WHAT IS BASKETBALL?

BASKETBALL IS A GAME PLAYED BETWEEN TWO TEAMS OF FIVE

PLAYERS EACH ON A RECTANGULAR COURT, USUALLY INDOORS.
EACH TEAM TRIES TO SCORE BY TOSSING THE BALL THROUGH THE
OPPONENT’S GOAL, AN ELEVATED HORIZONTAL HOOP
AND NET CALLED A BASKET.

DR. JAMES NAISMITH DISCOVERED THE GAME IN 1892, BUT IT WAS

DR. LUTHER GULLICK, A PE PROFESSOR FROM YMCA, SPRINGFIELD,
WHO WAS
VERY EAGER TO COME UP WITH A NEW TEAM GAME SIMILAR TO
OTHER BALL
GAMES. THE GAME BASKETBALL STARTED WITH A PEACH BASKET
AND
EVENTUALLY BECAME AN INSTANT HIT FOR PEOPLE AT THAT TIME
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENTS:
THE COURT
IS RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE, WHICH MEASURES 28M X 15M. IT SHOULD
BE A FLAT SURFACE AND FREE FROM OBSTACLES, RUBBERIZED
COLORED PAINT FOR OUTDOOR COURTS AND WOODEN FLOOR FOR
INDOOR COURTS. THE COURT CONSISTS OF THE CENTER LINE, CENTER
CIRCLE, FREE THROW LINE AND RESTRICTED AREA.
MATERIALS AND
THE RING AND BACKBOARD
EQUIPMENT:
THE RING IS MADE UP OF SOLID IRON WITH 45CM DIAMETER ATTACHED TO THE
BOARD LYING ON A HORIZONTAL PLACE 3.05M ABOVE THE FLOOR. THE RING IS
20MM THICK, WHERE THE NET MEASURES 40CM LONG IS ATTACHED. IT SHOULD BE
FIXED ON THE BOARD, THE SIZE OF THE BOARD IS 1.80M X 1.20M X 0.03M. THE
TARGET AREAS IS .5M X .45 FROM THE TOP OF THE RING. THE LINES OF THE TARGET
AREA ARE 5CM THICK.
THE BOARD MUST BE FIRMLY INSTALLED AT A 90 DEGREE ANGLE FROM THE FLOOR
ALIGNED WITH THE ENDLINE. THE LOWER EDGES IS 2.75M FROM THE FLOOR, THE
SUPPORT POST IS 40CM OUTSIDE THE ENDLINE. THE BOARD MUST BE POINTED
WITH LIGHT COLOR TO MAKE IT CLEARLY VISIBLE
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT:
GAME CLOCK
THE CLOCK RUNS WHENEVER THE BALL IS IN PLAY. THE CLOCK IS STOPPED WHENEVER THE BALL GOES OUT
OF BOUNDS, A FOUL IS CALLED, FREE THROWS ARE BEING SHOT, AND DURING TIME OUTS. WHEN THE BALL IS
INBOUND, THE CLOCK STARTS ONCE A PLAYER TOUCHES THE BALL.

IN THE NBA THE CLOCK STOPS AFTER A MADE SHOT DURING THE LAST TWO MINUTES OF THE GAME AND
OVERTIME. FOR COLLEGE IT STOPS DURING THE LAST MINUTE OF THE GAME AND OVERTIME.

OVERTIME
IF THE GAME IS TIED AFTER REGULATION TIME, THERE WILL BE OVERTIME. OVERTIME IS 5 MINUTES LONG IN
MOST LEAGUES. ADDITIONAL OVERTIMES WILL BE ADDED UNTIL ONE TEAM ENDS UP ON TOP
MATERIALS
SHOT CLOCK
AND EQUIPMENT:
IN ORDER TO SPEED UP THE GAME AND TO PREVENT TEAMS FROM STALLING, A
SHOT CLOCK WAS ADDED. THIS IS HOW LONG YOU HAVE TO SHOOT THE BALL.
IF THE BALL CHANGES POSSESSION OR HITS THE RIM OF THE BASKET, THE SHOT
CLOCK STARTS OVER. THE LENGTH OF THE SHOT CLOCK IS DIFFERENT FOR
DIFFERENT BASKETBALL LEAGUES:
NCAA COLLEGE MEN - 35 SECONDS
NCAA COLLEGE WOMEN - 30 SECONDS
NBA - 24 SECONDS
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT:
THE BALL
THE BALL SHALL BE MADE OF LEATHER, RUBBER OR SYNTHETIC MATERIALS.
APPROXIMATELY IT IS LESS THAN 75CM TO 78CM IN CIRCUMFERENCE WITH A WEIGHT NOT
LESS THAN 600-650 GRAMS. THE COLORS SHOULD BE IN DARK ORANGE FOR MEN, AND TRI-
COLOR FOR WOMEN. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IS MUCH LIGHTER AND SMALLER COMPARED
TO MEN’S BASKETBALL.
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT DURING THE
GAME :
SHOES
RUBBER SHOES IS PREFERRED IN ANY BRAND PROVIDED THAT IT IS MADE UP OF RUBBER
SOLE, SYNTHETIC AS LEATHER AT THE TOP TO COVER AND KEEP THE FEET SAFE.
SANDO OR JERSEY AND SHORTS
THIS DEPENDS ON THE PREFERENCE OF THE PLAYERS. UNIFORM COMPRISES OF A SANDO
OR JERSEY, SHORST AND SOCKS.
RULES FOR OFFENSE
1) THE PLAYER MUST BOUNCE, OR DRIBBLE, THE BALL WITH ONE HAND WHILE MOVING BOTH FEET. IF, AT ANY TIME, BOTH HANDS
TOUCH THE BALL OR THE PLAYER STOPS DRIBBLING, THE PLAYER MUST ONLY MOVE ONE FOOT. THE FOOT THAT IS STATIONARY IS
CALLED THE PIVOT FOOT.

