 double overtime loss against the Sacramento Kings . It was the second-highest scoring game in NBA history. On April 9, in the final game of the 2022–23 season , Leonard recorded 25 points,
40660-441: Was a 9.5-point underdog heading into the matchup. However, the Huskies prevailed by a score of 77–74 to claim the program's first-ever national championship. As time expired, Khalid El-Amin ran over to a television camera on the court and shouted, "We shocked the world!" Richard Hamilton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, contributing 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in the championship game. UConn finished with
40874-446: Was a blessing to be able to get to that point and make that shot and feel that moment. It's something I can look back on in my career." The Raptors continued their 2019 NBA playoffs march against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks . In game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, Leonard scored 36 points, including eight in the second overtime, to help the Raptors beat Milwaukee 118–112 to cut the Bucks' series lead to 2–1. In game 5, he helped
41088-444: Was awarded with his seventh All-Defensive Team selection and fifth All-NBA Team selection third All-NBA First Team . In the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs the Clippers faced the Dallas Mavericks for the rematch of the previous year. After losing the first two games at home, the Clippers bounced back with Leonard scoring 36 and 29 points respectively in games played in Dallas to even the series. After dropping game 5, Leonard led
41302-429: Was built by salvaging parts from a World War II airplane hangar, leading to the nickname "the Hangar." This facility had a capacity of 4,000 seats, allowing general admission attendance for the first time. The team's first game in the Storrs Cage was a 63–29 win over Maine in January 1948. The Huskies won their first Yankee Conference title at the end of that season. UConn made its first NCAA tournament appearance in
41516-401: Was captain of the 1925–26 team. That season included a 30–26 win over UMass , a team ranked #25 in the country that season by the retrospective Premo-Porretta Power Poll. After the 1926–27 season, Dole stepped down as men's basketball head coach, but continued to coach the school's football team. He finished with a 34–22 record over four seasons as head coach. With Dole shifting his focus to
41730-403: Was common by 1896, with a rule against the double dribble by 1898. The peach baskets were used until 1906 when they were finally replaced by metal hoops with backboards. A further change was soon made, so the ball merely passed through. Whenever a person got the ball in the basket, his team would gain a point. Whichever team got the most points won the game. The baskets were originally nailed to
41944-461: Was created by the American Physical Education Association . These rules called for six to nine players per team and 11 officials. The International Women's Sports Federation (1924) included a women's basketball competition. 37 women's high school varsity basketball or state tournaments were held by 1925. And in 1926, the Amateur Athletic Union backed the first national women's basketball championship , complete with men's rules. The Edmonton Grads ,
42158-411: Was eventually selected to the NBA's All-Bubble Second Team, averaging 28.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists. In the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs , the Clippers eliminated the Dallas Mavericks in six games while Leonard recorded over 30 points in five consecutive games and averaged 32.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists for the series. The Clippers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in
42372-401: Was first included at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics , although a demonstration tournament was held in 1904. The United States defeated Canada in the first final, played outdoors. This competition has usually been dominated by the United States, whose team has won all but three titles. The first of these came in a controversial final game in Munich in 1972 against the Soviet Union, in which
42586-474: Was founded as a "rebellion" of several teams from the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association, which was tightly controlled by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (now defunct), the then-FIBA recognized national association. Nine teams from the MICAA participated in the league's first season that opened on April 9, 1975. The NBL is Australia's pre-eminent men's professional basketball league. The league commenced in 1979 , playing
42800-429: Was his 91st straight game scoring in double figures, matching San Antonio's longest streak since Tim Duncan did so in 2002–03. On April 15, 2017, Leonard matched his postseason high with 32 points in a 111–82 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Two days later, in game 2, Leonard had a postseason career-high 37 points and added 11 rebounds in a 96–82 win over Memphis to take
43014-418: Was instrumental in establishing college basketball . His colleague C. O. Beamis fielded the first college basketball team just a year after the Springfield YMCA game at the suburban Pittsburgh Geneva College . Naismith himself later coached at the University of Kansas for six years, before handing the reins to renowned coach Forrest "Phog" Allen . Naismith's disciple Amos Alonzo Stagg brought basketball to
