Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing
one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball
(approximately 9.4 inches (24 cm) in diameter) through the defender's hoop (a basket 18 inches
(46 cm) in diameter mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high to a backboard at each end of the court),
while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth
two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three. After a foul,
timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two
or three one-point free throws. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but if
regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play (overtime) is mandated.

Olympic pictogram for basketball

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 layup, 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 five players on each side fall into five playing positions. The tallest player is usually the
center, the second-tallest and strongest is the power forward, a slightly shorter but more agile
player is the small forward, and the shortest players or the best ball handlers are the shooting
guard and the point guard, who implement the coach's game plan by managing the execution of
offensive and defensive plays (player positioning). Informally, players may play three-on-three,
two-on-two, and one-on-one.

Invented in 1891 by Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith in Springfield,

Massachusetts, in the United States, basketball has evolved to become one of the world's most
popular and widely viewed sports.[1][2] The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most
significant professional basketball league in
Basketball
the world in terms of popularity, salaries,
talent, and level of competition[3][4] (drawing
most of its talent from U.S. college
basketball). Outside North America, the top
clubs from national leagues qualify to
continental championships such as the
EuroLeague and the Basketball Champions
League Americas. The FIBA Basketball World
Cup and Men's Olympic Basketball
Chris Dudley (#22), playing for the New Jersey
Tournament are the major international events Nets, squares off with Michael Jordan (#23),
of the sport and attract top national teams of the Chicago Bulls on March 28, 1991. Other
from around the world. Each continent hosts players including Chicago's Bill Cartwright
regional competitions for national teams, like (#24) are present on the court.
EuroBasket and FIBA AmeriCup. Highest FIBA
governing body
The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and
First played December 21, 1891.
Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament
Springfield,
feature top national teams from continental Massachusetts, U.S.
championships. The main North American
Characteristics
league is the WNBA (NCAA Women's Division I
Basketball Championship is also popular), Contact Limited

whereas the strongest European clubs Team members 5 per side

participate in the EuroLeague Women.
Mixed-sex Yes, separate
competitions
History Type Indoor/Outdoor

Equipment Basketball
Early history
Venue Indoor court (mainly)
or outdoor court
A game similar to basketball is mentioned in a
(Streetball)
1591 book published in Frankfurt am Main that
Glossary Glossary of
reports on the lifestyles and customs of
basketball
coastal North American residents,
Presence
Wahrhafftige Abconterfaytung der Wilden
(German; translates as Truthful Depictions of Country or region Worldwide
the Savages:[5] "Among other things, a game of
Olympic Yes, demonstrated in
skill is described in which balls must be the 1904 and 1924
thrown against a target woven from twigs, Summer Olympics
Part of the Summer
mounted high on a pole. There's a small
reward for the player if the target is being Olympic program
since 1936
hit."[6]
Paralympic Yes

Creation

James Naismith c. 1920

In December 1891, James Naismith, a Canadian-American professor of physical education and

instructor at the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School (now
Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts,[7] was trying to keep his gym class active on a
rainy day.[8] He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper
levels of fitness during the long New England winters. After rejecting other ideas as either too
rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he invented a new game in which players would
pass a ball to teammates and try to score points by tossing the ball into a basket mounted on a
wall. Naismith wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto an elevated track. Naismith
initially set up the peach basket with its bottom intact, which meant that the ball had to be
retrieved manually after each "basket" or point scored. This quickly proved tedious, so Naismith
removed the bottom of the basket to allow the balls to be poked out with a long dowel after each
scored basket.

The first basketball court:

Springfield College
 Old-style basketball with
laces

Shortly after, Senda Berenson, instructor of physical culture at the nearby Smith College, went to
Naismith to learn more about the game.[9] Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could
teach, she started to organize games with her pupils, following adjusted rules.[10] The first official
women's interinstitutional game was played barely 11 months later, between the University of
California and the Miss Head's School.[11] In 1899, a committee was established at the
Conference of Physical Training in Springfield to draw up general rules for women's basketball.
Thus, the sport quickly spread throughout America's schools, colleges and universities with
uniform rules for both sexes.[12]

Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball. These round balls from "association football"
were made, at the time, with a set of laces to close off the hole needed for inserting the inflatable
bladder after the other sewn-together segments of the ball's cover had been flipped outside-
in.[13][14] These laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable.[15] Eventually
a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by
Naismith (whereas in American football, the lace construction proved to be advantageous for
gripping and remains to this day). The first balls made specifically for basketball were brown, and
it was only in the late 1950s that Tony Hinkle, searching for a ball that would be more visible to
players and spectators alike, introduced the orange ball that is now in common use. Dribbling
was not part of the original game except for the "bounce pass" to teammates. Passing the ball
was the primary means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the
asymmetric shape of early balls. Dribbling was common by 1896, with a rule against the double
dribble by 1898.[16]

The peach baskets were used until 1906 when they were finally replaced by metal hoops with
backboards. A further change was soon made, so the ball merely passed through. Whenever a
person got the ball in the basket, his team would gain a point. Whichever team got the most
points won the game.[17] The baskets were originally nailed to the mezzanine balcony of the
playing court, but this proved impractical when spectators in the balcony began to interfere with
shots. The backboard was introduced to prevent this interference; it had the additional effect of
allowing rebound shots.[18] Naismith's handwritten diaries, discovered by his granddaughter in
early 2006, indicate that he was nervous about the new game he had invented, which
incorporated rules from a children's game called duck on a rock, as many had failed before it.[19]

Frank Mahan, one of the players from the original first game, approached Naismith after the
Christmas break, in early 1892, asking him what he intended to call his new game. Naismith
replied that he had not thought of it because he had been focused on just getting the game
started. Mahan suggested that it be called "Naismith ball", at which he laughed, saying that a
name like that would kill any game. Mahan then said, "Why not call it basketball?" Naismith
replied, "We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it."[20][21]
The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany, New York, on January 20,
1892, with nine players. The game ended at 1–0; the shot was made from 25 feet (7.6 m), on a
court just half the size of a present-day Streetball or National Basketball Association (NBA)
court.

