In December 1891, Canadian Dr. James Naismith, a physical education professor and instructor at the International YMCA, in Springfield, Massachusetts sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied. He wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated pole. In contrast with modern basketball nets, this peach basket was a closed box and balls had to be recovered manually after each "basket" or point scored. Basketball is one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports. The NBA is the most popular and considered to be the highest level of professional basketball in the world. Players are the world's best paid sportsmen, by average annual salary