106 Fun Facts About Basketball Rules

When may a basketball team send in a substitute?

Only when play stops: a substitute reports to the scorer and waits to be beckoned onto the court by an official, though a team may make as many changes as it likes.

On what did James Naismith hang basketball's first goals, 10 feet up?

The balcony railing happened to be about 10 feet off the floor, which suited James Naismith: he wanted a raised, level goal so the ball had to be lobbed in softly, not hurled.

What does the NBA's 24-second clock demand?

Shoot and hit the rim: the ball need only leave the hand before the buzzer, but an airball does not count. The clock arrived in 1954-55 to end the stalling that had slowed games to a crawl.

In which upstate New York city, then home to the NBA's Nationals, was the 24-second shot clock devised in 1954?

Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biasone tried the clock out in a 1954 scrimmage, having reached 24 by dividing a game's 2,880 seconds by the 120 shots that two lively teams took between them.

Which event resets the NBA shot clock to 14 seconds?

An offensive rebound earns only 14 seconds. The NBA approved the shorter reset in September 2018, so a team that grabs its own miss has to attack again quickly instead of starting over.

How many minutes long is each quarter in an NBA game?

12 minutes a quarter makes a 48-minute NBA game. James Naismith's original rules asked for far less: two 15-minute halves with a five-minute rest between them.

What happens when an NBA player fouls out and no substitutes are left?

He stays in the game, since no NBA team may play with fewer than five, but it costs his team a technical foul, and so does every further foul he commits.

How wide is the free-throw lane on an NBA court?

The NBA lane is 16 feet wide; it was widened in stages during the 1950s and 1960s to push dominant centers farther from the basket, and FIBA's lane is a near-identical 4.9 metres.

From which spot on an NBA court is a three-pointer shortest, at 22 feet instead of 23 feet 9 inches?

The corner is closest because a full arc would leave less than two feet of floor beside the sideline, so the line runs straight there, 22 feet from the basket.

Which rival league made the three-point shot its trademark before the NBA adopted it in 1979?

The ABA played with a three-point line from its first season in 1967-68, but it was not the pioneer: Abe Saperstein's short-lived American Basketball League had tried the shot in 1961.

How did the NBA first adopt the three-point line?

A one-year trial was all the league would commit to in June 1979. The shot stayed, and the rulebook made it permanent a season later.

Why did the NBA shorten its three-point line to 22 feet in 1994-95?

To boost scoring, which had been falling, the league pulled the whole arc in to one distance, then restored the original line after three seasons.

How does the Olympic three-point line compare with the NBA's?

Closer to the basket: the Olympics use FIBA's arc, 6.75 m out against the NBA's 7.24 m, and even that came only after FIBA pushed its line back by half a meter in 2010.

After a basketball player stops dribbling, which movement is still legal?

Pivoting on one foot is legal because that foot never leaves its spot; lift it and set it down again before passing or shooting, and the whistle blows for traveling.

What is the penalty when a defender goaltends an opponent's field-goal attempt?

The shot counts as made, for two or three points depending on where it was taken. When an attacker interferes at his own basket, the reverse applies: no points, and the defense gets the ball.

Which DePaul center's shot-swatting helped push the NCAA to outlaw goaltending in the mid-1940s?

George Mikan of DePaul and Oklahoma A&M's Bob Kurland were both knocking shots away above the rim, so the NCAA wrote a rule against it. It barely slowed Mikan, who led DePaul to the 1945 NIT title.

Which foul is called when a driver runs into a defender who is not set?

Blocking is the defensive foul called when a defender who has not established legal guarding position makes contact with a driving opponent; had he been set, the call would go against the driver.

Which act earns an NBA player a technical foul?

Hanging on the rim draws a technical foul unless the player is holding on to avoid hurting himself or someone below him. The penalty is a single free throw for the other team.

What do basketball players call a free throw earned by scoring a basket despite being fouled?

An and-one rewards a shooter who scores through the foul. Had the shot missed, he would go to the line for two attempts instead, or for three if he was fouled beyond the arc.

Which nickname do basketball players give the free-throw line?

The charity stripe offers unguarded shots worth a point each, with one catch: a shooter who steps over the line before the ball reaches the rim loses the point, even if the shot drops.

Which team inbounds to start an NBA fourth quarter?

The team that won the opening tip inbounds to begin the fourth quarter, while the team that lost it opens the second and third, so each side starts two periods with possession.

