How basketball was played in the 1930s
People already chucking threes back then
I know i didn’t just see a mf pull up from the logo
Mid range back then meant shooting from mid court
Dem silky shorts ain’t mid
For two!
He’s heating up!
BOOMSHAKALAKA!
Analytics would’ve had a field day with the crazy long 2 pointers
with a final score of 49-41 those advanced defensive metrics should be off the charts
Ngl for a split at 0:35 I thought he was actually going for the lob.
every shot looked like it was a lob to me!
The dunk hadn’t been invented yet
Fun fact: the first white person to discover jumping did not do so until 1935!
you sure about that?
I saw a documentary about the white man’s inability to jump in 1992
I would pay to see the first time they saw dunk. Was it disgust or hype? This article makes me think the former.
Right? There’s a lot more sky fuckery than I expected, on most of them I was waiting for an alley oop
Alley Oop didn’t exist till the Flint Tropics did it against the San Antonio Spurs in the last ABA game before their merger into the NBA.
I was kinda of surprised to see two really long shots
I think that is why they made the highlight reel.
Thought it was westbrook for a little bit.
Nah it went in.
Came to say that. Two handers. Though the outside D was lacking.
No foul baiting. Just straight YMCA hoops.
These guys look so coachable. So salt of the earth.
Also everyone in the audience is in a suit. And no Timothee Chalamet
I’ll take Timothy Chalomet over 2018⁄19 Kevin Hart ANY day
it almost looks like stock ‘applause’ footage that they splice in with the way they never pan around the audience camera
First in, last out energy right here
Real lunch pale kinda guys..
Jokes aside, they literally had full time jobs, and basketball wasn’t it.
ol’ pal. ol’ sock.
Class acts.
You know what that is? Good fundamental basketball. None of that hotdogging fiddle faddle. These men know how to play the game!
Cerebral
Nah, eject these thugs.
Real classy.
[removed]
Gym rats
Coach’s son
A lot of classy gentlemen right there
Dream Celtics basketball
Looks like the 2026 Lakers starting lineup.
Everybody in the stands wearing black suits and tie.
Ethical ball
like watching ur washed up uncle who coulda went pro hooping in the backyard
No gather step(s)
Most things look extremely antiquated, but the passing and cutting honestly don’t look very different from today
Those fast break passes were legit
Was that a no look pass at the end?
Yup I spotted it too
He couldn’t dribble with his left but he was dropping dimes
And a proto-Skyhook towards the end too
Came here to say this. The spacing, cutting and fundamentals are the same. The shooting form looks weird is all.
Dribbling too, I didn’t think I saw a left hand used for anything on offense but set shots.
In a big way, it had to do with the rules around dribbling and what one could and could not do with the ball.
and the ball did not pop at all like modern basketballs, much less bounce
Them having to dribble somewhat forcefully does explain a lot
You had to pound the shit out of it and I think you had to only use the top of the ball basically so everyone sees stuff like this and says they had no handle but literally a basic cross is a carry / travel
Had to dribble from the top of the ball. That both make it harder and removes just about anything fancy.
I think it had to do more with the material of the ball being quite different. Even up until the 50s the ball was quite smooth with no grip and it didn’t have the exact same bounce that we’re used to with the rubber infused balls now.
That would also be a factor. But originally the palm needed to be on top of the ball. That loosed to the edges of the palm being on top. Then the palm being on the sides. And now the palm can be under the ball.
Try redirecting the ball to do a cross over while keeping your palm on top of the ball.
Related is the fact that shooting “granny style” is more accurate for free throws but players dont want to be made fun of.
Not that related. The reason the shooting style in the video fell out of favor is that it is a worse shooting style. It has nothing to do with how the shot looks. The release points are lower and further away from the body. Too many shot attempts get blocked shooting like that, so players adapted to modern shooting techniques which have higher release points closer to the body.
While that’s true for FTs, it would get blocked way more for it to make up the difference in potential fg% improvement.
It’s a simple game at the core. Create space through movement and put ball in hoop.
Yeah passing to the post then moving off ball is a classic it’s just done different in the era favoring what is a more looked for shot attempt.
Mostly because if you didn’t dribble directly on top of the ball it was a turnover and was actually called
No modern player dropped from a time machine would make it to half court without a whistle
Thats the part that always gets left out when people do hypotheticals about guys like Kyrie. Like he would be great, but he’d average 8 turnovers a game dribbling how he currently does. Pretty much all the current guys would because Carrying isn’t called anymore.
