Basketball Terminologies

● Backboard: The surface to which the basket is mounted.

● Basket: Consists of the rim and the net, also known as ‘the hoop’.
● Basketball: A round ball made of rubber, leather or synthetic leather. Comes in 3
different sizes (size 5, 6 or 7).
● Scoreboard: A large board for publicly displaying the score in a game.
● Shot Clock: A device that keeps track of the limited time the team in possession of the
ball has to take a shot at the basket.
● Possession Arrow: Usually a wooden or plastic arrow that sits on the scorer's table.
Many leagues use a possession arrow to determine who starts each quarter with the
basketball and who takes possession when a jump ball is called.
● Court: The floor upon which the game of basketball is played.
● Baselines: Also known as "end lines,” the boundary lines extending across both ends of
the court behind the baskets.
● Sidelines: The boundary lines that run the length of the court on either side.
● Center Court: The circle in the middle of the court where the jump ball takes place
at the start of every basketball game.
● Jump Ball: The ball tossed into the air by the referee between two opposing
players in order to start the game.
● Half-Court Line: The line through the middle of the basketball court and the center
court that divides the basketball court into two halves.
● Three-Point Line: Also known as the 3-point arc. This is the strip along the outside of
the offensive zone and any shot made from behind it is worth three points.
● Three-point Shot: A shot attempted from beyond the three-point line.
● In the Paint: Refers to the area within the free-throw lane that is painted a different color
than the rest of the court. Also known as the ‘key.’
● Free-Throw Line: This is the line that players stand behind to shoot free-throws.
● Free Throw: The act of shooting the ball from the marked free throw line while the
remaining players line up down the ‘key.’
● Inbounds: The area within the end lines and sidelines of the court.
● Out-of-Bounds: Outside the end lines and sidelines.
● Possession: To be holding or in control of the ball.
● Offense: The team in possession of the ball.
● Defense: The act of preventing the offense from scoring. Defense is the team without
the ball.
● Front Court: The offensive area running from mid-court to the end-line.
● Back Court: Area of the court farthest from the offensive team's goal.
● Ten-second Lane: The offensive team has 10 seconds to advance the ball from the
back court area over the mid-court line.
● Down Court: Moving from the back court toward the offensive basket.
● Ball Handler: The player with the ball. Usually the guard at the start of the play.
● Receiver: The player who receives a pass from the ball handler.
● Center: Usually the tallest player on the team in position near the basket to capture
rebounds and block shots.
● Forwards: Players positioned along the free-throw lane and who are generally closer to
the basket than the guards.
● Substitute: A player that comes in to replace a teammate on the court.
● Referee: The person(s) assigned to the game to maintain the flow and integrity of
the game.
● Scorekeeper: An official responsible for filling out a scoresheet throughout the game.
This requires them to keep track of points scored, fouls, and timeouts.
● Dribble: Bouncing the ball off the floor with one hand.
● Crossover Dribble: A front-of-the-body dribble from one hand to the other.
● Behind-the-back Dribble: A dribble from one hand to the other behind the back.
● Between the Legs Dribble: A dribble between the legs from one hand to the other.
● Change of Pace Dribble: Slowing down and speeding up dribble to get past an
opponent.
● Control Dribble: A closely guarded low dribble.
● Dip: The process of bringing the basketball down to a lower starting point before
shooting. Dipping the basketball allows players to have a consistent starting point and
also adds power and momentum to the shot.
● Balance Hand: The non-shooting hand when going through the process of taking a
shot. The role of this hand is to balance the basketball on the shooting hand until the
basketball is about to be released.
● Field Goal: A shot made from anywhere on the court except for free-throws. This
includes both two-point shots and three-point shots.
● Swish: A shot that goes straight through the net without touching the rim or
backboard, also known as nothing-but-net.
● Bank Shot: The ball bounces off the backboard and into the basket.
● Set Shot: A two-handed shot in basketball taken from a stationary position.
● Lay up: A shot near the basket, usually off the backboard.
● Drive: An attack to the basket or to move towards the hoop while dribbling the ball in an
attempt to make a lay up.
● Jump Shot: A shot in which an offensive player's feet leave the floor.
● Buzzer Beater: A shot attempted in the final seconds and made after the shot clock
has expired. The points will still count since the basketball left the shooter's hands
before the clock expired.
● Overtime: Extra time given a tied regulation game.
● Time-out: A period of sixty seconds during which the play is stopped and teams
discuss strategy and a moment to allow players to rest.
● Brick: A shot that bounces off the rim or backboard without going in.
● Air Ball: The ball misses the hoop and backboard entirely.
● Blocked Shot: A shot deflected on its way to the basket.
● Dunk: Slamming the ball into the basket.
● Feed: To pass the ball to a teammate who is in a scoring position.
