(WSYR-TV) — Basketball and its roots in the northeast are strong and here in Central New York — from the Syracuse Orange, the Nationals, and the shot clock, basketball is the first love of many.
But what if that isn’t the only first CNY can lay claim to when it comes to the hardwood?
Scott Flansburg, Founder and CEO of the Herkimer 9 Foundations and the ABA’s Herkimer Originals joined us Friday to tell us a story you might not have heard before.
It states that James Naismith, the person who is credited with creating the game, did not invent basketball. It claims the sport was invented by “a 15 year old YMCA volunteer named Lambert Will at the Herkimer YMCA in 1890. The first game was on Feb 7, 1891 between the Herkimer YMCA 9 and the Herkimer Businessmen 9.”
The story has been gaining traction and Will is even on this year’s ballot for the Hall of Fame.
Flansburg’s ABA team has been named after the feet and is working to get Will’s legacy out in the open. To learn more, head to HerkimerOGs.com or Herkimer9.org.