Fun to watch too.
Yea it’s pretty cool that even almost 100 years later some fundamentals never change
I feel like for a good sport, the bones are always visible.
I wish this sub posted and upvoted more of this kind of thing instead of dumb takes
Yeah. When you watch this you see really skilled basketball just played differently.
This action is really cool, very little extra dribbling, tons of quick ball movement.
I’ve also said this before - the game was wildly different then because basketballs were physically different. Hand stitched and they bounced inconsistently. That’s why you don’t see that much dribbling - couldn’t trust the ball
Also the rules were different.. Have your hand on the side of the ball and it’s a carry.
That needs brought back. “Handles”? Nah, dudes just fully carrying and acting like they have the ball.
Don’t expect them to give up any significant ground already made on dribbling rules
yeah I think most modern NBA players if they were dropped into this era of basketball would struggle more than you might expect. most of the things they’ve specialized in would get them laughed out of the arena. euro step? travel. step back 3? travel. hell, the NCAA banned dunking in the 60s and 70s
They would adapt, and they can still cut, shoot and defend better than those guys.
There is no 3 in the key and not even a 24 second shot clock at this time. There’s a reason why George Mikan was the first goat. And even his career is almost 20 yrs after this clip
Also no defensive goal tending yet so any athletic or big current nba player could just decide to stay at the rim and play goalie to prevent the ball to go in.
with the shoe technology back then the cutting is probably more limited. If they tried things then that they do now, they’d probably been on the bench much of the season nursing sprained ankles.
Have to keep in mind based on this clip, it looks like some basic fundamentals of defensive positioning and shooting form hadn’t even been standardized or developed yet. Crazy to see the history.
No fucking shot lmfao
An average NBA player would be an athletic phenomenon compared to the average player back then. Dudes that trained their entire life on the specific movements used in basketball are going to be able to adjust after a few games. What is this take lol.
They would be faster and stronger and bigger than most of their opponents, no way would they “struggle”.
They’d just adapt, it’s not like modern guys don’t go through years of passing drills.
Also step back two is still a two. Offensive fouls were called for almost everything. Wilt developed a jump shot because he was called for offensive fouls for almost any contact when shooting.
They would struggle for like 1 game while they adjusted to the rules and then they would go back to dominating.
More old old school content is welcome tbh
There’s r/VintageNBA if that appeals to you
Hell yeah thanks. Good find
Is KwaMe BroWn A BettEr AthleTe tHaN WiLT?
I’d love to see the 2013 Heat randomly go back in time and drop in and play one of these teams lol.
Bron with the first ever double triple.
100 points 100 turnovers.
I mean, aside from the rule changes they would absolutely dominate lol. They would instantly be the most physically fit, athletic human beings on the planet in every way.
Well and aside from the fact that most of the roster wouldn’t be allowed to play. Even Chris Anderson’s colourful skin would freak them out
You’ve come to the wrong place. This sub is for people who hate basketball.
But how many points would Lebron score in that era? /s
I do wonder what it’d be like if you forced modern NBA players to dribble like this.
I don’t think reddit could handle the amount of whistles lol
Nah, FIBA is much stricter about traveling and NBA players all adjust
you still can crossover in FIBA
He’s talking about carries
Players would adjust eventually. It’d take a season or 2 of consistent enforcement. Honestly though the gather step and flopping has ruined the game to watch. It needs to be reined in big time.
No I don’t think so either. People say they want every travel or double dribble called, I think they just think they want that.
I’m a big fan of college basketball, obviously nowhere near the level of this hypothetical, but the constant whistles are one of the few things I really don’t enjoy.
Actually calling basketball completely by the book just isn’t great entertainment.
I think if someone is walking up the court you let it go since it doesn’t affect the game. But if someone is carrying or traveling as a move to intentionally beat their man and they get an advantage from it, yes that needs to be fixed. There was a brief period where carrying got so out of hand that Jordan Poole’s signature move had to get legislated out of the game. Basketball survived.
It doesn’t need to be 1939 level dribbling, there is a medium between OP and what we see today. Certain moves are completely unguardable because of hesitation dribbles and gather steps.
I guess you can argue it’s more entertaining and you’re entitled to that opinion, but let’s not pretend like players are completely incapable of playing basketball another way and it would be endless whistles. If you feel they are, old heads who say kids have no fundamentals today might kinda have a point.
eh i kinda don’t agree with that. ordinary people play basketball too. i also used to when i was younger. there are no foul baits, no flopping. we don’t walk 4⁄5 steps without dribbling.
it’s fun don’t get me wrong but in rec, people call out dribbles and travels but instead you get hammered going for any kind of shot and if you call a foul on anything that isn’t attempted murder then you’re a bitch for it.
