Basketball, Leazes Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England.


Players advance the ball by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling) or by passing it to a teammate, both of which require considerable skill. On offense, players may use a variety of shots—the lay-up, the jump shot, or a dunk; on defense, they may steal the ball from a dribbler, intercept passes, or block shots; either offense or defense may collect a rebound, that is, a missed shot that bounces from rim or backboard. It is a violation to lift or drag one’s pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling.



The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament feature top national teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA (NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship is also popular), whereas the strongest European clubs participate in the EuroLeague Women.

Main article: History of basketball

Dr. James Naismith, who invented basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891

The first basketball court: Springfield College

Old style basketball with laces



At the time, football was being played with 10 to a team (which was increased to 11). When winter weather got too icy to play football, teams were taken indoors, and it was convenient to have them split in half and play basketball with five on each side. By 1897–1898 teams of five became standard.

College basketball
See also: College basketball

The 1899 University of Kansas basketball team, with James Naismith at the back, right.




High school basketball


Today virtually every high school in the United States fields a basketball team in varsity competition.[19] Basketball’s popularity remains high, both in rural areas where they carry the identification of the entire community, as well as at some larger schools known for their basketball teams where many players go on to participate at higher levels of competition after graduation. In the 2016–17 season, 980,673 boys and girls represented their schools in interscholastic basketball competition, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.[20] The states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky are particularly well known for their residents’ devotion to high school basketball, commonly called Hoosier Hysteria in Indiana; the critically acclaimed film Hoosiers shows high school basketball’s depth of meaning to these communities.



Professional basketball





International basketball

The U.S. playing against Mexico at the 2014 FIBA World Cup


A EuroLeague game in Moscow in 2018

In the Philippines, the Philippine Basketball Association’s first game was played on April 9, 1975 at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. Philippines. It was founded as a "rebellion" of several teams from the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association, which was tightly controlled by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (now defunct), the then-FIBA recognized national association. Nine teams from the MICAA participated in the league’s first season that opened on April 9, 1975. The NBL is Australia’s pre-eminent men’s professional basketball league. The league commenced in 1979, playing a winter season (April–September) and did so until the completion of the 20th season in 1998. The 1998–99 season, which commenced only months later, was the first season after the shift to the current summer season format (October–April). This shift was an attempt to avoid competing directly against Australia’s various football codes. It features 8 teams from around Australia and one in New Zealand. A few players including Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Chris Anstey and Andrew Bogut made it big internationally, becoming poster figures for the sport in Australia. The Women’s National Basketball League began in 1981.

Women’s basketball
See also: Women’s basketball

The Australian women’s basketball team on winning the 2006 FIBA World Championship
Women’s basketball began in 1892 at Smith College when Senda Berenson, a physical education teacher, modified Naismith’s rules for women. Shortly after she was hired at Smith, she went to Naismith to learn more about the game.[27] Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could teach, she organized the first women’s collegiate basketball game on March 21, 1893, when her Smith freshmen and sophomores played against one another.[28] However, the first women’s interinstitutional game was played in 1892 between the University of California and Miss Head’s School.[29] Berenson’s rules were first published in 1899, and two years later she became the editor of A. G. Spalding’s first Women’s Basketball Guide.[28] Berenson’s freshmen played the sophomore class in the first women’s intercollegiate basketball game at Smith College, March 21, 1893.[30] The same year, Mount Holyoke and Sophie Newcomb College (coached by Clara Gregory Baer) women began playing basketball. By 1895, the game had spread to colleges across the country, including Wellesley, Vassar, and Bryn Mawr. The first intercollegiate women’s game was on April 4, 1896. Stanford women played Berkeley, 9-on-9, ending in a 2–1 Stanford victory.

Women’s basketball development was more structured than that for men in the early years. In 1905, the Executive Committee on Basket Ball Rules (National Women’s Basketball Committee) was created by the American Physical Education Association.[31] These rules called for six to nine players per team and 11 officials. The International Women’s Sports Federation (1924) included a women’s basketball competition. 37 women’s high school varsity basketball or state tournaments were held by 1925. And in 1926, the Amateur Athletic Union backed the first national women’s basketball championship, complete with men’s rules.[31] The Edmonton Grads, a touring Canadian women’s team based in Edmonton, Alberta, operated between 1915 and 1940. The Grads toured all over North America, and were exceptionally successful. They posted a record of 522 wins and only 20 losses over that span, as they met any team that wanted to challenge them, funding their tours from gate receipts.[32] The Grads also shone on several exhibition trips to Europe, and won four consecutive exhibition Olympics tournaments, in 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936; however, women’s basketball was not an official Olympic sport until 1976. The Grads’ players were unpaid, and had to remain single. The Grads’ style focused on team play, without overly emphasizing skills of individual players. The first women’s AAU All-America team was chosen in 1929.[31] Women’s industrial leagues sprang up throughout the United States, producing famous athletes, including Babe Didrikson of the Golden Cyclones, and the All American Red Heads Team, which competed against men’s teams, using men’s rules. By 1938, the women’s national championship changed from a three-court game to two-court game with six players per team.[31]

