Краткий рассказ о баскетболе

Содержание статьи

• Правила игры.
• Техника и тактика игры.
• Из истории баскетбола.
• НБА (Национальная Баскетбольная Ассоциация).
• Международные соревнования по баскетболу.
• Баскетбол на Олимпийских играх.
• Баскетбол в России.
• Некоторые разновидности баскетбола.
• Мини-баскетбол.
• Баскетбол на инвалидных колясках.
• Стритбол
• Корфбол

БАСКЕТБОЛ (от англ. «basket» – корзина и «ball» – мяч), командная спортивная игра, цель которой – забросить руками мяч в кольцо (корзину) соперника, прикрепленное к щиту. Попадание может принести команде от одного до трех очков. В матче побеждает команда, набравшая большее число очков.

В настоящее время баскетбол – один из самых популярных видов спорта. Число официально зарегистрированных игроков во всем мире превышает 200 миллионов человек. В Международную федерацию баскетбола (ФИБА) в 2002 входили 173 страны.

Регулярные занятия баскетболом совершенствуют координацию движений, тренируют органы дыхания и кровообращения, развивают мускулатуру, укрепляют нервную систему. Во многих странах мира занятия по баскетболу включены в программу физподготовки учащихся средних школ и высших учебных заведений.

Правила игры.

Игра проходит на прямоугольной площадке длиной 28 и шириной 15 м (раньше ее размеры составляли, соответственно, 26ґ14 м) специальным мячом.

Масса мяча 567–650 грамм, окружность 749–780 мм (в играх мужских команд; в играх женских команд используются мячи меньших размеров, и еще меньше – в матчах по мини-баскетболу). Баскетбольные мячи бывают двух типов: предназначенные для игры только в помещениях (indoor) и универсальные, т.е. пригодные для использования и в помещениях, и на улице (indoor/outdoor). Корзина (металлическое кольцо диаметром 45 см с натянутой на нем сеткой без дна) крепится на высоте 3,05 м на щите, установленном на стойке параллельно лицевым линиям площадки.

До конца 1960-х годов официальные соревнования проводились как на открытом воздухе, так и в спортивных залах. С 1968 все официальные матчи проходят только в закрытых помещениях. Крупнейшие турниры по баскетболу обычно проводятся в залах высотой не менее 7 м.

Матч начинается в центре площадки. Судья подбрасывает мяч строго вверх между двумя игроками команд-соперниц. В тот момент, когда они касаются мяча (брать мяч в руки нельзя), начинается отсчет игрового времени. После каждого свистка судьи секундомер останавливается – и с возобновлением игры включается вновь. (Соответственно, в баскетболе различают «живой мяч» и «мертвый мяч».) Игровое время фиксирует судья-секундометрист. Раньше матчи под эгидой Международной любительской федерации баскетбола (ФИБА) состояли из 2 таймов по 20 минут чистого игрового времени. Согласно новым правилам, принятым в 2000, матч состоит из четырех таймов по 10 м чистого времени каждый (в НБА – из четырех таймов по 12 м) с 2-минутными перерывами между первым и вторым, третьим и четвертым таймами, перерыв в середине матча – 15 м.

Раньше игрок мог владеть мячом неограниченное время. В 1960-е годы прошлого века был введен 30-секундный (ФИБА) и 24-секундный (НБА) лимит: по его истечении команда теряет мяч. По правилам ФИБА 2000-го года, на атаку командам также отводится не более 24 секунд. В состав судейской бригады входит так называемый оператор 24 секунд, который следит за соблюдением этого правила. Кроме этого, существуют также «правило трех секунд» (столько времени игрок атакующей команды может находиться в ограниченной зоне соперника, которую иногда так и называют – «3-секундная зона») и «правило восьми секунд» (за это время команда, овладевшая мячом на своей половине площадки, должна перевести его из тыловой зоны в передовую).

Ничьих в баскетболе не бывает. Если по истечении основного времени матча счет оказывается равным, назначается дополнительный 5-минутный тайм – овертайм. Если и в овертайме ни одна из команд не добьется победы, назначается еще одна дополнительная пятиминутка и т.д. Исключение возможно в том случае, если команды по регламенту соревнований проводят парные встречи (по так называемой кубковой системе): тогда в первом матче может быть засчитана ничья, а победитель в паре определяется по результатам второй игры.

Точный бросок в корзину с позиции за дугой, проведенной на расстоянии 6,25 м от щита (в НБА – 7,27 м), оценивается в три очка. Эта дуга называется также «трехочковой линией». Все остальные броски (в том числе и из-под щита) оцениваются в два очка. Если мяч брошен в корзину, но игроки команды-соперницы блокируют (перехватывают или отбивают) его непосредственно над корзиной, очки засчитывают, как если бы бросок достиг цели. Нередко судьям приходится разыгрывать в ходе игры спорный мяч. Мяч считается спорным в следующих случаях: если два соперника крепко держат мяч и ни один из них не может овладеть им, не нарушив правил; если мяч вышел за пределы площадки от двух игроков разных команд (или судья не смог точно определить, кто из игроков коснулся мяча последним); если мяч застрял между щитом и кольцом и т.д. В зависимости от ситуации спорный мяч может разыгрываться или между непосредственными участниками «спора», или между двумя любыми игроками команд-соперниц. Игрок, участвующий в розыгрыше спорного мяча, не может быть заменен.