FIBA is doing very well and that level of calling is OK by me.
The problem with NBA is inconsistency. There is no consistent travel rule. As a result some players and teams are being punished when the rules are applied to them
I always say this: There is no other sport that despises their rulebook as much as NBA does. Sometimes refs are reprimanded for obeying the rules too much by its managerial class.
Carries and travels and double dribbles should be called. There’s way more you can do than what the above video shows even if everything was called
On top of the different dribbling rules if i’m not mistaken they’re still using the leather basketball with laces out kinda like an American football
Made dribbling even harder because of the inconsistency of bounces
The ball was also larger than today’s modern one
I’m pretty sure that’s also the one thing that explains why they’re so stiff like that.
We’re flexing our knees to make faster direction changes. They are basically forbidden to make fast direction changes.
So they’re all standing straight because there’s no need to put that strain on the legs muscles.
They’re also in vulcanized canvas sneakers. So you can cut but those Chuck Taylors are gonna cut right into your ankle each time
And they didn’t know about jump shooting basically, so they want to be stopped
Someone on here once said a lot of point forwards would disappear because many taller players’ shaky handles would make it untenable to be primary ball handlers.
That’s one thing I wish people realized more when watching this. Yes, these guys are not as skilled as modern players, but the rules of the time also limited them far more and it’s at least a factor in why things look so silly to modern audiences. The most skilled ball handlers in this video could maybe look like modern NBA guards, but the rules wouldn’t allow it anyway. Even the ball itself was so different that they didn’t have the same control over it that modern players can have.
Everyone would be Jaylen Brown
A lot of people don’t realize that the current dribbling was illegal back then and that makes the biggest difference. Travelling calls were brutal. If you dribbled like today, they would tell you that you were literally carrying the ball.
No carries and no traveling, Refs would be blowing the whistle for 48 minutes.
Can’t play zone, that team has shooters
Don’t forget not dribbling with your left hand like one of those sissy boys /s
Every dribble every time with the right even when ball was 3 feet to his left.
Shawn Marion shot like they did in the ‘20s.
Makes sense. These lads were all inspired by him, thus everyone emulating his form in the ‘30s.
The shooting style is so crazy lmao like can’t believe that’s buckets. The dribbling is weak and so is the defense…but the cutting and passing looks legit
The rules around traveling were different then. So this how they had to dribble. Put Kyrie Irving in there and they blow the whistle every time he puts the ball on the ground.
More commenting on how they don’t use their left hand almost at all
Just nudging the side of the ball to move it towards your left hand was already a risk of getting called for a travel. Your hand had to be fully on top of the ball.
EDIT: *for a carry not a travel
Just like the rules say
Modern rules say your hand can’t be under the ball, not that it must be on top.
Even that I’d be fine if they enforced lmfao
getting called for a travel.
for a carry you mean
The weird like low hook push shot….I don’t get how that works. The trajectory must make it so hard to score that thing and they’re spamming it
I used to think 25 year old me could have made an NBA roster if I got transported to 1930. Nope.
You’re not alone on that. As I got older (I’m sure the same for you) I realized the rules were different, and, yeah I would be hot shit I’m 1930, except that every time I drove, I’d be called for a travel
Probably not since the NBA was founded in 1949.
To shoot like that and make it is truly amazing👍
Shawn Marion did it for years.
yeah but don’t you read? he retired in 2015
SONOFABITCH
I’ve always had this absolutely insane, far-fetched theory that the next few evolutions of the shot is to get rid of as many things that slow it down, like having to set your feet or having to jump at all. Quickening release speeds shorten the gap required to bother a shot, while getting rid of the need to stop at all makes it less predictable and harder to react to.
The only player I can imagine being crazy enough to actually try something like a grounded hook shot from three while on the move is Lamelo lol
I wouldn’t be surprised if Lamelo has actually done it at some point to be honest. I love watching him shoot single-footed no-jump threes
Set-shooting is dope. Long forgotten skill now that everything uses jump-shot motion. I remember watching the Chinese women’s team at the Olympics in 92. Their shooters would be deep enough for the D to sag, then take these high arcing shots from the waist that went in way more than you’d think. Totally warped other teams defenses, and the crowd loved it. Modern Orthodox shooting form is a mini tragedy, like a language dying because the kids only shall English.
