Our Story

Creating premium inspirational live sporting events for a global audience.

Inspirus Sports was created after the success of the Sport Changes Life Foundation and Belfast Invitational successes in creating the 2017 and 2018 Belfast Basketball Classic.

Creating the first ever NCAA Collegiate basketball Tournament in Europe. Inspirus Sports is invested in the ownership of the events series to bring this exciting project to Inspire communities around the world through their positively unique sport events strategy.

A brief History of Basketball

Inspirus Sports established

2019

First 8 Team MTE Tournament held in Europe

As part of Belfast Classic at The SSE Arena, Belfast | 29th November - 1st December 2018

Samson Champions Marist

Goliath Champions Buffalo

2018

Inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic

Held at The SSE Arena, Belfast and broadcast for the first time in sporting and broadcast history through CBS Sports Network.

2017

The Sport Changes Life Foundation (SCLF) established

Sport Changes Life is dedicated to raising the aspirations of young people using sporting excellence, academic achievement and personal development. SCLF achieves this through its flagship Victory Scholar Program which brings graduate student athletes from the US to Northern Ireland and Ireland to deliver a number of youth engagement programs with young people at risk.

2007

Irish Basketball rebrand

Irish Basketball Association (IBA) rebranded into Basketball Ireland (BI)

2003

The home of Irish Basketball opens

The National Basketball Arena, was opened in Tymon park, Tallaght Dublin in 1993.

1993

United States men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the 'Dream Team'

The first American Olympic team to feature active professional players from the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team has been described by American and international journalists as the greatest sports team ever assembled.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame called the team "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet". At the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, the team defeated its opponents by an average of 44 points en route to the gold medal against Croatia. Chuck Daly served as the team's head coach, assisted by Lenny Wilkens, P. J. Carlesimo, and Mike Krzyzewski.

1992

One Shining Moment is the anthem of March Madness.

The song was written by David Barrett in 1986, and first used for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 1987. After each tournament, the song accompanies a montage of the best moments of March Madness, from every buzzer beater and major upset to reactions of the fans themselves.

1987

Michael Jordan, flew for the first time from the free throw line to win the 1987 Slam Dunk Contest.

March madness basketball field expanded to 64 teams

The 1939 tournament featured just eight teams. In 1951, the field doubled to 16, and kept expanding over the next few decades until 1985, when the modern format of a 64-team tournament began.

In 2001, after the Mountain West Conference joined Division I and received an automatic bid, pushing the total teams to 65, a single game was added prior to the first round. In 2011, three more teams were added, and with them, three more games to round out the First Four.

1985

The United Arab Emirates Basketball Association is the governing body of basketball in United Arab Emirates.

The association founded in 1976, represents basketball with public authorities as well as with national and international sports organizations and as such with United Arab Emirates in international competitions. It also defends the moral and material interests of Basketball in United Arab Emirates. It is affiliated with FIBA and FIBA Asia.

The association also organizes the United Arab Emirates national basketball team and the United Arab Emirates women's national basketball team.

1976

Three-division system adopted by the NCAA membership

In a special convention. Under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarships to athletes for playing a sport.

1973

Irish men's National Leagues are introduced

With the Women's National Leagues beginning in the 1979/80 season.

1971

Pete 'Pistol' Maravich holds NCAA Division scoring record

In only three years playing on the varsity team (and under his father's coaching) at LSU, Maravich scored 3,667 points—1,138 of those in 1967–68, 1,148 in 1968–69, and 1,381 in 1969-70—while averaging 43.8, 44.2, and 44.5 points per game, respectively. For his collegiate career, the 6'5" (1.96 m) guard averaged 44.2 points per game in 83 contests and led the NCAA in scoring for each of his three seasons.

1969

Belfast Celtics take on Real Madrid in European Championships Cup in King's Hall

1963

Basketball is Ireland’s most popular indoor sport

In 1948, Ireland sent its national basketball team to the London Olympic Games; the only time in history Irish Basketball was present at the Olympics.

1948

First basketball club formed in University College Dublin

the first Intervarsity Competition was held in 1946. First intervarsity competition held in Dublin.

1946

The first NCAA basketball championship is played in 1939

The University of Oregon defeats The Ohio State University 46–33 to win the first-ever NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

1939

March Madness started

The first NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament was in 1939, and it has been held every year since.

Basketball is introduced to to Olympic games in Berlin, Germany

Basketball was an Inaugural Olympic sport in 1936 – at the Summer Games in Berlin, Germany.

1936

The first NCAA national championship was conducted

The National Collegiate Track and Field Championships. Gradually, more rules committees were formed and more championships were created, including a basketball championship in 1939.

1921

Basketball first introduced to Ireland

by Sergeant Major Doogan, initially intended to help prepare boxers in training.

1920

James Naismith invents first Basketball

James Naismith is credited in inventing basketball in 1891 because he was instructed to keep track athletes safely in shape through an entertaining indoor game.

The first basketball hoops were made of peach baskets and the backboards were made of wire.

1891

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