At the time, soccer was being played with 10 to a team (which was increased to 11). When winter
weather got too icy to play soccer, teams were taken indoors, and it was convenient to have them
split in half and play basketball with five on each side. By 1897–98, teams of five became
standard.

College basketball

The 1899 University of Kansas

basketball team, with James
Naismith at the back, right

Basketball's early adherents were dispatched to YMCAs throughout the United States, and it
quickly spread through the United States and Canada. By 1895, it was well established at several
women's high schools. While YMCA was responsible for initially developing and spreading the
game, within a decade it discouraged the new sport, as rough play and rowdy crowds began to
detract from YMCA's primary mission. However, other amateur sports clubs, colleges, and
professional clubs quickly filled the void. In the years before World War I, the Amateur Athletic
Union and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (forerunner of the NCAA)
vied for control over the rules for the game. The first pro league, the National Basketball League,
was formed in 1898 to protect players from exploitation and to promote a less rough game. This
league only lasted five years.

James Naismith was instrumental in establishing college basketball. His colleague C. O. Beamis
fielded the first college basketball team just a year after the Springfield YMCA game at the
suburban Pittsburgh Geneva College.[22] Naismith himself later coached at the University of
Kansas for six years, before handing the reins to renowned coach Forrest "Phog" Allen.
Naismith's disciple Amos Alonzo Stagg brought basketball to the University of Chicago, while
Adolph Rupp, a student of Naismith's at Kansas, enjoyed great success as coach at the
University of Kentucky. On February 9, 1895, the first intercollegiate 5-on-5 game was played at
Hamline University between Hamline and the School of Agriculture, which was affiliated with the
University of Minnesota.[23][24][25] The School of Agriculture won in a 9–3 game.

In 1901, colleges, including the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Cornell University,
Dartmouth College, the University of Minnesota, the U.S. Naval Academy, the University of
Colorado and Yale University began sponsoring men's games. In 1905, frequent injuries on the
football field prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to suggest that colleges form a governing
body, resulting in the creation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States
(IAAUS). In 1910, that body changed its name to the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA). The first Canadian interuniversity basketball game was played at YMCA in Kingston,
Ontario on February 6, 1904, when McGill University – Naismith's alma mater – visited Queen's
University. McGill won 9–7 in overtime; the score was 7–7 at the end of regulation play, and a
ten-minute overtime period settled the outcome. A good turnout of spectators watched the
game.[26]

The first men's national championship tournament, the National Association of Intercollegiate
Basketball tournament, which still exists as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) tournament, was organized in 1937. The first national championship for NCAA teams, the
National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in New York, was organized in 1938; the NCAA national
tournament began one year later. College basketball was rocked by gambling scandals from
1948 to 1951, when dozens of players from top teams were implicated in game-fixing and point
shaving. Partially spurred by an association with cheating, the NIT lost support to the NCAA
tournament.
High school basketball

A basketball game between

the Heart Mountain and
Powell High School girls
teams, Wyoming, March
1944

A photo taken during a high school

basketball game in 2024.
Demonstrates the extreme disparities
in terms of physical maturity that can
be seen between opposing players.

Before widespread school district consolidation, most American high schools were far smaller
than their present-day counterparts. During the first decades of the 20th century, basketball
quickly became the ideal interscholastic sport due to its modest equipment and personnel
requirements. In the days before widespread television coverage of professional and college
sports, the popularity of high school basketball was unrivaled in many parts of America. Perhaps
the most legendary of high school teams was Indiana's Franklin Wonder Five, which took the
nation by storm during the 1920s, dominating Indiana basketball and earning national
recognition.

Today virtually every high school in the United States fields a basketball team in varsity
competition.[27] 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.[28] 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.

High School of Montreal Girls Junior

Basketball team, 1915–1916

⁣There is currently no tournament to determine a national high school champion. The most
serious effort was the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at the University of
Chicago from 1917 to 1930. The event was organized by Amos Alonzo Stagg and sent invitations
to state champion teams. The tournament started out as a mostly Midwest affair but grew. In
1929 it had 29 state champions. Faced with opposition from the National Federation of State
High School Associations and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that bore a
threat of the schools losing their accreditation the last tournament was in 1930. The
organizations said they were concerned that the tournament was being used to recruit
professional players from the prep ranks.[29] The tournament did not invite minority schools or
private/parochial schools.