● Baseball Pass: A one-handed pass commonly used to throw a full-court pass to a
teammate sprinting down the court. This type of pass will be more powerful than a chest
pass but much less accurate.
● Chest Pass: A chest-to-chest pass with both hands.
● Bounce Pass: A pass is deflected off the floor before being received by a team player.
● Hook Pass: An offensive action in which a player in possession of the basketball
propels it through the air with a throwing motion that is somewhat similar to a hook.
● Overhead Pass: A two-handed overhead pass.
● Behind-the-back Pass: A pass made behind the body.
● Blind Pass: A pass from a ball handler who does not see their receiver but is
estimating where they should be. Also known as the ‘no look’ pass.
● Hand-Off: An offensive action involving one player handing the basketball to a
teammate.
● Rebound: Gaining possession of the ball after it bounces off the backboard or rim on a
missed shot.
● Box Out: Positioning yourself between the basket and your opponent as a way to obtain
a rebound.
● Offensive Rebound: A rebound taken by an offensive player.
● Defensive Rebound: Rebound by the defense player.
● Outlet Pass: The first pass made after a defensive rebound to a teammate to start a
fastbreak.
● Fastbreak: The act of moving the ball quickly down court by an offensive team in hopes
of getting ahead of the defense to score.
● Catch and Face: Catching a pass and turning directly toward the basket before taking a
shot.
● Alley-oop: A play where a teammate throws the ball high towards the basket and their
teammate jumps up, catches the ball, and then slams it into the hoop.
● Assist: Attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads
directly to a score by field goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the basket.
● Starting Lineup: The five players that begin the game.
● Scrimmage: Practice play between squads of one team.
● Match-ups: Any pairing of players on opposing teams who guard each other.
● Court Vision: Used when a player has great ability to read the play. Usually goes
hand-in-hand with basketball IQ.
● Ball Fake: To fake a pass or shot.
● Guarding: To closely watch an opponent with intent to keep the player from gaining
possession of the ball, or from making a pass or shot.
● Zone: A defensive strategy coaches will use that require defenders to guard specific
areas of the court instead of opposition players.
● Steal: To take the ball away from an opponent.
● Screen: An offense player is positioned between a teammate and the opponent to clear
the way for the teammate's shot at the basket.
● Double Team: Two teammates move in to guard one offensive player.
● Open: When a defender is unguarded.
● Cut: A quick sprint that can involve changing directions made by a player in an attempt
to get themselves free to receive a pass or clear out space for a teammate.
● Violation: An infringement of the rules, which does not involve contact. Do not result in a
free throw.
● Cross-Court Violation: When the offensive team establishes possession of the
basketball in the front court, they are then not allowed to return to the backcourt
while still in possession of the basketball. If they do, a cross-court violation will be
called.
● Three-second Violation: An offensive player is in the free-throw lane for longer than
three seconds.
● Five-second Violation: Taking longer than five seconds to pass the ball inbounds to a
teammate.
● Shot Clock Violation: If a team is unable to attempt a shot before the shot clock
expires, a shot clock violation is called and the offensive team loses possession of
the basketball.
● Dead: Offensive player has the ball and has already used their dribble. They must now
either pass or shoot the ball.
● Double Dribble: This is a dribbling violation that occurs when a player dribbles the
basketball, terminates their dribble and then begins to dribble again.
● Carry: A dribbling violation that occurs when a player continues their dribble after
placing their hand underneath the basketball. Also called ‘palming.’
● Pivot: When a stationary player has possession of the basketball, they're allowed to
move one foot around as long as their other foot stays in contact with the floor at all
times. This is called pivoting.
● Traveling: Also known as "walking"; a violation in which the ball handler takes fewer
than two steps without dribbling, or holds the ball while changing or moving the pivot
foot.
● Goaltending: A violation of the rules in the sport of basketball. It consists of certain
forms of player interference with the ball while it is on its way to the basket.
● Foul: A violation of the rules usually involving illegal contact with a player of the
opposition.
● Incidental Contact: Normal, legal contact between players.
● Hand Check: A defender fouls by touching the opposing ball handler with one or both
hands too many times.
● Flagrant Foul: This is unnecessary or excessive contact against an opponent.
● Personal Foul: Contacting a player in a way that may injure him.
● Charging: An offensive foul, which occurs when an offensive player runs into a defender
who has established position.
● Technical Foul: A foul called as a result of misconduct in which the opponent is
awarded a free-throw.
● Intentional Foul: A defense player fouls in order to stop the clock.
● Fouled Out: A player having to leave the game because they have committed five
fouls.
● Double-Double: A phrase meaning a player recorded two statistical figures in double
digits (i.e. 10 points and 12 assists).
● Triple-double: A player achieves double figures in three out of five offensive categories.
For example, 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
● Quadruple-Double: A rare stat line where a player reaches double-digits in four
offensive categories. For example, 15 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and 13 steals.