The NBA's restricted-area arc under the basket exists to stop help defenders drawing which foul?

A charging foul is off the table for a help defender standing inside the arc. The NBA's 'no-charge area' began as a small box and became a half circle of four-foot radius in 1997-98.

Why were backboards first added behind basketball goals?

To stop fans interfering: the backboard began as a screen, urged on teams in 1895, to keep spectators from reaching out and knocking shots away. Banking the ball in off it was a happy side effect.

Which feature of early basketballs made dribbles and bounce passes unpredictable?

Laces closed the slit used to insert the inner bladder, and they sent bounces astray. Spalding dropped them in 1937, and the laceless ball later became the official one.

Which company replaced Spalding as maker of the NBA's official game ball in 2021?

Wilson was coming home: it made the league's first official ball in 1946 and kept the job until Spalding took over in 1983.

Which line must an NBA team bring the ball across within eight seconds?

The midcourt line must be crossed within eight seconds, a limit the NBA trimmed from ten for 2001-02. College teams still get the full ten.

Where does the three-second rule limit an attacker?

The paint, the lane in front of the basket, is off limits after three seconds. Two NYU defenders had smothered Kentucky star Leroy Edwards in a 23-22 win in 1935, and the rule arrived a year later to curb rough play there.

The NBA's defensive three-second violation was added in 2001-02 alongside which other change?

Legalizing zone defenses for 2001-02 meant scrapping the illegal-defense rules, so the league added a defensive three-second count to stop a big man camping under the basket.

What is the penalty for a defensive three-second violation in the NBA?

One free throw plus possession is the penalty: the violation counts as a team technical foul rather than a personal foul, and the offense keeps the ball afterward.

Under the Trent Tucker Rule, what does an NBA player need at least 0.3 seconds to do?

Catch and shoot: with less on the clock only a tip-in or tapped lob can count. The rule followed Trent Tucker's 1990 winner for the Knicks: a catch, a turn and a three-pointer with a tenth of a second left.

The NCAA's ban on dunking, lifted in 1976, was nicknamed after which college star?

Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, kept winning regardless: with him UCLA took three straight national titles and lost only two games.

Which is a Flagrant 2 foul in the NBA?

Unnecessary and excessive contact defines a Flagrant 2, which brings immediate ejection; a Flagrant 1 is merely unnecessary contact, and FIBA's equivalent is the disqualifying foul.

What does an NBA team's fifth non-shooting defensive foul in a quarter award?

Two free throws follow each ordinary non-shooting defensive foul once a team has spent its four fouls for the quarter. In the last two minutes the allowance shrinks to a single foul, so late fouling gets expensive fast.

Which defensive tactic did the NBA crack down on from the 2004-05 season?

Hand-checking, using a hand or forearm to steer a perimeter ball-handler, was the target of the NBA's 2004-05 points of emphasis, a crackdown that opened the floor for guards.

When two NBA opponents wrestle to a stalemate over the ball, how is it settled?

Jump ball is how the NBA settles a held ball: the players involved jump at the nearest circle, while the NCAA and FIBA hand the ball over by the alternating-possession arrow instead.

What does leaving the bench during an NBA fight bring?

A suspension of at least one game is automatic, with a fine on top, even if the player never throws a punch: since 1994-95 simply stepping away from the bench has been enough.

How many timeouts is an NBA team allowed in a regulation game?

Seven 75-second timeouts are allowed in an NBA regulation game, a limit set for 2017-18 when the old full and 20-second timeouts were merged; at most a pair may be used inside the final 3:00.

Under FIBA rules, who is allowed to call a timeout?

The coach only may request a FIBA timeout, and he does so at the scorer's table rather than signalling a referee; players on court cannot call timeouts, unlike in the NBA.

What violation is called when a dribbler lets the ball rest in his palm mid-dribble?

Carrying, also known as palming, is whistled when the hand slips under the ball and brings it to a pause before the dribble goes on. Simply redirecting a live dribble is legal.

How does an NBA coach signal a challenge?

A finger twirl toward the officials, the replay signal, does it, made as he calls a timeout. The gamble has a price: if the call stands, the timeout is gone.

Which of these calls can an NBA coach challenge?

A goaltending call can be challenged, as can an out-of-bounds call or a foul whistled on the coach's own team. A missed call cannot, because a challenge needs a whistle to review.

