How many players from each team played before it was changed to 5 player

Up to 50

Explanation:

Originally, there was no set rule on the number of players. The idea was that the game could be played by any number of players. However, that did not work out. After experimenting with teams up to 50 players, early games were primarily played by nine players on each side - the reason being that 18 students showed up for Naismith's class. In 1897, 5 players became the mandatory team size.