James Naismith Exhibit - June 22, 2007

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment unveiled the James Naismith exhibit at Terminal 1 of Toronto's Pearson International airport on June 22, 2007. The exhibit showcases many of the recently acquired objects which were put up for auction by Naismith's relatives in December 2006 and were purchased by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Naismith, born in Almonte, Ontario, invented the game of basketball in 1891.

The 32-foot exhibit is divided into four sections. The first deals with Naismith's early years, as a boy in small-town Ontario through to his years at McGill University in Montreal. The second chronicles the story behind his creation of "basket-ball." The third highlights the rules of the game, many of which are sill in use more than 100 years later. And, the fourth describes the development and change of the game.

Highlights of the show include Naismith's whistle which he used to referee games during his years at the University of Kansas as well as hand-written and typed notes made when he first invented and then developed the game. Visitors will also see a replica of the peach basket Naismith first used for a target, which he affixed to a railing ten feet above the gym floor where basketball was first played.

Naismith's contributions to sport are without compare. While other sports evolved over many decades, even centuries, basketball was created by one man, in one place, at one time. He started with a blank piece of paper, and through careful planning and note-taking created a game that today is played by virtually every sporting nation in the world.

The exhibition was made possible through the generous support of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.