The National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament ran from 1924 to 1941 at Loyola
University.[30] The National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament from 1954 to 1978 played
at a series of venues, including Catholic University, Georgetown and George Mason.[31] The
National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools was held from 1929 to
1942 at Hampton Institute.[32] The National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament
was held from 1941 to 1967 starting out at Tuskegee Institute. Following a pause during World
War II it resumed at Tennessee State College in Nashville. The basis for the champion dwindled
after 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education began an integration of schools. The last
tournaments were held at Alabama State College from 1964 to 1967.[33]
Professional basketball

Ad from The Liberator

magazine promoting an
exhibition in Harlem, March
1922. Drawing by Hugo
Gellert

Teams abounded throughout the 1920s. There were hundreds of men's professional basketball
teams in towns and cities all over the United States, and little organization of the professional
game. Players jumped from team to team and teams played in armories and smoky dance halls.
Leagues came and went. Barnstorming squads such as the Original Celtics and two all-African
American teams, the New York Renaissance Five ("Rens") and the (still existing) Harlem
Globetrotters played up to two hundred games a year on their national tours.

In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed. The first game was played in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers on
November 1, 1946. Three seasons later, in 1949, the BAA merged with the National Basketball
League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). By the 1950s, basketball had
become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional
basketball. In 1959, a basketball hall of fame was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, site of
the first game. Its rosters include the names of great players, coaches, referees and people who
have contributed significantly to the development of the game. The hall of fame has people who
have accomplished many goals in their career in basketball. An upstart organization, the
American Basketball Association, emerged in 1967 and briefly threatened the NBA's dominance
until the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Today the NBA is the top professional basketball league in the
world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition.
 Diamond DeShields (#1) drives to the
basket around Maya Moore (#23) in
the Minnesota Lynx vs Chicago Sky
game

The NBA has featured many famous players, including George Mikan, the first dominating "big
man"; ball-handling wizard Bob Cousy and defensive genius Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics;
charismatic center Wilt Chamberlain, who originally played for the barnstorming Harlem
Globetrotters; all-around stars Oscar Robertson and Jerry West; more recent big men Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone; playmakers John Stockton,
Isiah Thomas and Steve Nash; crowd-pleasing forwards Julius Erving and Charles Barkley;
European stars Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker; Latin American stars Manu Ginobili,
more recent superstars, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry,
Giannis Antetokounmpo, etc.; and the three players who many credit with ushering the
professional game to its highest level of popularity during the 1980s and 1990s: Larry Bird,
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and Michael Jordan.

In 2001, the NBA formed a developmental league, the National Basketball Development League
(later known as the NBA D-League and then the NBA G League after a branding deal with
Gatorade). As of the 2023–24 season, the G League has 31 teams.

International basketball

The U.S. playing against Mexico at the

2014 FIBA World Cup

FIBA (International Basketball Federation) was formed in 1932 by eight founding nations:
Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland. At this time,
the organization only oversaw amateur players. Its acronym, derived from the French Fédération
Internationale de Basket-ball Amateur, was thus "FIBA". Men's basketball was first included at the
Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics, although a demonstration tournament was held in 1904. The
United States defeated Canada in the first final, played outdoors. This competition has usually
been dominated by the United States, whose team has won all but three titles. The first of these
came in a controversial final game in Munich in 1972 against the Soviet Union, in which the
ending of the game was replayed three times until the Soviet Union finally came out on top.[34] In
1950 the first FIBA World Championship for men, now known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup,
was held in Argentina. Three years later, the first FIBA World Championship for women, now
known as the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, was held in Chile. Women's basketball was
added to the Olympics in 1976, which were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with teams such as
the Soviet Union, Brazil and Australia rivaling the American squads.

In 1989, FIBA allowed professional NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time.
Prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics, only European and South American teams were allowed to
field professionals in the Olympics. The United States' dominance continued with the
introduction of the original Dream Team. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, the United States suffered
its first Olympic loss while using professional players, falling to Puerto Rico (in a 19-point loss)
and Lithuania in group games, and being eliminated in the semifinals by Argentina. It eventually
won the bronze medal defeating Lithuania, finishing behind Argentina and Italy. The Redeem
Team, won gold at the 2008 Olympics, and the B-Team, won gold at the 2010 FIBA World
Championship in Turkey despite featuring no players from the 2008 squad. The United States
continued its dominance as they won gold at the 2012 Olympics, 2014 FIBA World Cup and the
2016 Olympics.

A EuroLeague game in Moscow in

2018

Worldwide, basketball tournaments are held for boys and girls of all age levels. The global
popularity of the sport is reflected in the nationalities represented in the NBA. Players from all six
inhabited continents currently play in the NBA. Top international players began coming into the
NBA in the mid-1990s, including Croatians Dražen Petrović and Toni Kukoč, Serbian Vlade Divac,
Lithuanians Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Dutchman Rik Smits and German Detlef
Schrempf.

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

The Smith College Class 1902

basketball team

The Australian women's basketball team on winning the 2006 FIBA

World Championship for Women

Women began to play basketball in the fall of 1892 at Smith College through Senda Berenson,
substitute director of the newly opened gymnasium and physical education teacher, after having
modified the rules for women. Shortly after Berenson was hired at Smith, she visited Naismith to
learn more about the game.[9] Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could teach, she
instantly introduced the game as a class exercise and soon after teams were organized. The first
women's collegiate basketball game was played on March 21, 1893, when her Smith freshmen
and sophomores played against one another.[10][35] The first official women's interinstitutional
game was played later that year between the University of California and the Miss Head's
School.[11] In 1899, a committee was established at the Conference of Physical Training in
Springfield to draw up general rules for women's basketball.[36] These rules, designed by
Berenson, were published in 1899.[12] In 1902 Berenson became the editor of A. G. Spalding's
first Women's Basketball Guide.[10] The same year women of Mount Holyoke and Sophie
Newcomb College (coached by Clara Gregory Baer), 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.[37] 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.[37] 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.[38] 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.[37] 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.[37]

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."[39]

Rules and regulations

End of a game as the game

clock shows no time left
 Most important terms related to the basketball
court

Measurements and time limits discussed in this section often vary among tournaments and
organizations; international and NBA rules are used in this section.

