Basketball

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The game is played between men's teams or between women's teams. Basketball has been played
in the Summer Olympic Games since 1936. The shot clock rule started in 1954.
Contents
[hide]

1History

2Rules and the game

o

2.1Equipment

2.2Teams

2.3Playing Regulations

3Officials

4Basketball terms
o

4.1Positions in basketball

5The Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts

6Variations
o

6.1Wheelchair basketball

7Other websites

History[change | change source]

In early December 1891, James Naismith, a Canadian physical education teacher at Springfield
College in Springfield, Massachusetts invented an indoor game called basketball. He invented the
sport to keep his students from becoming bored during the winter. Naismith wrote the basic rules
and then nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot tall pole. Unlike modern basketball hoops, the bottom
of the peach-basket was still there, so after a point was scored, somebody had to get the ball out of
the basket with a long stick. Over time, people made a hole at the bottom of the basket so the ball
could go through more easily.
The score of the first game of basketball ever played was 1 - 0. There is a sculpture in Springfield,
outside where the first game was held. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is also in
Springfield.
Since the rules hadn't been formally written, there was no maximum number of players back then
unlike today. This also meant that there was no set rules to the game; Naismith only observed and
changed the rules accordingly.

Rules and the game[change | change source]

The aim of basketball is to score more points than the other team, by shooting the ball in the basket.
Baskets can be worth 1, 2, or 3 points. You get points by shooting the ball into the opponents'
basket. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Equipment[change | change source]

The court, where the game is played, is a rectangle shape, and at both end lines there is a goal
called a "hoop" in the shape of a circle basket with the bottom cut out.
In each game of basketball these things are required:

Basketball

Basketball court

Basketball hoop and backboard

Teams[change | change source]

Basketball is played with two teams, with 5 players from each team on the court at one time. The
maximum number of players on the bench differs by league. In international play, a maximum of 7
players are allowed on the bench, resulting in a roster of 12 players. The NBA has 13-player rosters;
college and high school teams have 15-player rosters. When a player wants to substitute for another
player on the court they let the score bench know. The referees will signal for the player waiting to
come into the court. The player that went into the game is now playing and the player that was
playing is sitting on the bench.

Playing Regulations[change | change source]

A game of basketball is made up of four quarters, each ten (or in the National Basketball
Association 12,) minutes long. At the start of every game the referee throws the basketball up in the
air, and one player from each team tries to hit it to their teammates, that is called a "jump ball."
At the start of each quarter the team who has the possession arrow pointing towards their hoop gets
the ball. Then the arrow is switched, and the next team gets the ball next quarter.
After four quarters, the team who scores the most points wins. If the two teams score the same
number of points, there is a five-minute "overtime" to see who can score more points. "Overtime" can
be played over and over until one team finally scores more points.
While playing the game, players on one team try to stop players on the other team from scoring.
Each normal score is worth two points; however, if a player throws the ball into the hoop from behind
the large arced line on the court, called the "3-point line," the score is worth three points.
If you do something illegal in the game, it is called a "foul." If you foul someone on the other team
while he is shooting the basketball, the player who was fouled gets to shoot "free throws" from the
"foul line. A free throw is a shot that no one is allowed to try to block. Each successful free throw is
worth one point.
If you foul a player who is not shooting, the other team gets the ball, and can throw it in bounds from
the sideline. Players can do three things with the ball: "dribble" (bounce) the ball, "pass" the ball to a
teammate, or "shoot" the ball at the hoop. The player with the ball tries to keep the ball and not let
the other team get it.
Once a player commits five fouls, he is no longer allowed to play in the game, and a player on the
bench must go in the game immediately. Are very simple!

Officials[change | change source]

In a game of basketball there are a number of people who are not from either team, that are there to
help. They are called officials. Officials are very important because without them the game would not
run as efficiently. Here is a list of some of these people:

Umpire There are either one or two umpires in a game of

basketball. It is the umpires' job to make the game more fair by
enforcing the rules of the game. The umpires take into
consideration the spirit and intent of the player before making any
call. In the NBA and WNBA, the term "umpire" is not used; the
person who has this role is called thereferee.

Referee The use of this word varies between rule sets.

