Every March, students and alumni don their college or university colors hoping their school’s basketball team creates a magical March moment. With the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments in full swing, the air is filled with heartache and elation on the journey to the championship. To celebrate March Madness and the thrill of basketball, here are a few of our favorite places to better understand the history of the game. 

While an American-born sport, the oldest basketball court in the world is actually in Paris, France. In the basement of a YMCA, one of the first basketball instructors from Springfield, Massachusettes set up the basement to spread the love of the game. In the heart of New York, New York resides the mecca of street basketball. Rucker Park is home to one of the most recognized basketball tournaments in the world and is a pilgrimage site for lovers of the game. From a unique monument dedicated to a city’s rich basketball history to a hoop located inside the Supreme Court itself, here are a few places to explore the history of basketball.