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James Naismith’s childhood home for sale for $1.2 million

spt-120521-naismithhome

Mike Miller

If the document featuring the original 13 rules of basketball can fetch $4.3 million, perhaps paying $1.2 million for James Naismith’s childhood home is a bargain.

One catch: It’d mean living in Canada.

This listing of the 162-year-old home (with a hat tip for Jeff Eisenberg) breaks it all down for interested buyers (photo from Naismithhome.com): A Georgian-style home, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms on 45 acres of rustic Canadian farmland outside of Ottawa. It’s the original home, but it has been renovated to meet modern standards. Yes, it still has two chimneys, but you probably won’t use them.

There is room for a basketball court in back …

Naismith left Canada in 1890 to enroll in YMCA training in Springfield, Mass., before inventing the beautiful game in 1891. (And then coaching a certain school in Lawrence, Kan. that features James Naismith Court.) He never did head back to Canada, staying in Lawrence.

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.