“The citizens of Long Beach started playing basketball in the early 1900s, just a decade or so after the sport was created in a gymnasium across the country.”

“The contest itself was structured much like a basketball game, with coaches, four quarters and a halftime.”

“He even toured as a warm-up act with the Harlem Globetrotters basketball side.”

“The yard is littered with basketballs, soccer balls, bikes, and, for trips on the nearby river, canoes.”

“They play with different-colored basketballs, different rules, and in different parts of North America.”

“Strung on pole above the statues, plants, and stone benches were Chinese lanterns about the size of basketballs.”