43228-509: Was known more for his defense and rebounding than for his offensive capabilities when he first entered the league. He was compared to Metta World Peace and Gerald Wallace , and his outside shooting (or lack thereof) was a concern. Leonard was selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers but was traded that night to the San Antonio Spurs along with the rights to Erazem Lorbek and Dāvis Bertāns in exchange for George Hill . On December 10, 2011, following
43442-417: Was named NBA Finals MVP . He was the third-youngest winner of the award (22 years and 351 days), behind only Magic Johnson —who won in both 1980 (20 years and 278 days) and 1982 (22 years and 298 days). Leonard was also only the sixth player, and the first since Chauncey Billups in 2004 , to win Finals MVP in a season in which they were not an All-Star . After missing the final six preseason games and
43656-409: Was named the tournament's MVP. The Huskies received a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the third time in program history. On March 20, 1999, UConn defeated #10 seed Gonzaga 67–62 in the Elite Eight to advance to the program's first-ever Final Four. In the National Semifinals, the Huskies defeated #4 seed Ohio State 64–58 to advance to the championship game. Facing the #1 overall seed Duke , UConn
43870-412: Was not an official Olympic sport until 1976. The Grads' players were unpaid, and had to remain single. The Grads' style focused on team play, without overly emphasizing skills of individual players. The first women's AAU All-America team was chosen in 1929. Women's industrial leagues sprang up throughout the United States, producing famous athletes, including Babe Didrikson of the Golden Cyclones , and
44084-492: Was one of the seven founding schools. Under Perno, the Huskies had some early success, winning an ECAC New England regional championship in 1979 and earning one NCAA berth and three NIT appearances over his first five years. However, after four consecutive losing seasons, Perno resigned on April 14, 1986. UConn hired Northeastern head coach Jim Calhoun to take over the program in the 1986–87 season. Before coming to Connecticut, Calhoun spent 14 seasons at Northeastern, leading
44298-424: Was only in the late 1950s that Tony Hinkle , searching for a ball that would be more visible to players and spectators alike, introduced the orange ball that is now in common use. Dribbling was not part of the original game except for the "bounce pass" to teammates. Passing the ball was the primary means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the asymmetric shape of early balls. Dribbling
44512-432: Was originally chosen to be a member of the 2024 United States men's Olympic basketball team as part of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris . However, despite participating in a few practices with the team, on July 10, 2024, just before the team's first friendly scrimmage with Canada , he withdrew from the Olympic roster after consultations with the Clippers and USA Basketball officials. He was replaced by Derrick White of
44726-399: Was subsequently cleared to play by the Spurs medical staff, but he solicited a second opinion from his own doctors. In March, the Spurs held a players-only meeting in which Leonard's teammates reportedly entreated him to return to the court; the meeting was described as "tense and emotional". Leonard did not play again in 2018. In June 2018, reports surfaced claiming that Leonard had requested
44940-489: Was the "basketball capital of the world" as both the men's and women's teams were having undefeated seasons so far. The Huskies beat Syracuse but later lost to Kansas to end their undefeated season. UConn ultimately continued to rise as a national program throughout the 1990s, winning five more Big East regular season and three more Big East tournament championships, as well as making the Elite Eight twice (1995, 1998), prior to their 1998–99 national championship season. One of
45154-431: Was the third number retirement in program history, after Michael Cage (44) and Milton “Milky” Phelps (22). According to Sports Illustrated , NBA scouts were aware in 2011 that Leonard had a strong work ethic and was a "physical marvel, 6'7" with a 7'3" wingspan and 11-inch hands, too strong to screen and too long to elude". Nevertheless, they found him "difficult to pin down". Sporting News has asserted that Leonard
45368-438: Was the third-best scoring total for a single NBA postseason in league history, behind only LeBron James (748, 2018) and Michael Jordan (759, 1992). On July 10, 2019, Leonard signed with his hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers , to a reported three-year, $ 103 million contract, which included an opt-out clause in 2021. Leonard debuted for the Clippers on October 22, 2019, where he put up 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in
45582-436: Was traded to the Golden State Warriors for Stephen Jackson , Leonard was promoted to the starting small forward position while Jackson served as his backup. At season's end, Leonard placed fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the 2012 NBA All-Rookie First Team . In the summer of 2012, Leonard was among several NBA up-and-comers chosen to play for the 2012 USA men's basketball Select Team. They trained with
45796-402: Was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New England winters. After rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums , he invented a new game in which players would pass a ball to teammates and try to score points by tossing the ball into
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