Basketball Manitoba was pleased to contribute financially to the life-sized statue of Dr. James Naismith which was unveiled in his hometown of Almonte, Ontario in July of 2011. The larger-than-life statue of the inventor of basketball was a task which took two years for one man to see reach fruition. The bronze statue, which is one-and-a-quarter sizes bigger than Naismith, honors the man responsible for inventing one of the world's most popular sports. The commemoration comes more than 100 years after Naismith laid the foundations for the present-day game. Having the statue erected in the Ottawa valley town was the work of Manitoba native and member of the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame (Class of '98), Allen Rae, president of the Naismith Basketball Foundation. Although the first game of basketball was played in December, 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, and is hugely popular in the United States, Allen still maintains that the game holds firm its Canadian beginnings. The sculpture was crafted by U.S. sculptor Elden Tefft, at a cost of about $50,000. A similar one was unveiled at Springfield College last year. To see more photos of the statue...
