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BASKETBALL
Modern basketball is a sport in which two teams of 5 try to
score points on the other net by propelling the ball
through a 10 foot high net under the game rules.

Points are scored when the ball goes through the net.

The ball is advanced by dribbling the ball across the court

or passing it between teammates.

The ball may not be carried across the court and the game
prohibits physical interaction.

HISTORY
In contrast to other games, basket ball has clear

In contrast to other sports, basketball has a clear origin.

It is not the evolution from an ancient game or another
sport and the inventor is well known: Dr. James Naismith.

Naismith was born in 1861 in Ramsay township, Ontario,

Canada. He graduated as a physician at McGill University in
Montreal and was primarily interested in sports physiology.

James Naismith and the original basketball elements, a

soccer ball and a peach basket: After discarding the idea
of adapting outdoor games like soccer and lacrosse,
Naismith recalled the concept of a game of his school days
known as duck-on-a-rock that involved accuracy attempting
to knock a "duck" off the top of a large rock by tossing
another rock at it.

Starting from there, Naismith developed a set of 13 rules

that gave origin to the game of basketball.

The first game was played with a soccer ball and two peach
baskets nailed 10-feet high used as goals, on a court just
half the size of a present-day court. The baskets retained

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 their bottoms so balls scored into the basket had to be
poked out with a long dowel each time and dribbling
(bouncing of the ball up and down while moving) was not
part of the original game.

RULES
The following list shows the original 13 rules of basketball
as defined by Naismith in 1892. Modern rules are added so you
can see how the game has changed over time—and how it's
remained the same.

1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both

hands.
Current Rule: This rule still applies, with the exception
that now a team is not allowed to pass the ball back over
the midcourt line once they have taken it over that line.

2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both

hands (never with the fist).
Current Rule: This rule still applies.

3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it
from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made
for a man who catches the ball running at a good speed if
he tries to stop.
Current Rule: Players can dribble the ball with one hand
as they run or pass, but they cannot run with the ball
when catching a pass.

4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or

body must not be used for holding it.
Current Rule: This rule still applies. Doing so would be a
traveling violation.

5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in

any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the
first infringement of this rule by any player shall count
as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next
goal is made, or, if there was evident intent to injure
the person, for the whole of the game, no substitute
allowed.

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 Current Rule: These actions are fouls. A player may be
disqualified with five or six fouls, or get an ejection or
suspension with a flagrant foul.

6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of

Rules 3, 4, and such as described in Rule 5.
Current Rule: This rule still applies.

7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall

count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means
without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
Current Rule: Instead of an automatic goal, sufficient
team fouls (five in a quarter for NBA play) now award
bonus free throw attempts to the opposing team.

8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from

the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing
those defending the goal do no touch or disturb the goal.
If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the
basket, it shall count as a goal.
Current Rule: This rule no longer applies as basketball is
now played with a hoop and net, not the original basket.
It has evolved into goaltending and defense pass
interference rules, including that defenders cannot touch
the rim of the hoop once the ball has been shot.

9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into

the field of play by the person first touching it. In case
of dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the
field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds
it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side
persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a
foul on that side.
Current Rule: The ball is now thrown in by a player from
the opposite team of the player who last touched it before
it went out of bounds. The five-second rule still applies.

10. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the
fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls
have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men

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 according to Rule 5.
Current Rule: In NBA basketball, there are three referees.

11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and shall decide
when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it
belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a
goal has been made, and keep account of the goals with any
other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
Current Rule: The referee still determines ball
possession, but timekeepers and scorekeepers now do some
of these tasks.

12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with five minutes'
rest between.
Current Rule: This varies by the level of play, such as
high school versus collegiate formats. In the NBA, there
are four quarters—each 12 minutes long—with a 15-minute
halftime break.

13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be
declared the winner. In the case of a draw, the game may,
by agreement of the captains, be continued until another
goal is made.
Current Rule: The winner is now decided by points (which
does not equate goals made). In the NBA, five-minute
overtime periods are played in case of a tie at the end of
the fourth quarter, with the point total at the end
determining the winner. If still tied, teams play another
overtime period.

14. Each basketball player is allowed five (six in the NBA)

personal fouls in each contest. After committing the last
foul, a player is removed from the game and sits on the
bench until the match is over. Alternatively, other non-
contact violations can result in a technical foul being
declared by the referee. Any player or coach who receives
two technical fouls in one contest is also ejected from
the game.

DIMENSIONS

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 COURT DIMENSION OF BASKETBALL
Size of Basketball Court
The two biggest ruling basketball bodies in the world today
are the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the
National Basketball Association in US (NBA). The FIBA is the
world body for basketball that organizes all the international
matches, and has the final say on the fixtures and the results
of matches of any two national teams. It is what we call as
the apex body of basketball in the world. The NBA on the other
hand is the apex basketball body in the United States which
governs the games played between two teams in that
association. Now these to do not quite agree on the basketball
court and hence there are little differences n some of the
basketball court sizes.

Length and Width

Let me start with the length and the breadth of the basketball
court. The FIBA defines the length of the basketball court to
be 91.86 ft (28 m) and the length of an NBA court is 94 ft
(28.65 m). The breadth of a FIBA court is 49.21 ft (15 m) and
the breadth of an NBA court is 55 ft (15.24 m).

The Basket
Both FIBA and the NBA agree that the basket should be fixed at
a height of 10 ft (3.05 m) from the playing surface.

