Basketball is a sport that has enchanted its fans from the very beginning. But it has more than 100 years of history since it was invented in 1891 by James Naismith. Therefore, the current game is not the same as before, and many rules have changed due to certain players' heights and dominance.

In some cultures, the average height is not the same as what is contemplated in professional players. However, this height difference is actually not a handicap to enjoy the sport. In addition, there are increasingly more and more followers in Asian countries such as India. There are some best sports betting sites in India. People are taking advantage of it, as the total market value of sports betting is estimated to be $150 billion per year, which includes the NBA and local leagues. In addition, with the bonuses offered, the winnings can be higher or, even better, you can even get a free bet. But to do so, you have to be attentive and do it on a reliable website.

Four players are responsible for the creation of new rules that ultimately changed the game of basketball for all time: Four players who marked an era, before and after, for basketball. Without them, basketball would be a completely different game from the one we know today.

George Mikan dominated the 3-second zone

George Mikan, player of the Chicago Americans Gear (1946-47) and the Minneapolis Lakers (1947-56), marked an era with his domination of the paint area. He was the first American to make use of paint as one of his key moves, so much so that he seemed unstoppable. He was 2.08 meters tall, and, alongside this unparalleled height, he had enviable coordination. This made him practically unstoppable, dominating both left and right hooks. He was a real power under the basket, as he had already mastered the trick and there was a seldom player who could stop him when he made a painted play.

He won no less than 1 NBL and 5 NBA championship titles, a record only dreamt of by many basketball players. He is considered one of the players of the 20th century. And because of his absolute domination of the court, vastly humiliating for the rivals, the width of the 3-second zone was changed. It changed from 1.8 meters (6 feet in U.S. measurement) to 3.6 meters (12 feet) during the 1951-52 season. It was then widened again to 4.9 meters to again make offensive plays like these more difficult to pull off effectively.

Wilt Chamberlain, another unstoppable record breaker

Wilt was a record-breaking player, scoring 100 points or collecting more than 50 rebounds in a game. His statistics were exorbitant; his average was extraordinary and almost beyond anyone's reach. However, he was not a good free throw shooter, so he would deliberately miss recovering the rebound. This led to changes in the rule regarding shooting to deliberately miss a free throw to benefit from going for the rebound. Nowadays, in a free throw, the ball is required to touch the hoop.

Likewise, being an aggressive player in defense and thinking appropriately, whenever there was a counterattack, he would play foul and abandon possession of the ball. The rules changed and it has turned this play-style into a technique, i.e., free throws for the opponent and possession of the ball after the shots.

Bill Russel was the defensive wall

With his 2.06m height, Bill Russel was the king of rebounds. No one could steal his rebounds, both offensively and defensively. He hunted them down and took the shots where the ball was hesitant to fall into the hoop. Bill Russell won 11 NBA rings with the Celtics, and it was a spectacle to watch him play. But because of his dominance in a rebound, several rules were changed. One of these changes was related to the goaltending rule, where it was ruled that it was impossible to touch the ball when it was in contact with the hoop or when it was above the imaginary cylinder over the basket. If someone touched it, it would be considered a basket immediately.

Lew Alcindor established the no-touching rule

Finally, Karem Abdul-Jabbar, known as Lew Alcindor, was responsible for the ban on dunks in the college league. His superiority on the court made it impossible to stop him when he faced the basket and killed the ball against it. His team only had to give him the ball and he took care of the rest. So it was decided to prohibit dunking because it was also understood as a lack of respect for the opponent. The rule was known as the Lew Alcindor rule.