The object of the game is to outscore one's opponents by throwing the ball through the
opponents' basket from above while preventing the opponents from doing so on their own. An
attempt to score in this way is called a shot. A successful shot is worth two points, or three
points if it is taken from beyond the three-point arc 6.75 meters (22 ft 2 in) from the basket in
international games[40] and 23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m) in NBA games.[41] A one-point shot can be
earned when shooting from the foul line after a foul is made. After a team has scored from a
field goal or free throw, play is resumed with a throw-in awarded to the non-scoring team taken
from a point beyond the endline of the court where the points were scored.[42]

Playing regulations

Games are played in four quarters of 10 (FIBA)[43] or 12 minutes (NBA).[44] College men's games
use two 20-minute halves,[45] college women's games use 10-minute quarters,[46] and most
United States high school varsity games use 8-minute quarters; however, this varies from state to
state.[47][48] 15 minutes are allowed for a half-time break under FIBA, NBA, and NCAA
rules[45][49][50] and 10 minutes in United States high schools.[47] Overtime periods are five minutes
in length[45][51][52] except for high school, which is four minutes in length.[47] Teams exchange
baskets for the second half. The time allowed is actual playing time; the clock is stopped while
the play is not active. Therefore, games generally take much longer to complete than the allotted
game time, typically about two hours.

Five players from each team may be on the court at one time.[53][54][55][56] Substitutions are
unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped. Teams also have a coach, who oversees
the development and strategies of the team, and other team personnel such as assistant
coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers.

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.

A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach (or sometimes mandated
in the NBA) for a short meeting with the players, are allowed. They generally last no longer than
one minute (100 seconds in the NBA) unless, for televised games, a commercial break is needed.

The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee (referred to as crew chief in the
NBA), one or two umpires (referred to as referees in the NBA) and the table officials. For college,
the NBA, and many high schools, there are a total of three referees on the court. The table
officials are responsible for keeping track of each team's scoring, timekeeping, individual and
team fouls, player substitutions, team possession arrow, and the shot clock.

Equipment

Traditional eight-panel
basketball

The only essential equipment in a basketball game is the ball and the court: a flat, rectangular
surface with baskets at opposite ends. Competitive levels require the use of more equipment
such as clocks, score sheets, scoreboards, alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated
stop-clock systems.
 An outdoor basketball net

A regulation basketball court in international games is 28 meters (92 feet) long and 15 meters
(49 feet) wide. In the NBA and NCAA the court is 94 by 50 feet (29 by 15 meters).[41] Most courts
have wood flooring, usually constructed from maple planks running in the same direction as the
longer court dimension.[57][58] The name and logo of the home team is usually painted on or
around the center circle.

The basket is a steel rim 18 inches (46 cm) diameter with an attached net affixed to a backboard
that measures 6 by 3.5 feet (1.8 by 1.1 meters) and one basket is at each end of the court. The
white outlined box on the backboard is 18 inches (46 cm) high and 2 feet (61 cm) wide. At
almost all levels of competition, the top of the rim is exactly 10 feet (3.05 meters) above the
court and 4 feet (1.22 meters) inside the baseline. While variation is possible in the dimensions
of the court and backboard, it is considered important for the basket to be of the correct height –
a rim that is off by just a few inches can have an adverse effect on shooting. The net must "check
the ball momentarily as it passes through the basket" to aid the visual confirmation that the ball
went through.[59] The act of checking the ball has the further advantage of slowing down the ball
so the rebound does not go as far.[60]

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 (620 g). 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 (570 g). In 3x3, 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).[61]

Violations

The ball may be advanced toward the basket by being shot, passed between players, thrown,
tapped, rolled or dribbled (bouncing the ball while running).

The ball must stay within the court; the last team to touch the ball before it travels out of bounds
forfeits possession. The ball is out of bounds if it touches a boundary line, or touches any player
or object that is out of bounds.
There are limits placed on the steps a player may take without dribbling, which commonly results
in an infraction known as traveling. Nor may a player stop their dribble and then resume
dribbling. A dribble that touches both hands is considered stopping the dribble, giving this
infraction the name double dribble. Within a dribble, the player cannot carry the ball by placing
their hand on the bottom of the ball; doing so is known as carrying the ball. A team, once having
established ball control in the front half of their court, may not return the ball to the backcourt
and be the first to touch it. A violation of these rules results in loss of possession.

The ball may not be kicked, nor be struck with the fist. For the offense, a violation of these rules
results in loss of possession; for the defense, most leagues reset the shot clock and the
offensive team is given possession of the ball out of bounds.

There are limits imposed on the time taken before progressing the ball past halfway (8 seconds
in FIBA and the NBA; 10 seconds in NCAA and high school for both sexes), before attempting a
shot (24 seconds in FIBA, the NBA, and U Sports (Canadian universities) play for both sexes, and
30 seconds in NCAA play for both sexes), holding the ball while closely guarded (5 seconds), and
remaining in the restricted area known as the free-throw lane, (or the "key") (3 seconds). These
rules are designed to promote more offense.

