ALMONTE, Ontario, July 23 (UPI) -- An Ontario mans says the new statue of James Naismith in Almonte will remind Canadians that one of their countrymen invented the game of basketball.
The larger-than-life bronze was unveiled Saturday in the town where Naismith was born, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.
"We try to educate as many people, especially young Canadians, that the game was invented by a Canadian, albeit in Springfield, Massachusetts," said Allan Rae, president of the Naismith Basketball Foundation. "There are very few games that have been invented by a Canadian, especially one so popular as basketball."
Rae and his foundation spent two years working on the statue project. The figure was created by U.S. sculptor Elden Tefft at a cost of around $50,000.
The CBC said a similar statue was placed recently in Springfield, the city where Naismith was credited with inventing the game in 1891.
