At long last, we’ve reached the 2026 national championship game. UConn and Michigan will meet in Indianapolis with a chance to etch their programs into the annals of history. Sports Illustrated looks back at the past 25 seasons from 2000–01 to ’24 ...

During the first basketball game played in 1891, players dunked balls and scored points in a basket normally used to collect peaches. To keep his students engaged, James Naismith, a 31-year-old graduate student teaching physical education at the school ...

When basketball was invented by medical doctor James Naismith in 1891 – to keep American football players active during winter – all baskets were worth two points, regardless of where they were shot from.