2) THE BASKETBALL PLAYER CAN ONLY TAKE ONE TURN AT DRIBBLING. IN OTHER WORDS, ONCE A PLAYER HAS STOPPED DRIBBLING
THEY CANNOT START ANOTHER DRIBBLE. A PLAYER WHO STARTS DRIBBLING AGAIN IS CALLED FOR A DOUBLE-DRIBBLING
VIOLATION AND LOOSES THE BASKETBALL TO THE OTHER TEAM. A PLAYER CAN ONLY START ANOTHER DRIBBLE AFTER ANOTHER
PLAYER FROM EITHER TEAM TOUCHES OR GAINS CONTROL OF THE BASKETBALL. THIS IS USUALLY AFTER A SHOT OR PASS.

3) THE BALL MUST STAY IN BOUNDS. IF THE OFFENSIVE TEAM LOOSES THE BALL OUT OF BOUNDS THE OTHER TEAM GETS CONTROL
OF THE BASKETBALL.

4) THE PLAYERS HAND MUST BE ON TOP OF THE BALL WHILE DRIBBLING. IF THEY TOUCH THE BOTTOM OF THE BASKETBALL WHILE
DRIBBLING AND CONTINUE TO DRIBBLE THIS IS CALLED CARRYING THE BALL AND THE PLAYER WILL LOSE THE BALL TO THE OTHER
TEAM.

5) ONCE THE OFFENSIVE TEAM CROSSES HALF COURT, THEY MAY NOT GO BACK INTO THE BACKCOURT. THIS IS CALLED A
BACKCOURT VIOLATION. IF THE DEFENSIVE TEAM KNOCKS THE BALL INTO THE BACKCOURT, THEN THE OFFENSIVE TEAM CAN
RECOVER THE BALL LEGALLY.
RULES FOR DEFENSE

1) THE MAIN RULE FOR THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER IS NOT TO FOUL. A FOUL IS DESCRIBED AS GAINING AN UNFAIR
ADVANTAGE THROUGH PHYSICAL CONTACT. THERE IS SOME INTERPRETATION THAT HAS TO BE MADE BY THE
REFEREE, BUT, IN GENERAL, THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER MAY NOT TOUCH THE OFFENSIVE PLAYER IN A WAY THAT
CAUSES THE OFFENSIVE PLAYER TO LOSE THE BALL OR MISS A SHOT.
RULES FOR EVERYONE
1) ALTHOUGH THE FOUL RULE IS DESCRIBED ABOVE AS A DEFENSIVE RULE, IT APPLIES
EXACTLY THE SAME TO ALL PLAYERS ON THE COURT INCLUDING OFFENSIVE PLAYERS.

2) BASKETBALL PLAYERS CANNOT KICK THE BALL OR HIT IT WITH THEIR FIST.

3) NO PLAYER CAN TOUCH THE BASKETBALL WHILE IT IS TRAVELING DOWNWARD

TOWARDS THE BASKET OR IF IT IS ON THE RIM. THIS IS CALLED GOALTENDING. (TOUCHING
THE BALL ON THE RIM IS LEGAL IN SOME GAMES).

EVERY PLAYER ON THE COURT IS SUBJECT TO THE SAME RULES REGARDLESS OF THE
POSITION THEY PLAY. THE POSITIONS IN BASKETBALL ARE JUST FOR TEAM BASKETBALL
STRATEGY AND THERE ARE NO POSITIONS IN THE RULES.