Restraining Circle
The measurements of the restraining circles from where the
jump ball is taken in case of a foul are agreed upon by both
FIFA and NBA. The diameter of the restraining circle is 4 ft
(1.22m).

Center Circle
The center circle is, quite simple, the circle in the center
of the court. The diameter of the center circle as per the NBA
rules is 12ft (3.66m) and as per FIBA rules is 11.81 ft (3.6m)

Three Point Line

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 The three-point line is an arc on both sides of the court. If
you shoot a basket from behind the three-point line, your
basket will earn 3 points for the team as opposed to the 2
points your basket will get when shot from inside the three
point arc. In NBA the three point line is located 23.75 ft
(7.24m) from the center of the basket. In FIBA, the three
point line is 22.15 ft (6.75m).

Key Area
The key area is another part of the basketball court which
both the bodies of basketball do not agree on. The FIBA states
that the key area, which is the shaded area in the basketball
court ought to be in a trapezium shape is 19.69 ft (6m) long
at the end-line and 11.81 ft (3.6m) at the free throw line.
The NBA court on the other hand has a rectangular key area
which is 16ft (4.88m) at both the end-line as well as the free
throw line.

Free Throw Line

The free throw line, which as the name suggests is a line from
behind which a free throw is taken, is 1 ft (4.75m) from the
backboard in NBA while it is 15.09 ft (4.6m) from the
backboard in a FIBA court.

BALL
The standard for a basketball in the National Basketball
Association (NBA) is 29.5 inches (75 cm) in circumference and
for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), a
maximum circumference of 29 inches (74 cm).

BASKET

The basketball goal (also known as a ring or hoop) is

typically 18 inches (45.72cm) in diameter and must be
positioned 3.05m from the floor.

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 TIMING
The basketball game consists of four quarters of 10 minutes
each.

Teams play one-way for two quarters, the other way for the
next two.

There is a two-minute interval between the first and second

period, and also between the third and fourth period, with
15 minutes for halftime.

Coaches can call two one-minute timeouts at anytime during

the first half and three timeouts in the second half.

The clock stops when the referee's whistle blows. It stays

stopped if free throws are being taken and starts again
when the ball touches a player on court — so you get a full
40 minutes of actual basketball play.

REFREE SIGNALS
Some of the commonly used referee signals are:

1. Time Management Signals

Timeout

Jump Ball

Substitution

2. Foul Signals

Charge

Hand Check

Blocking

Pushing/Holding

Intentional Foul

Technical foul

Illegal Hand Use

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 3 Violation Signals

Traveling

Double Dribble

Kick Ball

Common terms used in basketball include the

following:

Blocking
Any illegal personal contact that impedes the progress of an
opponent who does not have the ball.

Dribble
Ball movement by bouncing the ball. A dribble ends when a
player touches the ball with both hands simultaneously or does
not continue his dribble.

Held ball
Called when two opponents have one or two hands so firmly upon
the ball that neither can gain possession without undue
roughness.

Jump ball
A method of putting the ball into play. The referee tosses the
ball up between two opponents who try to tap it to a teammate.
The jump ball is used to begin games and, in the professional
game, when the ball is possessed by two opposing players at
the same time.

Pass
Throwing, batting, or rolling the ball to another player. The
main types are (1) the chest pass, (2) the bounce pass (3) the
roll pass on the floor, (4) the hook pass (side or overhead),
and (5) the baseball pass.

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 Pivot
A movement in which a player with the ball steps once or more
in any direction with the same foot while the other foot
(pivot foot) is kept at its point of contact with the floor.

Pivot player
Another term for center; also called a post player. He may
begin the offensive set from a position just above the free
throw line.

Rebounding
Both teams attempting to gain possession of the ball after any
try for a basket that is unsuccessful, but the ball does not
go out-of-bounds and remains in play.

Screen, or pick
Legal action of a player who, without causing more
than incidental contact, delays or prevents an opponent from
reaching his desired position.

EQUIPMENT
Basketball is a game that requires only a hoop and ball
mainly. Initially instead of hoops, peach baskets were used.

Competitive levels require the use of more equipment such as

clock, score sheets, scoreboards, alternating possession
arrows, and whistle operated stop clock systems.

💡 WOMEN IN BASKETBALL
The WNBA was founded in 1996 as a women’s counterpart
to the NBA.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS
Basketball has developed into a billion-dollar sport with
improved regulations and technology breakthroughs that have
permanently transformed the game.

1. SportVU Camera

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 SportVU is an automatic ID and tracking system that can
capture data on the ball, players, and officials' positions
during a game. Players, referees, and the ball are all
tracked using precise x,y coordinates.

2. Wearable Chips and Sensors

Wearable sensors and microchips have become essential

components of several NBA teams' uniforms.

The teams employ technology in a variety of methods to keep

track of their athletes.

The technical bench for the clubs will be able to track

critical parameters such as rehab progress, player
workload, leaping, acceleration, and more using the
technology.

Because the microchips do not interfere with the players'

comfort during games, they have proven a tremendous
success.

3. Coaches Eye

Coaches Eye is a piece of software that comes with an app

for each of the major mobile operating systems.

Coaches, trainers, and even parents may use the app to

record basketball players during games or practice
sessions. You can obtain rapid or slow-motion replays,
side-by-side comparisons, and more using the program.

POPULAR EVENTS/TOURNAMENTS OF BASKETBALL

1. The FIBA Basketball World Cup

2. National Basketball Association

3. Olympic Basketball Tournament

4. Euro League

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