Brittney Griner accepting an award
The NBA-backed Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) began in 1997. Though it had shaky attendance figures, several marquee players (Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, and Candace Parker among others) have helped the league’s popularity and level of competition. Other professional women’s basketball leagues in the United States, such as the American Basketball League (1996–98), have folded in part because of the popularity of the WNBA. The WNBA has been looked at by many as a niche league. However, the league has recently taken steps forward. In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ESPN. The new television deal ran from 2009 to 2016. Along with this deal, came the first ever rights fees to be paid to a women’s professional sports league. Over the eight years of the contract, "millions and millions of dollars" were "dispersed to the league’s teams." In a March 12, 2009 article, NBA commissioner David Stern said that in the bad economy, "the NBA is far less profitable than the WNBA. We’re losing a lot of money among a large number of teams. We’re budgeting the WNBA to break even this year."[33]

Rules and regulations

End of a match as the shot clock shows no time left

Most important terms related to the basketball court
Main article: Rules of basketball


Playing regulations


For both men’s and women’s teams, a standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a jersey with a clearly visible number, unique within the team, printed on both the front and back. Players wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Typically, team names, players’ names and, outside of North America, sponsors are printed on the uniforms.




Traditional eight-panel basketball

An outdoor basketball net
A regulation basketball court in international games is 91.9 feet (28.0 meters) long and 49.2 feet (15 meters) wide. In the NBA and NCAA the court is 94 by 50 feet (29 by 15 meters).[35] Most courts have wood flooring, usually constructed from maple planks running in the same direction as the longer court dimension.[51][52] The name and logo of the home team is usually painted on or around the center circle.


The size of the basketball is also regulated. For men, the official ball is 29.5 inches (75 cm) in circumference (size 7, or a "295 ball") and weighs 22 oz (623.69 grams). If women are playing, the official basketball size is 28.5 inches (72 cm) in circumference (size 6, or a "285 ball") with a weight of 20 oz (567 grams). In 3×3, a formalized version of the halfcourt 3-on-3 game, a dedicated ball with the circumference of a size 6 ball but the weight of a size 7 ball is used in all competitions (men’s, women’s, and mixed teams).[55]






There are also limits on how players may block an opponent’s field goal attempt or help a teammate’s field goal attempt. Goaltending is a defender’s touching of a ball that is on a downward flight toward the basket, while the related violation of basket interference is the touching of a ball that is on the rim or above the basket, or by a player reaching through the basket from below. Goaltending and basket interference committed by a defender result in awarding the basket to the offense, while basket interference committed by an offensive player results in cancelling the basket if one is scored. The defense gains possession in all cases of goaltending or basket interference.


The referee signals that a foul has been committed
Main articles: Personal foul (basketball) and Technical foul



If a team exceeds a certain limit of team fouls in a given period (quarter or half) – four for NBA, NCAA women’s, and international games – the opposing team is awarded one or two free throws on all subsequent non-shooting fouls for that period, the number depending on the league. In the US college men’s game and high school games for both sexes, if a team reaches 7 fouls in a half, the opposing team is awarded one free throw, along with a second shot if the first is made. This is called shooting "one-and-one". If a team exceeds 10 fouls in the half, the opposing team is awarded two free throws on all subsequent fouls for the half.






Common techniques and practices
Main article: Basketball positions

Basketball positions in the offensive zone

Point guard (often called the "1") : usually the fastest player on the team, organizes the team’s offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time.

Shooting guard (the "2") : creates a high volume of shots on offense, mainly long-ranged; and guards the opponent’s best perimeter player on defense.





Main article: Basketball playbook





Basketball falling through hoop


Slow-motion animation of a dunk


Main article: Rebound (basketball)

A player making an offensive rebound

See also: Assist (basketball)

A staple pass is the chest pass. The ball is passed directly from the passer’s chest to the receiver’s chest. A proper chest pass involves an outward snap of the thumbs to add velocity and leaves the defence little time to react.


The overhead pass is used to pass the ball over a defender. The ball is released while over the passer’s head.



