Who is the NBA GOAT? The greatest U.S. basketball players of all time, from MJ to 'Pistol Pete'

While today's sports fans may not be able to imagine an American sports scene without basketball, more than 115 years passed between the signing of the "Declaration of Independence" and the first game of hoops in Springfield, Massachusetts . James Naismith's invention began its spread across the nation in 1891. One year later, colleges began playing.

The NBA was founded in 1949, and George Mikan quickly became the first professional basketball superstar. Now, as we near our nation's 250th birthday, we look back at the best U. S.

athletes to play this uniquely American sport. About USA TODAY's '250 for 250' series Now through July 4, USA TODAY Sports is releasing our "250 for 250" list of America's top homegrown athletes of all time. Each week we'll bring you all-time standouts from across the sports world, and give readers a chance to vote on who should be featured.

Learn more about the series at usatoday. com . You can also vote in a name that you feel is missing from this list by visiting our interactive poll .