The sport of basketball was first discovered by Dr. James Naismith in 1891. He created the game at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, as a way to keep his students physically active indoors during the winter months. The original game involved using a peach basket as the goal, and it has since evolved into the globally popular sport we know today. Naismith's invention laid the foundation for the rules and gameplay that are now fundamental to basketball.