Each 21 December is celebrated as United Nations (UN) World Basketball Day.

The Thammasat University Library collection includes several books about different aspects of basketball.

The UN website explains:

Basketball: Crafting an Enduring Legacy for

A Better Future

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, sport is recognized as an important enabler of sustainable development. Sports, the arts and physical activity have the power to change perceptions, prejudices and behaviours, as well as to inspire people, break down racial and political barriers, combat discrimination and defuse conflict.

Basketball impacts global spheres of commerce, peace and diplomacy, and creates a unique space of cooperation, physical movement and an interdependence that allows participants to see each other as human beings first and foremost.

Like many other sports, basketball transcends borders, cultures, and languages. It serves as a unifying force where people from different backgrounds can come together, bond and communicate with each other, creating connections and breaking down barriers, and thereby contributing to peace.

Harlem Globetrotters score for peace

The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters brought their basketball skills to the United Nations, where they scored big for its goals of peace, gender equality and the empowerment of youth. Combining an inspirational message with dexterous skills, these players showed the power of teamwork for peace and understanding.

Background

Basketball was played for the first time on December 21, 1891 at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, after Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor, developed the game to keep his students active during the winter months.

Today, basketball has grown to become one of the most popular and widely played sports in the world. FIBA, basketball’s governing body, estimates that at least 450 million people worldwide are playing basketball today. Basketball has also been a part of the Olympic program since its introduction at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Basketball enjoys a strong presence in North America, especially the United States, Europe, Asia, and other regions. In 2019, the ground-breaking Basketball Africa League (BAL), was established and is a now a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. Women started playing basketball as early as 1892, or less than a year after the game was invented. Women’s basketball made its debut as a regular team sport for women in the Olympics at the 1976 Montreal Games.

Overall, beyond iconic names, such as Jordan, Magic, Kareem, Bird, Kobe, Lebron, Curry, basketball is a global grassroots sport and is played and enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels, from organized leagues to casual pickup games.

Recognizing sport, including sport for persons with disabilities, has an important role to play in the promotion of peace and development, respect for human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, in particular basketball, given its universal popularity. On 25 August 2023, the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/77/324 proclaiming 21 December as World Basketball Day.

In the resolution, the General Assembly commends Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines for hosting the International Basketball Federation Basketball World Cup 2023 and encourages the relevant authorities to exert every effort to ensure that the Basketball World Cup 2023 will leave a lasting legacy for peace and development around the world. It also encourages everyone everywhere to play, watch, read, discuss or otherwise connect to basketball game, which will be a connection to each other everywhere.

The resolution also invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the Division for Inclusive Social Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)of the Secretariat, other international and regional organizations, the private sector and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, individuals and other relevant stakeholders to observe World Basketball Day in an appropriate manner and in accordance with national priorities, and to disseminate the advantages of basketball for all, including through educational and public awareness-raising activities.

One of America’s most thoughtful former basketball players is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who writes a blog about current events in the United States of America.

In 2012, he replied to questions from an interviewer from the Harvard Business Review. Excerpts:

You’ve worked with many coaches over the years, including the great John Wooden at UCLA. What were the most important lessons you learned from them?

• It was something that Coach Wooden stressed very emphatically. I trained with Bruce Lee for a while, and it was the same deal. Being prepared, having a good understanding of your own strengths and limitations, and having a good game plan: Those are essential elements of success. Coach Wooden was also an English teacher and a big poetry buff, so it was great to have a relationship with a man who was so multifaceted and such an excellent mentor.

In the NCAA and the NBA you occasionally faced racism. How did you play through those distractions?

• If you let it distract you, you’re playing into their hands. Their whole purpose is to distract you and prevent you from succeeding. And for me, success was the goal. My success and the success of other black Americans was exactly what would silence people who indulged in racism. So it was “Keep your eyes on the prize.” That was one of the messages of the civil rights movement, and I tried to do it.

You were known as a focused player who wasn’t very personable. Did that hurt your career?

• Well, it had a negative effect on how I was portrayed. But I had no one to explain the value of public relations to me. When I was in college, there was such an intense demand from the press that John Wooden said they couldn’t talk to me at all. So that was what I took for normal going into the NBA. Being at the top of my game and working as hard as I could for the people who employed me—that was my primary focus, and everything else was secondary. So I didn’t always respond to social situations in a pleasant way. When it came to talking to people, I was kind of reserved. But shyness is something you have to overcome. Later in my career, I started doing a lot better relating to fans and talking to the media. I think that’s continued to improve in my retirement.

Do you enjoy it now? Or do you still grit your teeth?

• Well, let me say this: It doesn’t bother me anymore. I can handle it. A lot of the people in the media are good people, and by being more accessible, you get to find that out. It’s just like being in any marketplace. There are good people and thieves. And you’ve got to have the judgment to understand which is which and adjust.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)