Hard workers that play the game the right way. Fundamentally sound and students of the game
Real scrappy players.
First one in, last one out, lunch pail style dudes.
Blue collar!
Lakers next season.
Honestly pretty good passing and movement
Yeah the sheer amount of motion here surprised me. Good cutting and handoffs too.
At first I thought i was watching footage of the 2014 Spurs.
Everyone goes right. That’s awesome
Being left handed wouldn’t be legal for a few more years after this.
You could dribble with your left hand back then.
Players didn’t because the rules for palming/carrying were really harsh. If you cupped the ball in any way, even just slightly to the side to shift it to your other hand?
That’s carrying. So dribbling consisted of just pounding the ball into the ground with your right-hand.
Hell, go back even further, you got one dribble. That’s it, and you couldn’t shoot after you stopped your dribble.
What the? That sounds boring af, glad they realized that rule needed to go away
>Hell, go back even further, you got one dribble.
Wow. TIL.
Explains a lot about why old bball videos look…well, ridiculous.
Crossovers would be dangerous since you have to keep your hand flat lol
Yeah that guy going left but dribbling with his right hand was like watching six graders play at the playground.
Bros could ball way better than I thought. I’d watch a full game easy.
Yeah these guys didn’t suck as bad as podcasters say. The rules sucked. This would be super watchable with the advent of three second violations and allowing actual dribbles. Obviously the shooting form is cheeks though lmao.
Still wet on those pseudo-3’s.
Travel and dribbling rules were too harsh then but they are way too lax today.
Same. Turns out every era has really good athletes.
idk how but that bitch is green bean lol
Driblling like having a pan instead of a hand is wild to watch too.
People act stupid but if you know basketball the shit they were running is still applicable today it just looks different.
Yeah, for one hundred years ago, that looks surprisingly modern
except the shooting
That’s still winning basketball at most levels get the ball on the elbow two cutters two on the wings if nothing is there and you got one on one take the shot yourself. Obviously kyrie would make them look stupid and average 60 but if you think your bros at the men’s league could beat these teams you’re probably wrong.
They’re basically running Scissors. Teams do indeed still run those type of sets. Crazy tbh
Shooting hang pull treballs from the logo in 1930 is odee
Steph Curry would have been broken into four pieces if he’d played in this era.
These guys would just force lebron left
Easy
It stands out to me that every aspect of the game has evolved drastically since this video was taken, except passing. The passing looks just as good as modern passing (if not better), while the dribbling and shooting look ridiculous. I’d love to hear some theories as to why that might be.
One could surmise that given the strict rules about dribbling and ball movement, passing had to be elite to make it easier to avoid whistles. You wouldn’t have to worry about doing something wrong if the ball hits you perfect.
Who is the bro throwing them bullet passes?
‘Musket’ Mike Maravich
What are you talking about? This is from Lakers practice from last week.
Are these still the old janky balls with laces?
Yes. I believe they were still used in the late 30s
Dude hitting from the logo without a 3 point line or a logo. Absolutely wild.
And for 2 points lmao
No 3’s, no flopping, no dunking, no shot clock, its like a totally different game. Love these clips.
[deleted]
I wanna see LaMelo get dropped into this era
That would be hilarious. He’d be called for travels and carrys all game long
And they’d be yelling racist slurs at him all game, it was the 30s…
No one would understand him lol
Plus he’d crash his Ford Model T on the way home from the arena
How many cigarettes are being smoked during this game? By the 2nd half there was probably a cloud of smoke in the rafters
Other than the bizarre shooting form this was better than I expected.
No travelling. No double dribble. No foul baiting. No follow-through foul baiting. Follows the rulebook as best as they can. Real classy.
Man these cats could ball. Cool to see the quick passes.
I’m mad that shit was going in 😭😭
Today, we look on in fervent glee as the Toronto Pennywhistles tussle with the East India Trading Company
The rebounding looks scary
Bro the no look pass.
In a way, the game has evolved so much, and yet it hasn’t.
Need videos like this to help people realize that the league being “more skilled than ever” is largely about reffing. Almost every possession and expression of skill today would just be a travel, carry, or offensive foul in the past.
Good movement
Honestly I’ve see regular season games that look real similar to this
Might be just me but, they look to be playing pretty much similar ball to what’s played in college today… Players got taller and more muscular (more pigmented), but they’re just hoopin