Basketball | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/basketball/RSS feed for BasketballenWed, 04 Mar 2026 16:47:24 +0000Why Do Basketball Players' Shoes Squeak on the Court? Here's the Physics Behind the Iconic, High-Pitched Soundshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-basketball-players-shoes-squeak-on-the-court-heres-the-physics-behind-the-iconic-high-pitched-sounds-180988289/The screeches come from wave-like deformations of sneakers’ flexible solesWed, 04 Mar 2026 16:47:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-basketball-players-shoes-squeak-on-the-court-heres-the-physics-behind-the-iconic-high-pitched-sounds-180988289/How a College Gym Teacher in Massachusetts Invented a New Sport to Keep His Students Entertained and Fit During the Frigid Winterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-a-college-gym-teacher-in-massachusetts-invented-a-new-sport-to-keep-his-students-entertained-and-fit-during-the-frigid-winter-180985651/From a humble first game with peach baskets and a soccer ball on this day in 1891, basketball evolved quickly into one of the world's most popular sportsSat, 21 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-a-college-gym-teacher-in-massachusetts-invented-a-new-sport-to-keep-his-students-entertained-and-fit-during-the-frigid-winter-180985651/These 17 Pictures Tell the Stories of Black Athletes in Americahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-17-pictures-tell-the-stories-of-black-athletes-in-america-180985088/A new book from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture shows the images and impacts of athletes on and off the playing fieldFri, 11 Oct 2024 19:20:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-17-pictures-tell-the-stories-of-black-athletes-in-america-180985088/From the JogBra to Gatorade to Breakaway Basketball Rims, Sports Are a Field for Inventionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/from-the-jogbra-to-gatorade-to-breakaway-basketball-rims-sports-are-a-field-for-invention-180984084/A new exhibition at the National Museum of American History aims to inspire the next generation of innovatorsFri, 05 Apr 2024 12:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/from-the-jogbra-to-gatorade-to-breakaway-basketball-rims-sports-are-a-field-for-invention-180984084/What We've Learned Through Sports Psychology Researchhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-weve-learned-through-sports-psychology-research-180983755/Scientists are probing the head games that influence athletic performance, from coaching to coping with pressureTue, 13 Feb 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-weve-learned-through-sports-psychology-research-180983755/A LeBron James Museum Is Now Open in Akron, Ohiohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lebron-james-museum-is-now-open-in-akron-ohio-180983332/Museum-goers follow the star from his childhood apartment to his expansive NBA careerThu, 30 Nov 2023 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lebron-james-museum-is-now-open-in-akron-ohio-180983332/Why LeBron James Is Buying a Pickleball Teamhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lebron-james-pickleball-americas-fastest-growing-sport-180980875/The Los Angeles Lakers star is a fan of America's fastest-growing sportMon, 03 Oct 2022 12:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lebron-james-pickleball-americas-fastest-growing-sport-180980875/What Made the Air Jordan a Slam-Dunk Designhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/slam-dunk-design-air-jordan-180978826/The world is bonkers for sneakers. This pivotal 1996 concept for basketball superstar Michael Jordan is a big reason whyTue, 19 Oct 2021 13:53:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/slam-dunk-design-air-jordan-180978826/The Paralyzed World War II Veterans Who Invented Wheelchair Basketballhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-paralyzed-world-war-ii-veterans-invented-wheelchair-basketball-180975710/In the late 1940s, paraplegics popularized the sport—and changed the game for the disability rights movementWed, 02 Sep 2020 17:19:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-paralyzed-world-war-ii-veterans-invented-wheelchair-basketball-180975710/Athletes Shut Down Sports to Protest Police Brutalityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sports-strikes-police-brutality-180975679/A sports curator at the Smithsonian provides his thoughts on the past and future implications of the events of the week Fri, 28 Aug 2020 17:10:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sports-strikes-police-brutality-180975679/