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When did basketball nets begin to have open bottoms?
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Basketball
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls leaping into the air during the slam-dunk competition at NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago, February 6, 1988.
In the early years of basketball, retrieving the ball after a successful goal was a cumbersome process that required using a ladder, a pole, or a chain attached to the bottom of the net. Nets with open bottoms were officially adopted in the 1912–13 season, finally eliminating the need for manual retrieval after every score.12