Wesley Johnson/Cronkite News

Arizona Wildcats guard Dalen Terry.

The United Nations decided this year that Dec. 21 is World Basketball Day.

And it’s to be celebrated every year on the anniversary of the first time the sport was ever played.

Arizona is set to host the 2024 NCAA Men’s Final Four in April.

“It is a way for us to unify our communities and look past some of our day-to-day differences and really come together,” said Jay Parry, CEO of the local Final Four organizing committee.

Basketball has seen huge growth globally since the 1990s.

Parry said the sport transcends borders, cultures and languages.