В баскетбольных правилах есть несколько ограничений, касающихся техники ведения мяча. После дриблинга игрок может сделать только два шага с мячом в руках, не ударяя им о пол. Затем он должен или бросить мяч в кольцо, или отдать партнеру. В случае третьего шага фиксируется пробежка, и мяч переходит к другой команде. Если же баскетболист остановился с мячом в руках и вместо броска в корзину или паса партнеру снова начинает дриблинг, фиксируется двойное ведение и мяч также переходит к сопернику. Игрок, владеющий мячом, может останавливаться и затем снова продолжать движение при условии, что во время остановки он продолжал постукивать мячом о пол. Мяч в баскетболе можно вести поочередно то одной, то другой рукой, но не двумя руками сразу. Если игрок получил мяч, стоя на месте, или остановился после того, как получил мяч, ему не разрешается отрывать от пола опорную ногу раньше, чем он выпустит мяч из рук.

От каждой команды на площадке выступают одновременно пять игроков, еще пять-семь баскетболистов находятся во время игры на скамейке запасных. Количество замен в баскетболе не ограничено, но проводить их можно только в тот момент, когда остановлен секундомер.

По правилам ФИБА, на официальных соревнованиях игроки выступают под номерами с 4-го по 15-й. Числа «1», «2» и «3» в качестве номеров в настоящее время не используются. Среди специальных жестов, используемых судьями по ходу матча, есть и жесты с этими числами: например, когда судья указывает на нарушение «правила трех секунд» или показывает, сколько штрафных бросков должен выполнить игрок пострадавшей команды. Точно так же, на пальцах, судья показывает секретарю матча номер игрока, который наказывается персональным замечанием. Дабы избежать путаницы, было решено номера 1, 2 и 3 упразднить.

Правилами баскетбола запрещается бить соперника по рукам, толкать его, держать руками, наступать на ноги, встречать ногой (и прямой, и согнутой в колене). Игроку, допустившему любое из подобных нарушений, объявляется персональное замечание (фол). Если спортсмен получил в течение матча пять фолов (в НБА – шесть), его удаляют с поля до конца встречи и заменяют одним из запасных игроков.

Обоюдный фол объявляется в том случае, когда игроки обеих команд одновременно нарушают правила: оба баскетболиста получают персональные замечания, а мяч остается у команды, которая владела им на момент нарушения, или разыгрывается спорный мяч. Различают также: технический фол (за неспортивное поведение, такому наказанию могут подвергаться не только баскетболисты, находящиеся на площадке, но и тренер, и запасные игроки – за спор с судьей, попытку затеять потасовку и т.д.), умышленный фол (в частности, за грубую игру или преднамеренную ошибку в игровой ситуации, чреватой забитием мяча) и др.

Самое тяжелое наказание в баскетболе – так называемый дисквалифицирующий фол. Он объявляется за серьезное нарушение и влечет за собой дисквалификацию игрока и удаление его с площадки до конца игры вне зависимости от количества уже имевшихся у него фолов (ему на замену выходит другой баскетболист).

Если персональный фол был совершен по отношению к игроку, делавшему бросок по кольцу, или был зафиксирован технический фол, судья, помимо персонального замечания провинившемуся игроку, назначает также штрафные броски. В зависимости от характера нарушения броски выполняет или сам пострадавший, или один из его партнеров по команде. Штрафные броски выполняются со специальной точки в 6 м от шита. Каждый точный бросок приносит очко, таким образом, с помощью двух штрафных можно заработать два очка.

В современных баскетбольных правилах есть такие пункты, как «игра, проигранная из-за нехватки игроков» (команде засчитывается поражение, если в ее составе остается один игрок) и «игра, проигранная лишением права» (в ситуации, когда команда отказывается начинать – или продолжать – игру после соответствующего сигнала арбитра).

В самом начале в баскетболе было всего 13 правил, сейчас их более 200. Они периодически пересматриваются Всемирной технической комиссией ФИБА и утверждаются затем Центральным бюро Федерации. Последний серьезный их пересмотр произошел в мае 2000.

Правилами определяются лишь основные принципы игры, в них не могут быть предусмотрены все возможные игровые ситуации. Помимо свода самих правил, существуют и их официальные интерпретации, в которых оговаривается возможная трактовка правил в различных спорных моментах. Судья матча вправе принимать самостоятельное решение в ситуациях, которые в правилах не оговорены.

При проведении всех официальных международных соревнований действуют правила, утвержденные ФИБА. Они несколько отличаются от правил НБА.

Техника и тактика игры.

В современном баскетболе различают следующие игровые амплуа: разыгрывающий защитник; атакующий защитник, легкий и тяжелый форварды, а также центровой (или центрфорвард).

Разыгрывающего защитника также называют «плеймейкером» (англ. «playmaker» – букв. «тот, кто делает игру») или «дирижером». Разыгрывающие больше других игроков владеют мячом и ведут игру всей команды. От них требуется прекрасное видение площадки, филигранный дриблинг и тонкая игра в пас. Атакующие защитники не только начинают атаку своей команды, но нередко и завершают ее дальними бросками. Форварды обычно атакуют с краев площадки, а центровые – с близкого расстояния. Центрфорварды, как правило, самые рослые игроки в команде, их основная функция – борьба под своим и чужим щитом.

Амплуа центрового со временем приобрело поистине культовый статус. Одной из сильнейших в мире всегда была советская школа центровых, подарившая миру таких выдающихся игроков, как Отар Коркия, Янис Круминьш, Александр Белов, Владимир Ткаченко, Арвидас Сабонис и др.

