The Evolution of the Game of Basketball

http://www.hooptactics.com/Basketball_Basics_History

Some things you would have thought would take a long time (the rule of 5 players per side, the idea of a glass backboard) came really early on.

Other things you would have thought would have been abandoned very early lasted a long time (center jump after every made basket lasted until the start of 1938, even though there were open bottomed nets being used as early as 1912!). 

Good stuff.