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.

Fouls

The referee signals that a

foul has been committed.
An attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through certain types of physical contact is
illegal and is called a personal foul. These are most commonly committed by defensive players;
however, they can be committed by offensive players as well. Players who are fouled either
receive the ball to pass inbounds again, or receive one or more free throws if they are fouled in
the act of shooting, depending on whether the shot was successful. One point is awarded for
making a free throw, which is attempted from a line 15 feet (4.6 m) from the basket.

The referee is responsible for judging whether contact is illegal, sometimes resulting in
controversy. The calling of fouls can vary between games, leagues and referees.

There is a second category of fouls called technical fouls, which may be charged for various
rules violations including failure to properly record a player in the scorebook, or for
unsportsmanlike conduct. These infractions result in one or two free throws, which may be taken
by any of the five players on the court at the time. Repeated incidents can result in
disqualification. A blatant foul involving physical contact that is either excessive or unnecessary
is called an intentional foul (flagrant foul in the NBA). In FIBA and NCAA women's basketball, a
foul resulting in ejection is called a disqualifying foul, while in leagues other than the NBA, such a
foul is referred to as flagrant.

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.

When a team shoots foul shots, the opponents may not interfere with the shooter, nor may they
try to regain possession until the last or potentially last free throw is in the air.

After a team has committed a specified number of fouls, the other team is said to be "in the
bonus". On scoreboards, this is usually signified with an indicator light reading "Bonus" or
"Penalty" with an illuminated directional arrow or dot indicating that team is to receive free
throws when fouled by the opposing team. (Some scoreboards also indicate the number of fouls
committed.)

If a team misses the first shot of a two-shot situation, the opposing team must wait for the
completion of the second shot before attempting to reclaim possession of the ball and
continuing play.

If a player is fouled while attempting a shot and the shot is unsuccessful, the player is awarded a
number of free throws equal to the value of the attempted shot. A player fouled while attempting
a regular two-point shot thus receives two shots, and a player fouled while attempting a three-
point shot receives three shots.

If a player is fouled while attempting a shot and the shot is successful, typically the player will be
awarded one additional free throw for one point. In combination with a regular shot, this is called
a "three-point play" or "four-point play" (or more colloquially, an "and one") because of the basket
made at the time of the foul (2 or 3 points) and the additional free throw (1 point).

A foul committed during a shot

attempt

Common techniques and practices

Positions

Basketball positions in the offensive zone

Although the rules do not specify any positions whatsoever, they have evolved as part of
basketball. During the early years of basketball's evolution, two guards, two forwards, and one
center were used. In more recent times specific positions evolved, but the current trend,
advocated by many top coaches including Mike Krzyzewski, is towards positionless basketball,
where big players are free to shoot from outside and dribble if their skill allows it.[62] Popular
descriptions of positions include:

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.

Small forward (the "3") : often primarily responsible for scoring points via cuts to the basket and
dribble penetration; on defense seeks rebounds and steals, but sometimes plays more actively.

Power forward (the "4"): plays offensively often with their back to the basket; on defense, plays
under the basket (in a zone defense) or against the opposing power forward (in man-to-man
defense).

Center (the "5"): uses height and size to score (on offense), to protect the basket closely (on
defense), or to rebound.

The above descriptions are flexible. For most teams today, the shooting guard and small forward
have very similar responsibilities and are often called the wings, as do the power forward and
center, who are often called post players. While most teams describe two players as guards, two
as forwards, and one as a center, on some occasions teams choose to call them by different
designations.

Strategy

There are two main defensive strategies: zone defense and man-to-man defense. In a zone
defense, each player is assigned to guard a specific area of the court. Zone defenses often allow
the defense to double team the ball, a manoeuver known as a trap. In a man-to-man defense,
each defensive player guards a specific opponent.

Offensive plays are more varied, normally involving planned passes and movement by players
without the ball. A quick movement by an offensive player without the ball to gain an
advantageous position is known as a cut. A legal attempt by an offensive player to stop an
opponent from guarding a teammate, by standing in the defender's way such that the teammate
cuts next to him, is a screen or pick. The two plays are combined in the pick and roll, in which a
player sets a pick and then "rolls" away from the pick towards the basket. Screens and cuts are
very important in offensive plays; these allow the quick passes and teamwork, which can lead to
a successful basket. Teams almost always have several offensive plays planned to ensure their
movement is not predictable. On court, the point guard is usually responsible for indicating which
play will occur.
Shooting

Player releases a short jump

shot, while her defender is
either knocked down, or
trying to "take a charge".

Shooting is the act of attempting to score points by throwing the ball through the basket,
methods varying with players and situations.

Typically, a player faces the basket with both feet facing the basket. A player will rest the ball on
the fingertips of the dominant hand (the shooting arm) slightly above the head, with the other
hand supporting the side of the ball. The ball is usually shot by jumping (though not always) and
extending the shooting arm. The shooting arm, fully extended with the wrist fully bent, is held
stationary for a moment following the release of the ball, known as a follow-through. Players
often try to put a steady backspin on the ball to absorb its impact with the rim. The ideal
trajectory of the shot is somewhat controversial, but generally a proper arc is recommended.
Players may shoot directly into the basket or may use the backboard to redirect the ball into the
basket.