В настоящее время в баскетболе чрезвычайно ценятся мастера-универсалы, которые при необходимости могут сыграть не только на своей позиции. Очень важно и такое понятие, как «командный игрок». Приверженность командной игре легендарного центрового Билла Рассела позволила ему 11 раз привести к победе в чемпионате НБА клуб «Бостон селтикс». Его вечный соперник Уилт Чемберлен («Филадельфия уорриорз») не уступал в классе Расселу, но предпочитал играть «на себя», а не «на команду», и в итоге лишь однажды стал чемпионом НБА.

В зависимости от того, как складывается игра, тренер может в какой-то момент внести изменения в привычную тактическую расстановку (стандартной считается «схема» 2–1–2): например, выставить на площадку двух-трех центровых одновременно. Успех команды определяется не только индивидуальным мастерством игроков, но и верно выбранной тактикой. Классический пример – финал олимпийского турнира 1972. Понимая, что его подопечные уступают баскетболистам США по своим игровым кондициям и физическим данным, главный тренер сборной СССР Владимир Кондрашин построил игру от обороны, навязал сопернику «свой баскетбол», что в итоге принесло успех советской команде.

В баскетболе различают зонную и личную (персональную) защиту. В первом случае каждый из игроков опекает любого соперника, находящегося в отведенном ему участке (зоне) площадки. При персональной защите каждый баскетболист опекает «своего» игрока. Чрезвычайно эффективен так называемый прессинг – активный вид обороны, при котором соперников опекают не только в непосредственной близости от своего щита, но и на дальних подступах к нему, иногда – по всей площадке. Цель прессинга – помешать сопернику спокойно разыграть мяч и провести атаку.

Особое значение в современном баскетболе имеет борьба под щитом. Известная баскетбольная заповедь гласит: «Кто выигрывает щит – выигрывает матч», а одним из основных статистических показателей игры баскетболиста – будь то отдельный матч или весь сезон – является число так называемых подборов и блок-шотов.

Индивидуальное мастерство игрока складывается из многих компонентов. Дриблинг, т.е. ведение мяча, в том числе и без визуального контроля, что позволяет игроку мгновенно оценивать меняющуюся ситуацию на площадке. Различные финты, вводящие соперника в заблуждение: обманное движение мячом, руками, ногами, всем телом, поворотом головы, взглядом и проч. Игра в пас. Особенно ценится так называемый скрытый пас – передача мяча, не глядя на партнера, которому он адресован. Еще один прием из арсенала мастеров баскетбола – пас из-за спины (держа мяч за спиной, игрок перебрасывает его партнеру через голову). Броски в баскетболе осуществляются как с места, так и в движении. Существует немало их разновидностей: бросок в прыжке, бросок «крюком» (рука игрока, стоящего боком к корзине соперника, движется по воображаемой дуге), бросок в корзину сверху и др. Наряду с техникой владения мячом в баскетболе чрезвычайно важно умение правильно играть без мяча.

Баскетбольная техника формировалась десятилетиями. Например, в конце 19 в. игроки пасовали друг другу только двумя руками от груди, а бросок производили так же или «из-под себя». Такой, казалось бы, естественный прием, как бросок мяча одной рукой, впервые был применен лишь в 1930-е годы и произвел подлинную революцию в игре.

Когда не существовало ограничений (по времени) на атаку, баскетбол был очень медленной игрой. Что подтверждают и «микроскопические» результаты матчей, нередко не выходившие за пределы 15–20 очков с каждой стороны. Для баскетбола начала и середины прошлого века был характерен неторопливый розыгрыш мяча, а успех команды во многом определялся индивидуальными действиями ведущих игроков. Как правило, это были самые рослые спортсмены. Долгое время баскетбол считался исключительно спортом гигантов. Их действительно немало среди бывших и нынешних «звезд» баскетбола. К примеру, самые высокие в истории советского баскетбола спортсмены имели невероятный рост: игрок алма-атинского «Буревестника» Увайс Ахтаев – 238 см, а выступавший за куйбышевский «Строитель» Александр Сизоненко – 239 см. Но со временем заметное влияние на игру стали оказывать и менее рослые игроки, которых в баскетболе называют «малышами». Они чрезвычайно подвижны, выносливы и отличаются прекрасной реакцией. Знаменитый Боб Коузи компенсировал недостаток баскетбольного роста филигранной техникой, за мастерский дриблинг и пас его прозвали «Гудини баскетбольной площадки» и «Юрким волшебником». Майкл Джордан, считающийся лучшим баскетболистом всех времен, по баскетбольным меркам тоже не гигант: его рост – «всего» 198 см. Тем не менее он на равных сражался с более рослыми соперниками и за свои невероятные «полеты» над площадкой получил прозвище «Их Воздушество».

До принятия «правила 3 секунд» атака нередко строилась по очень простой тактической схеме: самый рослый игрок атакующей команды располагался в непосредственной близости от кольца соперника и, получив в конце концов мяч, отправлял его в корзину. Введение «правила 3 секунд» заставило баскетболистов искать иные варианты развития атаки, активней использовать средние и дальние броски. А с введением 24-секундного ограничения на атаку и запрета на возврат мяча в свою тыловую зону заметно возрос темп игры, большое значение приобрела игра в пас, техника и снайперские качества игроков стали цениться не меньше, чем их рост.

Иногда даже несоблюдение правил используется как тактический прием. К примеру, проигрывающая команда в конце матча умышленно нарушает правила: благодаря подборам и последующим умелым контратакам она может изменить счет в свою пользу. Точно так же, команда, ведущая в счете, может на исходе матча отказаться от штрафных бросков и ввести мяч в игру из-за боковой линии (правилами подобная «замена» допускается). Это позволяет команде выиграть время и удержать победный счет.

