Jai alai, ball game of Basque origin played in a three-walled court with a hard rubber ball that is caught and thrown with a cesta, a long, curved wicker scoop strapped to one arm. Called pelota vasca in Spain, the Western Hemisphere name jai alai (Basqu
History Jai alai developed from a form ofhandball, and it is presumed that the availability of a lively ball made possible by the introduction of rubber to Europe fromSouth Americapermitted players to speed up the game. The next step, it is thought, was the introduction of theguante,a simpl...