Another advanced style of passing is the behind-the-back pass, which, as the description implies, involves throwing the ball behind the passer’s back to a teammate. Although some players can perform such a pass effectively, many coaches discourage no-look or behind-the-back passes, believing them to be difficult to control and more likely to result in turnovers or violations.

File:Basketball-Basic Types of Dribbling.webm
A demonstration of the basic types of dribbling in basketball

Main article: Dribble



A skilled player can dribble without watching the ball, using the dribbling motion or peripheral vision to keep track of the ball’s location. By not having to focus on the ball, a player can look for teammates or scoring opportunities, as well as avoid the danger of having someone steal the ball away from him/her.

Main article: Block (basketball)



Joonas Suotamo, a Finnish-American former professional player, is 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) tall


Players regularly inflate their height. Many prospects exaggerate their height while in high school or college to make themselves more appealing to coaches and scouts, who prefer taller players. Charles Barkley stated; "I’ve been measured at 6-5, 6-4 ​3⁄4. But I started in college at 6-6." Sam Smith, a former writer from the Chicago Tribune, said: "We sort of know the heights, because after camp, the sheet comes out. But you use that height, and the player gets mad. And then you hear from his agent. Or you file your story with the right height, and the copy desk changes it because they have the ‘official’ N.B.A. media guide, which is wrong. So you sort of go along with the joke."[59] In the NBA, there is no standard on whether a player’s listed height uses their measurement with shoes on or without. The NBA Draft Combine, which most players attend before the draft, provides both measurements. Thereafter, a player’s team is solely responsible for their listed height, which can vary depending on the process selected.[60][61]

Notable players who overstated their height include:

On rare occasions, some players will understate their actual heights, not to be repositioned. One example is Kevin Durant, whose listed height is 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m), while his actual height is 7 feet 0 inches (2.13 m). Durant’s reasoning was, "Really, that’s the prototypical size for a small forward. Anything taller than that, and they’ll start saying, ‘Ah, he’s a power forward."[66]

Variations and similar games
Main article: Variations of basketball

Schoolgirls shooting hoops among the Himalayas in Dharamsala, India.

Variations of basketball are activities based on the game of basketball, using common basketball skills and equipment (primarily the ball and basket). Some variations are only superficial rules changes, while others are distinct games with varying degrees of basketball influences. Other variations include children’s games, contests or activities meant to help players reinforce skills.

There are principal basketball sports with variations on basketball including Wheelchair basketball, Water basketball, Beach basketball, Slamball, Streetball and Unicycle basketball. An earlier version of basketball, played primarily by women and girls, was Six-on-six basketball. Horseball is a game played on horseback where a ball is handled and points are scored by shooting it through a high net (approximately 1.5m×1.5m). The sport is like a combination of polo, rugby, and basketball. There is even a form played on donkeys known as Donkey basketball, but that version has come under attack from animal rights groups.

A basketball court in Tamil Nadu, India

Half-court basketball is usually played 1-on-1, 2-on-2 or 3-on-3. Also, streetball commonly uses the same system. The latter variation is gradually gaining official recognition as 3×3, originally known as FIBA 33. It was first tested at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games in Macau and the first official tournaments were held at the 2009 Asian Youth Games and the 2010 Youth Olympics, both in Singapore. The first FIBA 3×3 Youth World Championships[67] were held in Rimini, Italy in 2011, with the first FIBA 3×3 World Championships for senior teams following a year later in Athens. The sport is highly tipped to become an Olympic sport as early as 2016.[68] In the summer of 2017, the BIG3 basketball league, a professional 3×3 half court basketball league that features former NBA players, began. The BIG3 features several rule variants including a four-point field goal.[69]

Other variations
There are also other basketball sports, such as:

Around the world
Firing Squad
One-shot conquer
Steal The Bacon
"The One"
Basketball War.
Water basketball – Water basketball, played in a swimming pool, merges basketball and water polo rules.
Beach basketball – A modified version of basketball, played on beaches, was invented by Philip Bryant.[71] Beach basketball is played in a circular court with no backboard on the goal, no out-of-bounds rule with the ball movement to be done via passes or 2
steps, as dribbling is next to impossible on a soft surface.[72] Beach basketball has grown to a very popular, widespread competitive sport. 15 Annual World Championships have been organized.
Dunk Hoops – Dunk Hoops (a.k.a. Dunk Ball) is a variation of the game of basketball, played on basketball hoops with lowered (under basketball regulation 10 feet) rims. It originated when the popularity of the slam dunk grew and was developed to create better chances for dunks with lowered rims and using altered goaltending rules.
Slamball – Slamball is full-contact basketball, with trampolines. Points are scored by playing the ball through the net, as in basketball, though the point-scoring rules are modified. The main differences from the parent sport is the court; below the padded basketball rim and backboard are four trampolines set into the floor, which serve to propel players to great heights for slam dunks. The rules also permit some physical contact between the members of the four-player teams.
Streetball – Streetball is a less formal variant of basketball, played on playgrounds and in gymnasiums across the world. Often only one half of the court is used, but otherwise, the rules of the game are very similar to those of basketball. The number of participants in a game, or a run, may range from one defender and one person on offense (known as one on one) to two full teams of five each. Streetball is a very popular game worldwide, and some cities in the United States have organized streetball programs, such as midnight basketball. Many cities also host their own weekend-long streetball tournaments.
Unicycle basketball – Unicycle basketball is played using a regulation basketball on a regular basketball court with the same rules, for example, one must dribble the ball while riding. There are a number of rules that are particular to unicycle basketball as well, for example, a player must have at least one foot on a pedal when in-bounding the ball. Unicycle basketball is usually played using 24" or smaller unicycles, and using plastic pedals, both to preserve the court and the players’ shins. In North America, popular unicycle basketball games are organized.[73]
Spin-offs from basketball that are now separate sports include:

Korfball (Dutch: Korfbal, korf meaning ‘basket’) started in the Netherlands and is now played worldwide as a mixed gender team ball game, similar to mixed netball and basketball
Netball (formerly known as Women basketball but now played by both males and females), a limited-contact team sport in which two teams of seven try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a high hoop. Australia New Zealand champions (so called ANZ Championship) is very famous in Australia and New Zealand as the premier netball league.
Social forms of basketball

Typical privately owned basketball hoop
Basketball has been adopted by various social groups, which have established their own environments and sometimes their own rules. Such socialized forms of basketball include the following.

Recreational basketball
Basketball is played widely casually in schools and colleges where fun, entertainment and camaraderie rule rather than winning a game.

College and University basketball played in educational institutions of higher learning. This includes National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) intercollegiate basketball.
Disabled basketball
Disabled basketball is played by various disabled groups, such as the deaf and physically crippled people.

Wheelchair basketball – A sport based on basketball but designed for disabled people in wheelchairs and considered one of the major disabled sports practiced.There is a functional classification system that is used to help determine if the wheelchair basketball player classification system reflects the existing differences in the performance of elite female players. This system gives an analysis of the players’ functional resources through field-testing and game observation. During this system’s process, players are assigned a score of 1 to 4.5.[75]
Show basketball
Show basketball is performed by entertainment basketball show teams, the prime example being the Harlem Globetrotters. There are even specialized entertainment teams, such as teams of celebrities, people with short heights and others.

Celebrity basketball teams made of celebrities (actors, singers, and so on.) playing in their own leagues or in public, often for entertainment and charity events;
Midget basketball teams made up of athletes of short stature offering shows using basketball;
Slamball offered as entertainment events. Slamball is a very intense form of basketball game actually it is an elevated game of basketball that is infused with football tactics and involves bouncing of a trampolines.[76] This game is very popular in places like Europe and Australia, this intense game is full of contact just like football the trampolines are embedded in the floor around the baskets. The objective of the game is just like any sport you have to score points by getting the ball into the basket, this is mostly done by the player using the trampoline to go fly high in the air to come down with slam dunk. Not only do they use tactics from football but they also do a similar style of substitution as hockey. The positions of slamball are stopper, gunner and handler. The stopper is the defender and is in control of the whole defensive plan. The handler is basically the point guard of the game, they are in control of setting plays on the offensive end and helps a little on defensive end as well. The last position the gunner is the one that does most of the scoring and all also helps out on the defensive end.[77]
Other forms
Gay basketball played in LGBTQIA+ communities in gay basketball leagues. The sport of basketball is a major part of events during the Gay Games, World Outgames and EuroGames.
Mini Basketball played by underage children.
Maxi Basketball played by more elderly individuals.
School or High school basketball, the sport of basketball being one of the most frequently exercised and popular sports in all school systems.
Fantasy basketball
Main article: Fantasy basketball
Fantasy basketball was popularized during the 1990s after the advent of the Internet. Those who play this game are sometimes referred to as General Managers, who draft actual NBA players and compute their basketball statistics. The game was popularized by ESPN Fantasy Sports,, and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. Other sports websites provided the same format keeping the game interesting with participants actually owning specific players.

Posted by [email protected] on 2021-04-02 17:16:19

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