Из истории баскетбола.

Описания игр, напоминающих современный баскетбол, встречаются у древних норманнов и во многих культурах «доколумбовой Америки». Модернизированная версия одной из таких игр – пок-та-пок, бывшей некогда и религиозным обрядом, – до сих пор встречается в северных штатах Мексики как спортивное развлечение и аттракцион для туристов.

В числе непосредственных предшественников баскетбола нередко называют распространенную в 19 в. в некоторых странах детскую игру «утка на скале», с которой был хорошо знаком Джеймс Нейсмит (1861–1939): подбрасывая небольшой камень, играющий должен был поразить им вершину другого, более крупного по размеру, камня. По утверждению биографов Нейсмита, именно в момент игры в «утку на скале» в голове юного Джеймса зародилась в общих чертах «концепция баскетбола». Она окончательно созрела, когда доктор Нейсмит стал преподавать анатомию и физкультуру в Международном тренировочном колледже молодежи YMCA в городке Спрингфилд (штат Массачусетс). Нейсмит заметил, что студентам зимние занятия гимнастикой в зале кажутся слишком однообразными, и решил занять их какой-нибудь новой подвижной игрой на ловкость и координацию, которую можно было бы проводить в закрытом помещении – причем относительно небольшом по своим размерам. В разных концах спортивного зала к балкону, опоясывавшему его по периметру, прикрепили две корзины (по-английски «basket», отсюда и название новой игры) из-под фруктов (высота от пола до края балкона оказалась равной 3 м 5 см, отсюда стандарт, который выдерживается по сей день на всех баскетбольных площадках мира). Студентам надо было попасть мячом в корзину. Так родился баскетбол.

Первый официально зарегистрированный баскетбольный матч состоялся в декабре 1891. Проходил он не совсем привычно для нас. Так, в командах Нейсмита было по 9 человек (доктор просто разделил группу своих студентов поровну), а играли они футбольным мячом.

Весть о новой спортивной игре облетела всю Америку, и вскоре в колледж, где преподавал Нейсмит, стало приходить множество писем, авторы которых просили прислать им правила игры.

В 1892 была опубликована первая Книга правил игры в баскетбол, содержавшая 13 пунктов, многие из которых действуют по сей день. Хотя кое в чем «правила Нейсмита» отличаются от современных. Например, матч состоял из двух таймов по 15 м каждый. Ведение мяча правилами раннего баскетбола не допускалось: по площадке можно было перемещаться только без мяча, а получив его, игрок должен был остановиться и либо передать мяч партнеру, либо бросить его в корзину. Количество игроков в команде было произвольным – «от двух до сорока» (но обязательно равным количеству игроков в команде противника). Игрока с мячом нельзя было атаковать – можно было только помешать ему распорядиться мячом (подпрыгивая, размахивая руками и прочими подобными приемами). В случае нарушения этого правила фиксировался фол, повторный фол приводил к дисквалификации нарушителя – до забитого мяча. Три фола подряд, совершенные какой-либо командой, фиксировались как «гол» в ее корзину – при условии, что соперники за это время сами не совершили ни одного фола. Одно время в составе команды был и вратарь, охранявший корзину, а за самой корзиной не было привычного нам баскетбольного щита.

Игра стремительно набирала популярность. Уже в конце 19 в. стали регулярно проводиться соревнования между командами различных городов и студенческих кампусов. Возникали любительские лиги. В 1896 в небольшом американском городе Трентоне прошел баскетбольный матч, команда-победительница которого получила денежное вознаграждение. Так родился один из феноменов 20 в. – профессиональный баскетбол.

В 1898 создается первое профессиональное объединение команд – Национальная баскетбольная лига (НБЛ). Просуществовав пять сезонов, она распалась на несколько самостоятельных лиг.

Примерно в то же время при одном из региональных отделений YMCA была создана собственная баскетбольная лига. Успех начинания был грандиозным. Руководители YMCA испугались, что эта затея может отбить у их воспитанников интерес к гимнастике – спорту номер один в Ассоциации, – и расформировали лигу. И тем самым способствовали дальнейшей популяризации баскетбола: игроки расформированной лиги решили зарабатывать на жизнь своими баскетбольными навыками. В американской провинции одна за другой стали появляться новые профессиональные баскетбольные лиги. А в 1914 была сформирована первая баскетбольная команда в крупном городе. Сегодня она известна всему миру под названием «Бостон селтикс».

НБА (Национальная Баскетбольная Ассоциация).

В начале 20 в. афроамериканцам было запрещено выступать за «белые» баскетбольные команды или против них, хотя любительский баскетбол тогда культивировался в основном в нью-йоркском «черном» Гарлеме и афроамериканских гетто других крупных городов США. Менеджеры профессиональных команд долгое время не обращали внимания на чернокожих игроков-гигантов, благодаря природной гибкости и прыгучести демонстрировавших невероятную технику.

В 1922 в Гарлеме создается первая профессиональная команда, целиком состоявшая из чернокожих игроков, – «Нью-Йорк ренессанс» (или просто «Ренс»). Черные баскетболисты без труда обыгрывали белые студенческие команды. В 1927 состоялась историческая встреча «Нью-Йорк ренессанс» с «Болтон селтикс». Серия из семи матчей закончилась вничью (команды одержали по три победы и одну игру свели вничью, что тогда разрешалось правилами). По прошествии недолгого времени уже никто в Америке не осмелился бы утверждать, что баскетбол – это спорт «только для белых».

