By Nic Breedlove
Basketball is a fast-paced sport that combines skill, strategy, and teamwork. Whether you're an experienced player or just getting started, understanding the game's terminology is essential if you want to be able to play well and have fun. From mastering basics like dribbling and shooting to grasping more complex concepts like defensive strategies and playmaking, knowing the key terms and equipment used in basketball can increase your appreciation of and performance in the game.
- Assist: A pass to a player's teammate that leads to making a basket
- Backboard: The rectangular board on which the basket is mounted, which the ball can bounce off of during a shot
- Backcourt: The half of the court where the opponent's basket is located, or the guards (point guard and shooting guard) for a team
- Baseline: The boundary at each end of the court, behind the baskets
- Basket: The goal that you shoot the ball into in basketball, or a successful shot into this goal
- Block: A defensive play in which a player deflects or stops an opponent's shot attempt
- Box Out: When a player positions their body between an opponent and the basket so they can get the rebound
- Charge: An offensive foul that happens when a player runs into a stationary defender
- Court: The playing surface, usually made of hardwood inside of a gym or asphalt on a playground, with dimensions of 94 feet by 50 feet
- Crossover: A dribbling move where the ball is quickly switched from one hand to the other to change direction
- Defense: The team or players trying to prevent the opposing team from scoring
- Double-Double: When a player records double digits in two different statistical categories in a game, such as points and assists
- Double Dribble: A violation that occurs when a player stops their dribble and then starts again or dribbles with both hands at the same time
- Elbow: The area of the court where the free-throw line meets the side of the key (paint)
- Fast Break: An offensive play in which a team quickly moves the ball up the court, often leading to an easy basket
- Field Goal: Any basket scored during regular play that is not a free throw
- Flagrant Foul: A severe foul that involves excessive or violent contact, often resulting in free throws and possession of the ball
- Foul: An infraction of the rules, usually involving illegal contact with an opponent
- Free Throw: An unguarded shot awarded to a team after a foul is committed against them, taken from the free-throw line and worth one point
- Frontcourt: The half of the court where a team's own basket is located, or a team's forwards and center
- Full-Court Press: A defensive strategy where players apply pressure to the offensive team across the entire court
- Jump Ball: A method of starting play where the referee tosses the ball into the air between two opposing players
- Key: The painted rectangular area under the basket that's surrounded by the baseline, the free-throw line, and the parallel lines that connect those lines
- Layup: A close-range shot taken near the basket, often playing the ball off of the backboard
- Man-to-Man: A defensive strategy where each defender is assigned to guard one specific opponent
- Offense: The team or players trying to score points by shooting the ball into the basket
- Pivot: A move where a player keeps one foot in place while rotating their body to find a better passing or shooting angle
- Rebound: The act of gaining possession of the ball after a missed shot attempt
- Screen: A legal block set by an offensive player to free a teammate from a defender
- Shot Clock: A timer that limits the amount of time a team has to attempt a shot, usually 24 seconds in professional leagues
- Steal: A defensive play in which a player takes the ball away from an opponent
- Three-Point Line: The semicircle-shaped line beyond which a shot is worth three points
- Traveling: A rule violation that happens when a player holds onto the ball and moves their feet without dribbling
- Turnover: When a team loses control of the ball to their opponents
- Zone Defense: A defensive strategy in which each player is responsible for defending one part of the court rather than one specific player
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