Basketball falling through hoop

The two most common shots that use the above described setup are the set shot and the jump
shot. Both are preceded by a crouching action which preloads the muscles and increases the
power of the shot. In a set shot, the shooter straightens up and throws from a standing position
with neither foot leaving the floor; this is typically used for free throws. For a jump shot, the throw
is taken in mid-air with the ball being released near the top of the jump. This provides much
greater power and range, and it also allows the player to elevate over the defender. Failure to
release the ball before the feet return to the floor is considered a traveling violation.

Another common shot is called the layup. This shot requires the player to be in motion toward
the basket, and to "lay" the ball "up" and into the basket, typically off the backboard (the
backboard-free, underhand version is called a finger roll). The most crowd-pleasing and typically
highest-percentage accuracy shot is the slam dunk, in which the player jumps very high and
throws the ball downward, through the basket while touching it.

Slow-motion animation of a dunk

Another shot that is less common than the layup, is the "circus shot". The circus shot is a low-
percentage shot that is flipped, heaved, scooped, or flung toward the hoop while the shooter is
off-balance, airborne, falling down or facing away from the basket. A back-shot is a shot taken
when the player is facing away from the basket, and may be shot with the dominant hand, or
both; but there is a very low chance that the shot will be successful.[63]

A shot that misses both the rim and the backboard completely is referred to as an air ball. A
particularly bad shot, or one that only hits the backboard, is jocularly called a brick. The hang time
is the length of time a player stays in the air after jumping, either to make a slam dunk, layup or
jump shot.
Rebounding

A player making an offensive

rebound

The objective of rebounding is to successfully gain possession of the basketball after a missed
field goal or free throw, as it rebounds from the hoop or backboard. This plays a major role in the
game, as most possessions end when a team misses a shot. There are two categories of
rebounds: offensive rebounds, in which the ball is recovered by the offensive side and does not
change possession, and defensive rebounds, in which the defending team gains possession of
the loose ball. The majority of rebounds are defensive, as the team on defense tends to be in
better position to recover missed shots; for example, about 75% of rebounds in the NBA are
defensive.[64]

Passing

A pass is a method of moving the ball between players. Most passes are accompanied by a step
forward to increase power and are followed through with the hands to ensure accuracy.

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.

Another type of pass is the bounce pass. Here, the passer bounces the ball crisply about two-
thirds of the way from his own chest to the receiver. The ball strikes the court and bounces up
toward the receiver. The bounce pass takes longer to complete than the chest pass, but it is also
harder for the opposing team to intercept (kicking the ball deliberately is a violation). Thus,
players often use the bounce pass in crowded moments, or to pass around a defender.

The overhead pass is used to pass the ball over a defender. The ball is released while over the
passer's head.
The outlet pass occurs after a team gets a defensive rebound. The next pass after the rebound is
the outlet pass.

The crucial aspect of any good pass is it being difficult to intercept. Good passers can pass the
ball with great accuracy and they know exactly where each of their other teammates prefers to
receive the ball. A special way of doing this is passing the ball without looking at the receiving
teammate. This is called a no-look pass.

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.

Dribbling

0:59

A demonstration of the basic types of dribbling in

basketball

A U.S. Naval Academy

("Navy") player, left, posts up
a U.S. Military Academy
("Army") defender.

Dribbling is the act of bouncing the ball continuously with one hand and is a requirement for a
player to take steps with the ball. To dribble, a player pushes the ball down towards the ground
with the fingertips rather than patting it; this ensures greater control.
When dribbling past an opponent, the dribbler should dribble with the hand farthest from the
opponent, making it more difficult for the defensive player to get to the ball. It is therefore
important for a player to be able to dribble competently with both hands.

Good dribblers (or "ball handlers") tend to keep their dribbling hand low to the ground, reducing
the distance of travel of the ball from the floor to the hand, making it more difficult for the
defender to "steal" the ball. Good ball handlers frequently dribble behind their backs, between
their legs, and switch directions suddenly, making a less predictable dribbling pattern that is
more difficult to defend against. This is called a crossover, which is the most effective way to
move past defenders while dribbling.

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.

Blocking

A block is performed when, after a shot is attempted, a defender succeeds in altering the shot by
touching the ball. In almost all variants of play, it is illegal to touch the ball after it is in the
downward path of its arc; this is known as goaltending. It is also illegal under NBA and Men's
NCAA basketball to block a shot after it has touched the backboard, or when any part of the ball
is directly above the rim. Under international rules it is illegal to block a shot that is in the
downward path of its arc or one that has touched the backboard until the ball has hit the rim.
After the ball hits the rim, it is again legal to touch it even though it is no longer considered as a
block performed.

To block a shot, a player has to be able to reach a point higher than where the shot is released.
Thus, height can be an advantage in blocking. Players who are taller and playing the power
forward or center positions generally record more blocks than players who are shorter and
playing the guard positions. However, with good timing and a sufficiently high vertical leap, even
shorter players can be effective shot blockers.
Height

Joonas Suotamo, a Finnish-American

former professional center, is 6 feet
11 inches (2.11 m) tall. Many
professional centers' heights exceed
7 feet (2.13 m).

At the professional level, most male players are above 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and most women
above 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m). Guards, for whom physical coordination and ball-handling skills
are crucial, tend to be the smallest players. Almost all forwards in the top men's pro leagues are
6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) or taller. Most centers are over 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) tall. According
to a survey given to all NBA teams, the average height of all NBA players is just under 6 feet
7 inches (2.01 m), with the average weight being close to 222 pounds (101 kg). The tallest
players ever in the NBA were Manute Bol and Gheorghe Mureșan, who were both 7 feet 7 inches
(2.31 m) tall. At 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m), Margo Dydek was the tallest player in the history of the
WNBA.