Чуть раньше, в 1925, была предпринята еще одна попытка объединить в рамках национального чемпионата многочисленные команды, разбросанные по всей стране, – создается Американская баскетбольная лига (АБЛ). Однако с началом Великой Депрессии Лигу пришлось закрыть. Ее бывшие игроки устроили настоящие «баскетбольные гастроли» по всей стране. Они давали несколько показательных матчей в каком-нибудь маленьком городке, после чего отправлялись в следующий. Этот «просветительский рейд» сделал свое дело: бурными темпами начал развиваться студенческий баскетбол, которому в будущем суждено было стать подлинной сырьевой базой НБА.

В 1937 воссоздается Национальная баскетбольная лига (НБЛ). Но вскоре началась Вторая мировая война, и большинство игроков были призваны в армию. А после войны серьезную конкуренцию НБЛ составила новая организация – Баскетбольная ассоциация Америки (БАА), созданная выходцем из России по имени Морис Подолов.

Первоначально в БАA состояло 11 клубов. Первый матч прошел 1 ноября 1946, а первым чемпионом Ассоциации стала команда «Филадельфия уорриорз» (ныне «Голден стэйт уорриорз»). Чемпионат был организован настолько четко, а интерес к нему был столь огромен, что в БAA начали в массовом порядке переходить лучшие игроки НБЛ, и в конце концов Лига прекратила свое существование. Отныне в Америке оставалась лишь одна организация, объединяющая все профессиональные команды. Спустя некоторое время она сменила название на НБА, известное теперь любителям баскетбола во всем мире.

В момент основания НБА баскетбол в Америке был далеко не самым популярным видом спорта. Но число его сторонников постоянно росло, и в конце 1970-х годов НБА достигла невиданного расцвета. На сегодня чемпионат НБА – это, по сути, клубный чемпионат мира среди профессионалов, хотя формально в нем участвуют лишь 27 американских команд и два канадских клуба, присоединившиеся к ним в 1995. Эти команды разделены, согласно традиции, на Западную и Восточную Конференции, а те, в свою очередь, на два дивизиона: Тихоокеанский и Среднезападный (Западная конференция), Атлантический и Центральный (Восточная конференция). Каждая из команд проводит в рамках регулярного чемпионата 82 матча. Затем начинается серия игр по системе плей-офф. В каждой из конференций определяется восьмерка сильнейших клубов, которые по сложной системе «посева» играют между собой до трех побед (в четвертьфиналах) и до четырех побед – в полуфиналах и финале. В серии финальных матчей между победителями конференций и определяется очередной чемпион НБА, получающий главный приз Ассоциации – Золотую корзину.

Венчает сезон Всезвездный уикенд, в программу которого, помимо матча сборных Восточной и Западной конференций (первый такой матч был сыгран еще в 1951), входят также матч новичков, конкурс по 3-очковым броскам и броскам сверху.

В настоящее время НБА считается самой преуспевающей из всех профессиональных спортивных организаций в мире. Руководство НБА стремится поддерживать интерес к чемпионату Ассоциации при помощи всевозможных организационных мер. Одна из них – система драфта, установленная еще в 1940-е годы. Ежегодно клубы пополняют свои ряды за счет новичков, при этом схема драфта такова, что самый слабый на данный момент клуб имеет больше шансов приобрести сильнейшего из баскетболистов-новичков. По современным правилам, в драфте могут участвовать игроки, которым уже исполнилось 18 лет.

Самый титулованный клуб НБА – «Бостон селтикс», 16 раз выигрывавший чемпионский титул. А самый титулованный игрок – Билл Рассел. Весьма скрупулезно фиксируются экспертами НБА и другие индивидуальные достижения игроков. Например, Уилту Чемберлену принадлежат среди прочих рекорды по количеству очков, набранных в одном матче (100), и по числу подборов за игру (55). А Карим Абдул-Джаббар (еще один легендарный баскетболист, до обращения в ислам носивший имя Льюис Алсиндор) за 20 лет выступлений в НБА провел больше всех игр в истории Лиги (1560) и набрал наибольшее количество очков (38 387).

В 1997 в США по примеру НБА была создана Женская национальная баскетбольная ассоциация. (Первая такая попытка предпринималась еще в 1970-е годы, но созданная тогда Женская профессиональная баскетбольная лига просуществовала всего три сезона и распалась).

Международные соревнования по баскетболу.

В июне 1932 в Женеве была создана Международная федерация баскетбола – ФИББ, позже переименованная в ФИБА.

В 1935 там же, в Женеве, прошел первый чемпионат Европы, победителем которого стала сборная Латвии. Три года спустя дебютировал женский европейский турнир. Первыми чемпионками континента стали итальянские баскетболистки. Сейчас европейские чемпионаты проводятся раз в два года. Чаще всех победу на них одерживали советские сборные: мужская – 14 раз, женская – 20.

Чемпионаты мира для мужских сборных проводятся с 1950, для женских – с 1953. Первыми в истории чемпионами мира стали, соответственно, сборная Аргентины и сборная США. В настоящее время мировое первенство разыгрывается раз в 4 года. Команда СССР трижды, как и сборная Югославии, выигрывала мировое «золото» (1967, 1974 и 1982). Советские баскетболистки 6 раз становились первыми. ФИБА также проводит мировые чемпионаты для юниоров и юниорок и для мужчин в возрасте до 22 лет. Кроме того, в официальный календарь ФИБА входит еще целый ряд соревнований, в том числе и региональных: как среди сборных команд, так и среди клубов.

