Basketball
Five against five throw a ball into the opponents' basket; a score is worth one, two or three points depending on where it was thrown from.
Basketball is a game in which the ball is almost never at rest and almost never waiting. Gain it and you have twenty-four seconds to shoot; take it over the centre line and there is no going back.
That makes possession a commodity rather than a pause. To lose the ball is not merely to hand it over but to hand over all the time you spent on it.
The three numbers that set the game
The ring stands at 3.05 m — above human height — so every shot travels on an arc, and the rebound off a miss becomes a skill of its own.
The 6.75 m arc separates two points from three. Near the sidelines it straightens into parallel lines: the full radius will not fit, which makes the corner the nearest three-point spot on the floor.
stop anyone holding the ball. Without them the leading team would simply decline to attack.
Basketball Court
Under these rules: Twenty-eight by fifteen metres, measured from the inner edge of the boundary line.
A rectangle twenty-eight by fifteen metres with a basket at each end and an arc at six seventy-five.
The three-point arc is struck at 6.75 m from the point beneath the centre of the basket, which itself stands 1.575 m from the endline. Near the sidelines the arc straightens into two parallel lines: the full radius simply does not fit.
Basket
Under these rules: One at each end of the court.
A ring with a net on a backboard; the top of the ring stands at three metres five.
The ball counts as in the basket the moment the slightest part of it is inside the ring and below its level. The backboard is part of the apparatus rather than an obstruction: players bounce the ball off it on purpose.
Basketball
Under these rules: One ball for the game.
A ball to be held and dribbled with one hand.
Its size is chosen so that the ball can be controlled by the hand: held, bounced along the floor, and released one-handed on the shot.
The FIBA rules of basketball
The court
A rectangle 28 m long and 15 m wide, measured from the inner edge of the boundary line. Every line is 5 cm wide.
The centre line divides the court into the and the frontcourt, and belongs to the backcourt.
The three-point arc has a radius of 6.75 m from the point beneath the centre of the basket; that point stands 1.575 m from the endline. Near the sidelines the arc runs into two parallel lines 0.90 m from the edge of the court.
The teams
No more than twelve players entitled to play, plus a head coach. Five from each team are on court.
A player who has committed five fouls leaves the game immediately.
Time
Four quarters of ten minutes. The half-time interval is fifteen minutes.
A tied score is settled by overtime periods.
Scoring
A field goal from beyond the three-point arc counts three points, one from inside it two, and a free throw one.
A goal is made when the ball enters the basket from above and stays in it or passes through. It is enough for the slightest part of the ball to be inside the ring and below its level.
Time limits
Having gained control of the ball, a team must attempt a shot within twenty-four seconds.
The ball must be taken from the backcourt into the frontcourt within eight seconds. Once it is in the frontcourt it may not be returned to the backcourt.
No player may remain in the opponents' restricted area for more than three consecutive seconds.
A closely guarded player must pass, shoot or dribble within five seconds. A player taking a throw-in must release the ball within five seconds.
Fouls
A player is out of the game on a fifth foul.
A team enters the penalty situation after four team fouls in a quarter. Every further foul in that quarter gives the opponents free throws.
Two technical fouls, two unsportsmanlike fouls, or one of each disqualify a player for the game.
Sources
- FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2024 · Fédération Internationale de Basketball Open source
Glossary of terms
- Backcourt
- The half of the court holding a team's own basket. Once the ball has been taken into the frontcourt it may not be returned.
- Team foul
- A foul charged to the team. From the fifth in a quarter, every further foul gives the opponents free throws.
- Twenty-four seconds
- The time within which a team gaining control of the ball must attempt a shot at the basket.