The shortest player ever to play in the NBA is Muggsy Bogues at 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m).[65]
Other average-height or relatively short players have thrived at the pro level, including Anthony
"Spud" Webb, who was 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall, but had a 42-inch (1.1 m) vertical leap, giving
him significant height when jumping, and Temeka Johnson, who won the WNBA Rookie of the
Year Award and a championship with the Phoenix Mercury while standing only 5 feet 3 inches
(1.60 m). While shorter players are often at a disadvantage in certain aspects of the game, their
ability to navigate quickly through crowded areas of the court and steal the ball by reaching low
are strengths.
Players regularly inflate their height in high school or college. 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, 6-43⁄4. 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."[66]

Since the 2019-20 NBA season heights of NBA players are recorded definitively by measuring
players with their shoes off.[67]

Variations and similar games

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

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,
which has attracted criticism from animal rights groups.

Half-court

Perhaps the single most common variation of basketball is the half-court game, played in
informal settings without referees or strict rules. Only one basket is used, and the ball must be
"taken back" or "cleared" – passed or dribbled outside the three-point line each time possession
of the ball changes from one team to the other. Half-court games require less cardiovascular
stamina, since players need not run back and forth a full court. Half-court raises the number of
players that can use a court or, conversely, can be played if there is an insufficient number to
form full 5-on-5 teams.

Half-court basketball is usually played 1-on-1, 2-on-2 or 3-on-3. The last of these variations is
gradually gaining official recognition as 3x3, 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 3x3 Youth
World Championships[68] were held in Rimini, Italy in 2011, with the first FIBA 3x3 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.[69] In the summer of 2017, the BIG3 basketball
league, a professional 3x3 half court basketball league that features former NBA players, began.
The BIG3 features several rule variants including a four-point field goal.[70]

Other variations

Variations of basketball with their own page or subsection include:

21 (also known as American, cutthroat and One-shot conquer

roughhouse)[71]
Steal The Bacon
42
Tip-it
Around the World
Tips
Bounce
"The One"
Firing Squad
Basketball War
Fives
Water basketball
H-O-R-S-E
Beach basketball
Hotshot
Streetball
Knockout
One-on-one is a variation in which two players will use only a small section of the court (often
no more than a half of a court) and compete to play the ball into a single hoop. Such games
tend to emphasize individual dribbling and ball stealing skills over shooting and team play.

Dunk Hoops is a variation 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.

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.
Popular unicycle basketball games are organized in North America.[72]

Spin-offs from basketball that are now separate sports include:

Ringball, a traditional South African sport that stems from basketball, has been played since
1907. The sport is now promoted in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, India, and
Mauritius to establish Ringball as an international sport.

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 is 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. Formerly played exclusively by women, netball today features mixed-gender
competitions.

Slamball, invented by television writer Mason Gordon, is a full-contact sport featuring

trampolines. The main difference from basketball is the court; below the padded 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. Professional games of Slamball aired on Spike TV in 2002, and the sport
has since expanded to China and other countries.
A basketball player in Israel, 1969 Schoolgirls shooting hoops
among the Himalayas in
Dharamsala, India.

A basketball training course at A basketball court in Tamil Nadu,

the Phan Đình Phùng High India
School, Hanoi, Vietnam

A basketball court on Baana -

Helsinki, Finland.
Social forms of basketball

Typical privately owned basketball

hoop

Basketball as a social and communal sport features environments, rules and demographics
different from those seen in professional and televised basketball.

Recreational basketball

Basketball is played widely as an extracurricular, intramural or amateur sport in schools and

colleges. Notable institutions of recreational basketball include:

Basketball schools and academies, where students are trained in developing basketball
fundamentals, undergo fitness and endurance exercises and learn various basketball skills.
Basketball students learn proper ways of passing, ball handling, dribbling, shooting from
various distances, rebounding, offensive moves, defense, layups, screens, basketball rules and
basketball ethics. Also popular are the basketball camps organized for various occasions,
often to get prepared for basketball events, and basketball clinics for improving skills.

College and university basketball played in educational institutions of higher learning. This
includes National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) intercollegiate basketball.

Disabled basketball

Deaf basketball: One of several deaf sports, deaf basketball relies on signing for
communication. Any deaf sporting event that happens, its purpose is to serve as a catalyst for
the socialization of a low-incidence and geographically dispersed population.[73]

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.[74]
Other forms

Biddy basketball played by minors, sometimes in formal tournaments, around the globe.

Midnight basketball, an initiative to curb inner-city crime in the United States and elsewhere by
engaging youth in urban areas with sports as an alternative to drugs and crime.

Rezball, short for reservation ball, is the avid Native American following of basketball,
particularly a style of play particular to Native American teams of some areas.

Fantasy basketball

Fantasy basketball was popularized during the 1990s by ESPN Fantasy Sports, NBA.com, and
Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. On the model of fantasy baseball and football, players create fictional
teams, select professional basketball players to "play" on these teams through a mock draft or
trades, then calculate points based on the players' real-world performance.

Basics of Fantasy Basketball

1. League Setup:
You can join public leagues or create private leagues with friends.

Popular platforms include ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Sleeper, and Fantrax.

2. Draft:
A draft (snake or auction) is held at the beginning of the season.

Participants select NBA players to form their teams.