What happens when a basketball player bounces the ball with both hands at the same time?

A double dribble is called when a player dribbles with both hands at once or starts a second dribble after the first has ended. A defender's touch wipes the slate clean, and he may dribble again.

What is the penalty if an offensive player deliberately kicks the ball?

Loss of possession is the price when an attacker deliberately kicks the ball. When a defender does it, the offense keeps the ball and the shot clock is topped up to 14 seconds if it had run lower.

Who chooses baskets before an NBA game?

The visitors choose which basket to attack in the first half. The teams swap ends after the 15-minute halftime, and overtime is played the same way round as the second half.

What is the NBA's title for the official in charge of a game?

Crew chief is the title; the other two officials are the referee and the umpire. When they disagree over whether a basket should count, the crew chief decides.

Under James Naismith's original 13 rules, which of these was a player holding the ball forbidden to do?

Run with it is what Naismith's third rule forbade: the player had to throw the ball from the spot where he caught it, allowance being made for a man running at speed.

What did James Naismith's students play with in 1891, before any purpose-made basketball existed?

A soccer ball served for the sport's first two years. In 1894 James Naismith asked Spalding to develop a ball for it, and the first true basketball was about four inches bigger around.

What did the janitor bring James Naismith when he asked for boxes to use as goals?

Peach baskets were what the janitor produced instead of boxes. Their bottoms were left in at first, so after every score someone had to fetch the ball out by hand before play could go on.

What is the call when an offense returns the ball over the center line?

A backcourt violation applies only when the offense sent the ball across and is then first to touch it there. If a defender knocks it over the line, anyone may recover it.

During an NBA opening tip, where must the eight non-jumpers stand?

Outside the center circle is where they wait until the ball is tapped. Each jumper may tap it twice at most and may not catch it until it has touched the floor, the basket or a non-jumper.

In the last two minutes of an NBA half, an off-ball foul by a team over the limit gives the offense what?

One free throw and possession go to the offense, with any player on the floor allowed to shoot; the rule was built to blunt Hack-a-Shaq, fouling a poor shooter away from the play.

When a shot bounces up off the rim, who may touch it next under FIBA rules?

Any player may go for it under FIBA rules once a shot has touched the rim. In the NBA the ball is off limits for as long as it sits or rolls on the ring or is inside the cylinder above it.

After a timeout in the final 2:00, where may an NBA offense inbound the ball?

The 28-foot hash mark in the frontcourt is the option the timeout buys, so a trailing team can set up a last shot without bringing the ball up the floor; a pass from there into the backcourt starts a new 8-second count.

What ends overtime in a tied FIBA 3x3 game?

The first team to score two points in overtime wins a 3x3 game, so a single shot from behind the arc, worth two in this format, can end it; regulation stops at 21 points or after ten minutes.

Which ball is the 'size 6', measuring 28.5 inches around?

The women's ball is an inch smaller around than the men's and two ounces lighter; American colleges switched to it in the mid-1980s.

The dedicated 3x3 ball weighs the same as which ball?

The men's game ball lends its weight to the 3x3 ball, which is only as big as the women's ball; FIBA says the smaller ball gives the grip and control the fast half-court game demands.

Which Michigan star called a timeout his team did not have late in the 1993 NCAA final?

Chris Webber signaled for it with 11 seconds left and Michigan two points down; asking for a timeout you do not have is a technical foul, and North Carolina sealed the title.

The ploy of deliberately fouling a poor free-throw shooter is nicknamed after which NBA star?

Shaquille O'Neal made barely half his free throws, so Dallas coach Don Nelson had players foul him on purpose, and the ploy became known as Hack-a-Shaq.

Unlike in tennis or volleyball, a basketball that lands directly on the sideline is ruled which way?

Out of bounds: the boundary lines count as outside the court, so a player with one heel on the line is out too, and the ball goes to the team that did not touch it last.

Which nickname describes a shooter scoring despite a foul and earning an extra free throw?

And-one is the shout when a basket survives a foul; with the free throw it becomes the old-fashioned three-point play, the classic way to score three at once before the three-point line.

Which on-court trick did the NBA begin punishing with fines in the 2012–13 season?

Flopping, or falling theatrically to fake a foul, cost Brooklyn's Reggie Evans $5,000 in November 2012, making him the first NBA player fined for it.

Who picks the NBA replacement shooter when an ordinary foul leaves a player too injured to shoot?