Баскетбол на Олимпийских играх.

На III Олимпиаде в Сент-Луисе и на IX Олимпийских играх в Амстердаме были проведены показательные матчи по баскетболу с участием американских спортсменов. Олимпийский дебют мужского баскетбола состоялся в 1936 на Играх в Берлине, почетным гостем которых стал доктор Нейсмит. Баскетбольный турнир привлек огромное внимание. В нем участвовали сборные команды 21 страны. Победу одержала американская команда. Сборная США выигрывала все без исключения олимпийские турниры вплоть до 1972, при этом одержав победу в 63 матчах и не проиграв ни одного. В драматичном финале мюнхенской Олимпиады непобедимые прежде американцы уступили сборной СССР. В 1976 и 1984 американцы вновь были первыми. На олимпийском турнире в Москве первенствовала сборная Югославии. В 1988 первыми вновь стали баскетболисты СССР. Начиная с Олимпиады-92 официально разрешено выступление на Играх профессиональных баскетболистов. Олимпийскую сборную США, составленную из «звезд» НБА, еще до оглашения ее состава окрестили «Дрим-тим» (англ. «dream-team» – букв. команда-мечта). Она полностью оправдала надежды своих поклонников и одержала убедительную победу на Играх-92. Свой успех «команда-мечта» повторила и на двух последующих Играх.

Женский баскетбол впервые был включен в олимпийскую программу в 1976 на Играх в Монреале. Первой тогда, как затем и на Играх 1980 и 1992, была сборная СССР. Все остальные олимпийские турниры выигрывала сборная США.

Баскетбол в России.

В начале 20 в. член петербургского Общества содействия нравственному, умственному и физическому развитию молодых людей «Маяк» Степан Васильевич Васильев перевел баскетбольные правила на русский язык. «Дедушка русского баскетбола», или, как его еще называли, «русский Нейсмит», Васильев был столь же разносторонним спортсменом и не меньшим энтузиастом новой игры, как и ее основоположник. Васильев уговорил своих товарищей по «Маяку» провести пробную игру. Исторический матч состоялся в Санкт-Петербурге в декабре 1906. В нем приняли участие «команда зеленых» и «команда лиловых», получившие название по цвету маек спортсменов. «Команда лиловых», возглавляемая самим Васильевым, чуть позже выиграла первые в истории России баскетбольные соревнования и несколько последующих. Центром развития отечественного баскетбола стали Петербург и Москва. В 1909 был проведен первый в России официальный турнир. В том же году состоялся и первый международный матч – с родоначальниками баскетбола, сборной YMCA. (Согласно некоторым источникам, эта игра стала первым международным матчем в истории всего мирового баскетбола.) Российская команда одержала сенсационную победу.

Первая баскетбольная лига – уже в советское время – была создана в Петрограде в 1921. В 1923 прошел первый официальный турнир. До конца 1930-х годов в общесоюзных соревнованиях выступали сборные городов. Первый в истории страны чемпионат среди клубов выиграла команда московского «Динамо».

После Великой Отечественной войны баскетбол в СССР стал одним из самых популярных и массовых видов спорта. В разное время лидерами отечественного баскетбола были рижское СКА, ЦСКА, лениградский «Спартак», каунасский «Жальгирис». Советские клубы не раз выигрывали Кубок европейских чемпионов и Кубок обладателей кубков.

В 1947 Секция баскетбола СССР (позднее – Федерация баскетбола СССР) вступила в ФИБА. В том же году сборная СССР успешно выступила на чемпионате Европы и выиграла золотые медали. Советская сборная всегда считалась одной из сильнейших в мире. На первом для нее олимпийском турнире наша команда составила серьезную конкуренцию сборной США и заняла второе место. На Олимпиадах 1956, 1960 и 1964 она также получила «серебро», в 1968 – «бронзу», а в 1972 впервые выиграла олимпийский турнир, победив в финале сборную США с минимальным перевесом 51:50. В 1976 – снова «бронза», в 1980 – «серебро». В 1988 советские баскетболисты повторили золотой успех, на пути к финалу переиграв сборную США. А вот в 1990-е годы россияне выступали на олимпийских баскетбольных турнирах неудачно.

Международный дебют советских баскетболисток состоялся в 1935. Одна из наших клубных команд обыграла в Париже француженок с разгромным счетом 60:11. Потрясенные организаторы матча предложили нашим баскетболисткам сыграть с мужской командой. Эта игра тоже закончилась победой гостей – с разницей в 6 очков.

Женская сборная, созданная в 1950, долгое время не знала себе равных. Лишь на втором чемпионате мира (1957) и шестом чемпионате Европы (1958) советские баскетболистки были вторыми. На всех остальных турнирах они неизменно выигрывали: 5 раз чемпионаты мира и 20 – европейские первенства. А в 1976 женская сборная под руководством Лидии Алексеевой (в прошлом одной из сильнейших баскетболисток СССР, 25 лет возглавлявшей национальную сборную уже в качестве тренера) стала первой в истории командой-победительницей олимпийского турнира.

В 1990 создана Российская федерация баскетбола (РФБ), ставшая со временем правопреемницей Федерации баскетбола СССР. Баскетбольный ЦСКА по-прежнему не сдает своих позиций. Серьезную конкуренцию прославленному армейскому клубу составляют сейчас «Урал-Грейт» (Пермь), УНИКС (Казань), «Локомотив» (Минеральные Воды). Традиции наших великих баскетболистов продолжают нынешние «звезды» отечественного баскетбола: Игорь Куделин, Андрей Кириленко, Василий Карасев, Захар и Егор Пашутины, Сергей Панов и др.