3. Scoring Formats:
Points League: Players earn points based on specific stats (e.g., 2 points per rebound,
1.5 points per assist).

Categories League: Teams compete in specific categories (e.g., best in assists, steals).

Rotisserie (Roto): Teams rank in each category, and rankings are combined to
determine the overall score.

4. Roster Management:
Teams set lineups daily or weekly, determining which players' stats will count.

You can trade players, pick up free agents, or drop underperforming players.

5. Playoffs:
At the end of the regular NBA season, fantasy leagues often have playoffs to determine
the champion.
See also

Basketball portal

Sports portal

Basketball moves

Basketball National League

Continental Basketball Association

Glossary of basketball terms

Index of basketball-related articles

List of basketball films

List of basketball leagues

Timeline of women's basketball

ULEB, Union des Ligues Européennes de Basket, in English Union of European Leagues of
Basketball

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December 22, 2005.

Reimer, Anthony (June 2005). "FIBA vs North American Rules Comparison" (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20090129161522/http://www.fiba.com/asp_includes/download.asp?file_id=518) .
FIBA Assist (14): 40–44. Archived from the original (http://www.fiba.com/asp_includes/downlo
ad.asp?file_id=518) on January 29, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2006.

Bonsor, Kevin (March 10, 2003). "How Basketball Works: Who's Who" (http://health.howstuffwo
rks.com/basketball2.htm) . HowStuffWorks. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2006010
1034243/http://health.howstuffworks.com/basketball2.htm) from the original on January 1,
2006. Retrieved January 11, 2006.

Further reading

Adolph H, Grundman (2004). The golden age of amateur basketball: the AAU Tournament, 1921–
1968 (https://books.google.com/books?id=kHVGigFqcNkC&q=Basketball&pg=PP1) .
University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-7117-4.
 Batchelor, Bob (2005). Basketball in America: from the playgrounds to Jordan's game and
beyond (https://books.google.com/books?id=v8r__pvCopgC&q=history%20of%20Basketball&p
g=PP1) . Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7890-1613-3.

Brown, Donald H (2007). A Basketball Handbook (https://books.google.com/books?id=YJmsqtj

-rh4C&q=history%20of%20Basketball&pg=PP1) . AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4259-6190-9.

Coleman, Brian (1991). All You Wanted to Know About Basketball (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=FMbE6oVIP-0C) . Sterling publishing. ISBN 81-207-2576-X.

Grundy, Pamela; Susan Shackelford (2005). Shattering the glass: the remarkable history of
women's basketball (https://books.google.com/books?id=ZfS_3MUPBXoC&q=history%20of%2
0Basketball&pg=PP1) . New Press. ISBN 1-56584-822-5.

Herzog, Brad (2003). Hoopmania: The Book of Basketball History and Trivia (https://books.googl
e.com/books?id=oH8uK4Sn_BoC&q=history%20of%20Basketball&pg=PP1) . Rosen Pub.
Group. ISBN 0-8239-3697-X.

Naismith, James (1941). Basketball: its origin and development (https://books.google.com/boo

ks?id=yDKtaGdhZncC&q=James%20Naismith&pg=PP1) . University of Nebraska Press.
ISBN 0-8032-8370-9.

Simmons, Bill (2009). The book of basketball: the NBA according to the sports guy (https://archi
ve.org/details/bookofbasketball00simm) . Ballantine/ESPN Books. ISBN 978-0-345-51176-8.
"history of Basketball."

External links

Library resources about

Basketball

Online books (https://ftl.toolforge.org/cgi-bin/ftl?st=wp&su=Basketball&library=OLBP)

Resources in your library (https://ftl.toolforge.org/cgi-bin/ftl?st=wp&su=Basketball)
Resources in other libraries (https://ftl.toolforge.org/cgi-bin/ftl?st=wp&su=Basketball&library=0CHOOSE
0)

Historical

Basketball Hall of Fame – Springfield, MA (http://www.hoophall.com/)

National Basketball Foundation (http://naismithbasketballfoundation.com/) – runs the

Naismith Museum in Ontario

Hometown Sports Heroes (http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-co

mmunity_memories/pm_v2.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000534&sl=4146&pos=
1) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20150402200708/http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/s
 gc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=story_line&lg=English&
fl=0&ex=00000534&sl=4146&pos=1) April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine

Organizations

Basketball at the Olympic Games (https://web.archive.org/web/20100626134909/http://www.

olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=BK)

International Basketball Federation (https://www.fiba.basketball)

National Basketball Association (http://www.nba.com/)

Women's National Basketball Association (http://www.wnba.com/)

Continental Basketball Association (oldest professional basketball league in the world) (http://
www.cbahoopsonline.com/) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20190330211322/htt
p://www.cbahoopsonline.com/) March 30, 2019, at the Wayback Machine

National Wheelchair Basketball Association (http://www.nwba.org/)

Other sources

"Basketball" (https://www.britannica.com/sports/basketball) . Encyclopædia Britannica

Online.

Eurobasket website (http://www.eurobasket.com/)

Basketball-Reference.com: Basketball Statistics, Analysis and History (https://www.basketball-

reference.com/) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20110222214347/http://www.baske
tball-reference.com/) February 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

Ontario's Historical Plaques – Dr. James Naismith (1861–1939) (https://web.archive.org/web/

20100902041518/http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_JKL/Plaque_Lanark03.html)