The opposing coach chooses from the injured player's bench, so he can send the weakest shooter available to the line, and the injured player cannot return.

Which term describes a shot like Kawhi Leonard's 2019 Game 7 winner, released just before time expires?

A buzzer beater counts if the ball leaves the shooter's hand before the horn; Leonard's bounced on the rim four times before dropping to knock out Philadelphia.

What happens to an NBA player who picks up a second unsportsmanlike technical foul in a single game?

He is ejected, and the costs keep mounting: each unsportsmanlike technical carries a fine, and a 16th in one regular season brings a one-game suspension.

The foot a ball handler must keep on the floor while turning without dribbling is called what?

The pivot foot can be lifted to pass or shoot, but if it comes back down before the ball is released, or leaves the floor before a dribble starts, the player has traveled.

Which legal move, also called a pick, has a player stand in a defender's path to free a teammate?

A screen is only legal while the screener stays stationary; shuffle into the defender at the last moment and it becomes an offensive foul.

Which NBA foul is called for fouling a fast-breaking opponent with nobody back to protect the basket?

Clear path fouls carry a steep price, two free throws and the ball back, so that a defender cannot cheaply cancel a near-certain basket.

Which violation is called on a player who touches the net while the ball is sitting on the rim?

Basket interference also covers reaching up through the hoop from below, and a dunker is the one player allowed to keep a hand on the ball inside the cylinder.

After which event may the NBA player inbounding the ball run freely along the end line?

A made basket frees the thrower-in to roam the end line or even pass to a teammate standing behind it; on an ordinary spot throw-in he must stay where the official puts him.

For which reason may an NBA player hang on the basket ring without drawing a technical foul?

To avoid an injury to himself or another player, such as landing on someone who has fallen underneath; hanging on the ring for any other reason is a technical foul.

An NBA defender steps into the lane too early and the final free throw misses; what happens next?

The shooter tries again with a substitute free throw, but had the first attempt gone in, the defender's violation would simply have been ignored.

What does an NBA team get for a first delay-of-game offense, like touching the ball after scoring?

A warning comes first, announced to the crowd over the public address system; every later delay by that team costs it a technical foul.

Which format, used in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, switches off the clock and sets a target score?

The Elam Ending came from Nick Elam, a Ball State professor fed up with leaders stalling and trailing teams fouling on purpose; the first side to hit the target wins, so there is no overtime.

In two-person basketball officiating, what is the official working the end line ahead of the ball called?

The lead works the end line while the trail follows the play from behind, and the pair swap roles every time the ball changes ends.

After calling a foul, an NBA official signals the offender's number to which person at courtside?

The scorer logs every personal and team foul, so the official also indicates the type of foul and any free throws to come before play restarts.

Who in 1997 became the first woman to referee an NBA regular-season game?

Violet Palmer worked the season opener in Vancouver on October 31, 1997, and in 2006 became the first woman to officiate an NBA playoff game.

Which NBA referee resigned in 2007 and went to prison after betting on games he had officiated?

Tim Donaghy admitted betting on games he worked across four seasons and passing tips to gamblers, and a federal judge sent him to prison for more than a year.

Which Spurs star was thrown out by referee Joey Crawford in 2007 while sitting on the bench?

Tim Duncan was sent off from the bench, where Crawford said he had been laughing at him; the NBA suspended Crawford for the rest of the season and fined him $100,000.

Which organization writes the basketball rules used for most high school games in the United States?

The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, publishes rule books that most states adopt wholesale, which is why high school rules can differ from the college and professional game.

Early basketball had a referee to watch the ball and a second official to judge fouls, known by which title?

The umpire judged fouls while the referee followed the ball, and the name stuck: officials working alongside the head referee are still called umpires.

Unlike the striped shirts of high school officials, NBA referees wear shirts of which main color?

Light gray shirts with black sleeves are the NBA look, while officials in Europe's EuroLeague stand out in orange.

At international FIBA games, referees must use which language to explain a decision aloud?

English is required whenever speech is needed to make a call clear, and the rulebook also urges referees to use it when reporting fouls to the table officials.

Before a FIBA game, the referee picks the match ball from used balls supplied by which party?

The home team must offer at least two used balls, and if neither is good enough the referee simply takes the best ball available.

Which gesture does a basketball referee make to signal a traveling violation?