В настоящее время баскетболом в России занимаются свыше 4 миллионов человек (из них половина – школьники).

Советская (российская) баскетбольная школа по-прежнему считается одной из сильнейших в мире. Тактические новшества и теоретические исследования специалистов старшего поколения (таких, как знаменитый тренер Александр Гомельский по прозвищу «Папа» или основоположник «ленинградской школы» баскетбола Владимир Кондрашин) признаны во многих странах. Лидия Алексеева стала первой из отечественных баскетболисток, чье имя увековечено в зале славы женского баскетбола в городе Ноксвилле.

Некоторые разновидности баскетбола.

Мини-баскетбол.

Правила мини-баскетбола были разработаны в начале 1950-х годов американцем Джеем Арчером. Игра предназначена для детей 6–12 лет и подразделяется на два уровня: собственно мини-баскетбол (возрастная группа 9–12 лет) и микро-баскетбол (для детей младше 9 лет). Игровая площадка и инвентарь адаптированы под детский возраст. Длина площадки – 28 м, ширина – 15 (варианты: 26ґ14, 24ґ13, 22ґ12 и 20ґ11 метров). Корзины крепятся на высоте 2 м 60 см, сам щит тоже меньше, чем в классическом баскетболе: 1,2ґ0,9 м. Мяч весом 450–500 граммов, окружность – 680–730 мм (для детей младше 9 лет вес мяча составляет 300–330 граммов, а окружность – 550–580 мм). Разметка игровой площадки для мини-баскетбола соответствует разметке стандартной баскетбольной площадки, но там нет линии, ограничивающей 3-очковую зону, а линия штрафного броска проведена на расстоянии 3,6 м (вариант: 4 м) от щита.

В мини-баскетбол играют команды по пять игроков в каждой, хотя допускаются и «уменьшенные» составы – вплоть до 2ґ2. Нередко проводятся матчи между смешанными командами (в состав которых входят и мальчики, и девочки). Игра идет четыре тайма по 6 минут. Несколько отличаются от классического баскетбола и сами правила игры. В мини-баскетболе, например, не фиксируется чистое время и не действует «правило трех секунд».

В ФИБА существует специальная комиссия по мини-баскетболу, есть и Международный комитет по мини-баскетболу. В настоящее время в него входят представители 170 государств, мини-баскетбол культивируется в Северной и Южной Америке, Австралии, Азии и Европе – всего в 195 странах мира. В 1965 состоялся первый чемпионат мира по мини-баскетболу.

В 1973 при Федерации баскетбола СССР создан комитет по мини-баскетболу. Год спустя в Ленинграде состоялся первый в стране фестиваль мини-баскетбола. В настоящее время всероссийский клуб «Минибаскет» проводит ряд общенациональных (Кубок России и др.) и международных соревнований.

Баскетбол на инвалидных колясках.

Появился в 1946 в США. Бывшие баскетболисты, во время Второй мировой войны получившие серьезные ранения и увечья на полях сражений, не захотели расставаться с любимой игрой и придумали «свой» баскетбол.

Сейчас в него играют более чем в 80 странах. Число официально зарегистрированных игроков – 25 тысяч человек. Международная федерация баскетбола на инвалидных колясках (IWBF) проводит различные спортивные мероприятия: чемпионат мира – раз в 4 года; ежегодные турниры клубных команд, зональные соревнования (один-два раза в год) и пр. Баскетбол на инвалидных колясках входит в программу Параолимпийских игр с момента проведения первой такой Олимпиады в Риме в 1960.

В правилах баскетбола на инвалидных колясках есть свои запреты и ограничения. Например, запрещена «пробежка» – когда игрок в процессе ведения мяча крутит колесо рукой более двух раз.

Стритбол

(от англ. «street» – улица). Более динамичный и агрессивный вид спорта, чем классический баскетбол. В игре участвуют две команды по три игрока в каждой (иногда с одним запасным) на специальной площадке для стритбола или на обычной баскетбольной, задействуя только одну ее половину – и, соответственно, только одно кольцо. В случае промаха команда, атаковавшая до этого кольцо, защищает его от атаки соперника и т.д. Какая команда начнет игру, определяют по жребию. Игра идет до того момента, пока одна из команд не наберет 16 очков (но разрыв в счете должен составлять не менее 2 очков). Иногда играют до разрыва в 8 очков или на время (20 минут) – в этом случае действует правило 30 секунд: если за это время команда не сумела завершить атаку, мяч переходит к сопернику. За результативный бросок команде начисляется очко, за бросок из 3-очковой зоны – два очка. Заброшенный в корзину мяч засчитывается только в том случае, если его коснулись два игрока атакующей команды. Мяч после этого переходит к обороняющейся команде: игра возобновляется, как только один из ее игроков коснулся мяча. При этом мяч должен быть сначала выведен за пределы 3-очковой линии. Пробежка, двойное ведение и бросок в корзину сверху запрещены.

В различных городах России сейчас проводятся турниры по стритболу, нередко приуроченные к большим городским праздникам.