Under the rules of FIBA (the worldwide governing body for the
sport), the NCAA (U.S. college basketball), and NFHS (U.S.
high schools), there is one referee in a game of basketball. He
is the "head" umpire. The referee has all the jobs of the umpires
along with a couple more responsibilities. He is also the one
that makes the final decision for most problems and is the one
who throws the ball up for the tip off the start of the match.

The first ever recorded female referee is Isabelle Johnson from

Melbourne.

The first ever recorded male referee is Campbell Grech from

Melbourne.

Time Keeper There is one timekeeper whose job is to keep track of

the time and to tell the umpires when time for each quarter has run
out. He is also in control of adding the scores onto the scoreboard.

Scorekeeper There is one scorekeeper whose job is to keep track

of and record all points scored, shots attempted, fouls made and
timeouts called.

Assistant Scorekeeper There is one assistant scorekeeper in a

game of basketball. his job is to assist the scorekeeper, by telling
him the players who score points, and to hold up a number for each
foul called, showing everyone the number of fouls the specified
player has for the game.

Shot Clock Operator There is one shot clock operator and his job
is to keep resetting and holding the device when needed or told to
by an umpire. This person needs to have good reflexes and
quickness, as he has to quickly reset the timer when the game
resumes.

It should also be noted that fans and media in North America will often use "referee" to describe all
on-court officials, whether their formal titles are "referee", "umpire", or "crew chief".

Basketball terms[change | change source]

There are some basketball terms which players have to understand when playing the game. Here
are some terms:

Draft pick is an eligible player selected to play for one of thirty

teams in the NBA

Free throw is a basketball throw from the free-throw line from either
personal, technical, unsportsmanlike or disqualifying fouls. Each
free-throw made is worth one point. The amount of free-throws
attempted are determined by the following:

missed field goal and a drawn foul will result in 2 free throws

made field goal and a drawn foul will result in 1 free throw

missed 3-point attempt and a drawn foul will result in 3 free

throws

made 3-point attempt and a drawn foul will result in 1 free throw

unsportsmanlike foul will result in 2 free throws and the same

team's possession. (In all North American rule sets, this foul is
called a "flagrant foul", with the same penalty.)

technical foul will result in 2 free throws and the same team's
possession. (In the NBA and WNBA, technical fouls result in 1
free throw instead of 2.)

Field goal is any made shot in normal play. Field goals are worth 2
points, unless the shooter was outside the three-point line, in which
case it is worth 3 points.

Personal foul is any contact, committed by a player of the other

team, thought, by the umpires, to have caused a disadvantage.

Technical foul is a violation of certain basketball rules. They

include:

fighting or threatening to fight with another person

entering the basketball court when it is not a substitution time

a player being out of bounds (away from the court) to gain an

advantage

having too many players play on the court

refusing to sit on the bench

returning to play when a player is disqualified (loses his

privileges to play)

yelling and/or swearing at another player or an official

Rebound is the act of catching the basketball after a shot has been
attempted, but missed.

Assist is to pass a teammate the ball, which then the teammate

immediately shoots into the basketball ring successfully. 2-3
dribbles are allowed after catching the ball for assist to be counted.

Steal is to take the ball away from a person who is dribbling,

shooting or passing without physically touching the person
(committing a foul).

Turnover is when the team that controls the ball loses control and
the other team gains control.

Walkover is the automatic victory of a team if the opposing team

withdraws, is disqualified or there is not any competition at all.

Substitution is the act of replacing a player from the court to an

another player sitting on the bench.

Double dribble is when a player dribbles the ball and picks it up

and then dribbles it again without having shot or passed it. Dribbling
the ball with two hands is also a double dribble. If a player double
dribbles, the ball is automatically given to the other team.

Carry is when a player physically turns the ball over with their
hands whilst dribbling it.

Travel is when a player in possession of the ball moves both feet

without dribbling the ball. If a player travels, the ball is automatically
given to the opposing team.

Shot clock is a clock designed to limit the time a team has to shoot
a basketball. The shot clock is different in different leagues, but it is
usually between 24 seconds and 35 seconds. After time runs out,
the ball is automatically given to the opposing team unless they
shot, before the clock runs out, and hit the rim or the ball enters the
basket.

Substitute (subs) is when a player on the bench swaps for a player

on the court. The player on the bench is allowed to play and the
player sits on the bench.

Jump ball happens at the start of every game. This is where the
ball gets thrown up from the centre circle and one person from each
team jumps for it, aiming to hit it to one of his team mates.

