What is basketball?
Basketball, also known as basketball, is a team sport that involves scoring a ball into a basket. It is the most popular sport in the United States, and it is also commonly played in Europe.
In this sport, two teams compete with the goal of scoring more points than the other team. There can never be a tie in basketball.
How to play basketball?
The objective of basketball players is to take the ball towards the opposing team’s basket and put it through the hoop to score points. It is a sport that is played solely with the hands, and the ball is moved through dribbling and passing.»
Main rules of basketball
Basketball is a straightforward sport to understand, although it has some rules that can be quite complicated and open to interpretation, like most team sports. Below, we provide a brief summary of the original 13 rules of this sport.
Basketball court
The basketball court or the court is a rectangular playing area constructed with hardwood or concrete, which needs to be solid. It measures 28,65 m x 14 m the NBA basketball courts. Basketball courts can be located indoors (enclosed) or outdoors (open-air). If the court is indoors, it should have a minimum height of 7 meters.
The court is divided into two halves, with two baskets located at each end of the court. The shooting area is further divided into two distinct zones.
The 24-Second Shot Clock in basketball
Each team has 24 seconds at the start of a play to attempt a shot that either goes in or hits the rim. If the ball touches the rim and the offensive team rebounds it, they will have 14 seconds of remaining possession. However, if the shot does not touch the rim, the shot clock continues to run, and if it reaches 0, possession changes to the opposing team.
Of the 24 seconds, the offensive team has a maximum of 8 seconds to advance the ball past the half-court line to avoid losing possession. Once the half-court line is crossed, they cannot go back. If a player steps on or crosses the half-court line, it will result in a backcourt violation, and possession will be awarded to the opposing team.
The shot clock also resets to 14 seconds when there is a foul or violation and the time remaining is below 14 seconds. If the time remaining is above 14 seconds, the shot clock does not reset.
Penalties and fouls in basketball
The Three-Second Rule
One of the lesser-known rules for casual basketball fans is the three-second rule. This rule applies to the area underneath the basket during free throws.
Offensive players cannot remain in the three-second area for more than three seconds. If they stay longer, possession will be awarded to the opposing team.
Types of fouls
- Personal Foul: Referees call a personal foul when there is illegal contact between two opponents. If a player accumulates five personal fouls during a game, they will be ejected. If the fouled player is in the act of shooting, they will be awarded free throws. Otherwise, free throws are only given when the team has reached a certain number of fouls (known as bonus) in a quarter.
- Technical Foul: This foul can be called on a player, coach, or any person on the bench for inappropriate behavior during the game. A technical foul adds to personal fouls. If a player receives two technical fouls, they will be ejected immediately. The opposing team is awarded one free throw on a technical foul.
- Flagrant Foul: This foul is called when there is intentional, unnecessary contact that disrupts the game without an attempt to play the ball. The opposing team is awarded two free throws and the next possession.
- Disqualifying Foul: This type of foul is called for a severe infraction during the game. It’s worth noting that disqualifying fouls are not common in professional basketball. If a player is disqualified, they must leave the court immediately, and the same rules as a flagrant foul apply.