Basketball is one of the fastest, most athletic, skilful and tactical sports in the world. It is played by a team of five players and the aim is simple. Put the ball through the hoop.

Basketball is certainly the biggest sport that was solely invented in America. While sports like Ice Hockey, Baseball and American Football owe their origins to European or Asian backgrounds, basketball is one of the great exports of the US.

The story of how basketball came into existence is well known. During a cold winter in New England, an American gym teacher wanted to come with a game that could be played indoors. So he nailed a peach basket (that’s where the basket comes from) to a ten foot pole and the sport was born.

Basketball is popular in parts of Latin America and Eastern Europe, but the US is really the global hub of basketball. The NBA is the world’s most elite basketball league, and as such it attracts the best players from all over the globe.

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers stand out in terms of NBA titles. Boston have won 17, while the Lakers have 16. They both sit at least 10 titles clear of the nearest opponent.