Rotating the fists around each other means the ball handler took too many steps, while a patting motion with the palm signals an illegal dribble instead.

Which gesture does a referee make when two opponents both have firm hands on the ball?

Two thumbs up signals a held ball, after which a FIBA referee points in the direction of play shown by the alternating possession arrow.

A referee who grasps one wrist with the other hand and pulls it downward is signaling which foul?

Holding is shown by gripping the wrist and pulling down; turn the same grip upward and a FIBA referee is calling the more serious unsportsmanlike foul.

Which hand shape does a FIBA referee show to stop the clock for a violation, as opposed to a foul?

An open palm stops the clock for a violation, while one clenched fist tells everyone a foul has been called before the referee reports it.

Which signal does a FIBA referee give to confirm that a three-point shot has gone in?

Both arms raised, each showing three fingers, confirms the basket; a single raised arm only marks the attempt while the ball is in the air.

What is a referee signaling by sweeping both arms across the chest in a scissor-like action?

A canceled basket or canceled play gets one scissor-like sweep across the chest, so the table officials know not to add the points.

What is a referee doing when moving one palm back and forth beside a closely guarded ball handler?

Counting seconds with a visible swing of the palm shows players and coaches how much of a time limit is left, such as the one on a closely guarded player keeping the ball.

FIBA referees signal a shot-clock violation by touching which part of the body with their fingers?

The shoulder is touched with the fingertips, a signal that sits in the rulebook beside the raised-finger counts used for the other time-limit violations.

Under FIBA signals, a referee who crosses both forearms is indicating which stoppage in play?

A substitution is granted with crossed forearms, and the referee then beckons the new player onto the court with a wave of the hand toward the body.

A referee pointing down at a foot after stopping play is signaling which violation?

A kicked ball is only a violation when the kick or leg block is deliberate; a ball that strikes a leg by accident is simply played on.

Which nickname for the free-throw lane dates from when it was narrower than the circle on top of it?

The key once looked like a keyhole, a narrow lane topped by the round free-throw circle, and the name outlived the widening of the lane.

The NBA widened its free-throw lane for a second time in 1964 to curb which dominant center?

Wilt Chamberlain was so hard to stop close to the hoop that the NBA widened the lane by a third, pushing big men farther out under the three-second rule.

Until 2010, the free-throw lane on international FIBA courts was which shape, wider at the end line?

A trapezoid marked the lane in FIBA play from 1956 until 2010, when international courts switched to the plain rectangle American basketball had always used.

Indoor basketball courts, including those of the NBA, are usually built from which polished hardwood?

Maple is the usual indoor surface, though international competitions may now use courts made of glass, and outdoor courts are simply concrete or asphalt.

Which NBA team is famous for playing on a parquet floor first laid in 1946?

Boston Celtics teams used the original parquet for decades; it followed them to Boston Garden in 1952 and was finally cut up and sold as souvenirs in 1999.

Which body part gives its name to the spot where the free-throw line meets the side of the lane?

The elbow marks each end of the free-throw line, so every lane has two, and the same word also covers striking an opponent with that joint.

From which spots on an NBA court is the three-point line closest to the basket?

The corners are nearly two feet closer than the top of the arc, because there the line runs straight and parallel to the sideline instead of curving.

Which hinged invention let players dunk without shattering the backboard, as Darryl Dawkins did twice in 1979?

The breakaway rim bends down on a hinge and spring, then snaps level again; inventor Arthur Ehrat built his first with a spring from a John Deere cultivator.

Around top-level backboards, a light strip glows which color when the horn ends a quarter?

Red light around the backboard marks the end of a quarter or overtime, while a separate yellow strip along the top lights only when the shot clock expires.

What is the small rectangle painted on a backboard above the basket designed to help players do?

Aim bank shots: the box gives shooters a target for bouncing the ball in off the glass, whether on a layup or from farther out.

During live play in the NBA, a timeout request is only granted to which side?

The team with the ball can stop play, but a defense that asks while the ball is live is simply ignored and has to wait for a dead ball.

Under NBA rules, the ball stays in play off every surface of the backboard except which one?

The rear face of the board, along with the area directly behind it, is dead territory, while the front, top, bottom and both sides all keep the ball alive.

With the Precision Timing System worn by top-level basketball referees, what automatically stops the clock?

The referee's whistle sends a signal that halts the clock at once, and officials restart it themselves with a button on a belt pack instead of waiting for the timekeeper.