Alternating possession At the start of the game there is a jump

ball. Whichever team "wins" the jump ball gets the arrow pointed
towards their goal. Each time the rules mention it the ball gets given
to the team who is trying to score in the direction of the arrow and
the arrow gets turned.

Clutch is a shot made at a difficult moment in the game, usually

when the shot clock is about to run out or the team, losing by 1 or 2
points, suddenly wins the game, because of the clutch shot.

Backcourt violation is when a player crosses the half-court line

and walks backwards over the line while in possession of the ball,
or passes to another player who is behind the half-court line. Note
that this rule does not apply if a defensive player taps the ball, and it
goes beyond the half-court line, and the offensive player retrieves it
in the "backcourt".

3-second violation is when a player stands in the lane (an area

marked by the big square in front of the basket) for more than 3
seconds. The offensive team that commits a 3-second violation will
lose the possession of the ball. The defensive team that commits a
3-second violation will receive a technical foul.

8- or 10-second violation is when the team with the ball fails to

advance the ball past the center line within the allowed time. The
offensive team will lose possession. The allowed time is 8 seconds
in international play, the NBA, and WNBA, and 10 seconds in
college and high school play for both males and females. Women's
college basketball was the last level of basketball to add this
violation, only doing so for the 201314 season.

Positions in basketball[change | change source]

In professional basketball teams, each player has a position. A position is a job or role that a player
has to take part in to play the game. If everyone is doing their job correctly, the team is usually
successful.

Point guard (PG) (1) - point guards are responsible for leading the
team on offense. They have to take the ball out (to dribble the ball
halfway across their team's court side into the opposing team's
court side) and plan an "attack" or "play" - to pass the ball to a
player and he passes on to another player and so on till a player
shoots the basketball. Point guards can be small, but they have to
be very fast and possess good ball-handling. But the most important
thing for the PG is a wide view. PG should control the game when
on offense. That's why PG is called 'the coach on the court'.

Shooting guard (SG) (2) - shooting guards generally are a little bit
taller and slower than point guards. They have to make good shots
from far distances (like three-point lines).

Small forward (SF) (3) - small forwards are generally taller than
both point guards and shooting guards. They are the team's most
versatile player, doing everything from rebounding and assisting to
scoring.

Power forward (PF) (4) - power forwards are usually one of the
strongest players who play inside the 3 point line. Their job is to
receive rebounds from under the basket and score in the opposing
team's basket, although it is unusual for a power forward to score
most points for the team.

Center (C) (5) - Centers will usually be the tallest player on the
team. They score close to the basket, rebound and block shots on
the defensive end. They also start the game in the tip off.

Other positions, more usual in professional basketball teams, are used in basketball.

Swingman - a basketball player who can play both small forward

and shooting guard positions.

Stretch four (also cornerman) - a basketball player who can play

both power forward and small forward positions. The term "stretch
four" comes from the concept of a power forward ("four") capable of
"stretching" a defense with outside shooting ability.

Point forward - a basketball player who can play both point guard
and forward (either small forward or power forward) positions.

Forward-center - a basketball player who can play both forward

(usually power forward) and center positions.

The Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield,

Massachusetts[change | change source]
If a basketball player becomes extremely good at the sport and well known for playing, coaching, or
helping the game of basketball somehow, he or she is "elected" to be in the Naismith Memorial
Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. This is the goal for the greatest basketball
players in the world, like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant, LeBron
James, and Magic Johnson, and coaches like Phil Jackson, Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight, and Pat
Summitt. If you are "enshrined" in Springfield, it is the greatest honor a basketball player, coach,
official (referee), or contributor can have. It means you are the best of the best at basketball.

Variations[change | change source]

There are many types of basketball. Some are for people with disabilities, others are played more by
a specific group. The most common type is able body basketball and that is the one that has been
described in this article.

Wheelchair basketball[change | change source]

In this variation the players are all seated in a wheelchair. This is often played by people who cannot
walk or are unable to play able body basketball properly. The rules are altered slightly but the game
follows the same general concepts.

Other websites[change | change source]

Wikimedia Commons
hasmedia related
to: Basketball

FIBA, Fdration Internationale de Basketball / International

Basketball Federation

IWBF, International Wheelchair Basketball Federation

Categories:

Basketball

Springfield, Massachusetts

Summer Olympic sports

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