Корфбол

(от голл. korf – корзина). Эту игру придумал в 1902 школьный преподаватель из Амстердама Нико Брекхюйсен. Две команды по 8 человек в каждой (4 мужчины и 4 женщины) играют на площадке 40×20 м, разделенной пополам средней линией, два тайма по 30 минут. Четыре игрока (2 мужчин и 2 женщины) находятся на своей половине площадки и защищают свою корзину, четыре – на половине команды-соперницы, их задача – поразить «чужое» кольцо. После двух результативных бросков защитники переходят в зону нападения и наоборот. Корфбол менее контактная, по сравнению с баскетболом, игра. При этом, согласно правилам, мужчина может играть только против мужчины, а женщина – против женщины. Дриблинг в корфболе не допускается, а игрок, овладевший мячом, может сделать с ним не более двух шагов. Кольцо по диаметру уже баскетбольного (40 см), а крепится оно выше (3,5 м). (Существует более «масштабный» вариант игры: с большими размерами площадки, количеством игроков и т.д.)

Корфбол чрезвычайно распространен в Нидерландах (в него постоянно играют более 100 тысяч человек, зарегистрировано более 500 клубов, участвующих в общенациональных турнирах) и соседних с ним странах. Со временем корфбол получил признание во всем мире, в том числе в России, и в настоящее время входит в программу Мировых игр. С 1933 действует Международная федерация корфбола (ИКФ), в настоящее время официально признанная МОК и другими международными спортивными объединениями.

Содержимое

• 1 ИСТОРИЯ РАЗВИТИЯ БАСКЕТБОЛА
• 2 ИСТОРИЯ БАСКЕТБОЛА В РОССИИ
• 3 ИСТОРИЯ ВОЗНИКНОВЕНИЯ БАСКЕТБОЛА
• 4 Статьи по теме:

Баскетбол – это командный вид спорта игры с баскетбольным мячом. Баскетбол сегодня – это Олимпийский вид спорта, в который играют во всем мире и популярность данной игры входит в мировую 10-ку лучших видов спорта. В игре принимает участие две команды.

Целью каждой команды является забросить максимальное количество раз баскетбольный мяч в кольцо соперника и при этом помешать сопернику завладеть мячом и забросить его в свою корзину.

Высота размещения корзины (баскетбольного кольца) составляет 3,05 метра от площадки. За каждый заброшенный мяч с разной дистанции засчитывается различное количество очков.

Со средней и ближней дистанции – 2 очка, за заброс мяча с дальней дистанции команда получает 3 очка, а со штрафного команда получит 1 очко. Площадка, на которой играют в баскетбол, имеет следующие размеры: ширина 15 метров, длина составляет 28 метров.

ИСТОРИЯ РАЗВИТИЯ БАСКЕТБОЛА

Баскетбол придумал преподаватель по физкультуре Джеймс Нейсмит. Нейсмит хотел придумать игру для своих учеников, которые бесконечно выполняли различные физические упражнения. Перед Нейсмитом стояла задача создать игру, исключающую грубую силу. И вот, в 1891 году он перед своими учениками повесил две корзины и разделил на две команды всех присутствующих. Смысл игры объяснил так: Каждая команда должна забросить мяч в корзину соперника максимальное количество раз. С этого момента и началась удивительная и захватывающая история  всемирно любимого вида спорта.

Конечно, на то момент не было специальных колец, которые сейчас используются в баскетболе. Вместо них использовались обычные корзины. Мяч использовали футбольный. Счет в игре был похож на футбольный, и в игре отличился всего лишь один игрок, который попал в корзину один раз. Ученики Нейсмита уезжали домой на каникулы, и рассказывали друзьям о новой игре. Таким образом, популярность игры распространялась с огромной скоростью. . И уже спустя всего один год, в эту игру уже играли во всех Соединенных Штатах Америки.

В то время игра была не очень зрелищной, так как еще не была придумана техника ведения мяча. Игроки перебрасывали мяч друг другу стоя на месте, а затем пытались закинуть мяч в корзину.

Большинство игр заканчивались со счетом до 20 очков. Нейсмит все время пытался развивать свою игру, придумывая различные правила. Затем он вывел пять основных принципов баскетбола:
1) Для игры нужен большой и легкий мяч, но при этом он должен легко вкладываться в руку
2) Бегать с мячом запрещено
3) Владеть мячом может любой игрок
4) Разрешены скопления игроков в любой части площадки, но при этом физический контакт запрещен
5) Кольцо должно находиться на высоком расстоянии от игроков.

Первые официальные игры по баскетболу стали проводить с 1896 года. Уже тогда команды пытались заработать на своих матчах, продавая билеты зрителям. Первое же объединение команд произошло в 1898 году и просуществовало не так долго, всего пять лет, так как распалось на несколько отдельных лиг.

В то время игроки могли заключать договора на каждую отдельную игру. Выдающийся игрок мог сыграть за каждую команду в чемпионате в рамках одного сезона. За каждую игру игроки получали достаточно крупные суммы, которые позволили им безбедно существовать.

Через некоторое время в баскетбол уже пришли нововведения. Новые правила касались корзин с мячом и баскетбольного щита. Пришли к выводу, что в корзину можно попасть легче с отскока. Чтоб каждый раз не доставать мяч с корзины, используя лестницу, нужно вырезать дно.

В связи с великой депрессией в 1931 году проведение чемпионатов по баскетболу прекратилось, но баскетбол продолжал жить. Стимулом стало неожиданное развитие в университетах и колледжах.

Новой ступенью для развития баскетбола послужило введение данной игры в карту Олимпийских игр и появления Международной ассоциации любителей баскетбола (FIBA). С тех пор происходили различные нововведения в игру, которые добавляли как зрелищности, так и динамичности. Одним из ярких примеров может послужить нововведение, которое касалось отмены вбрасывания мяча после каждого взятия корзины. Зрелищности добавило изобретение одного из спортсменов студенческих игр, который показал бросок по кольцу одной рукой. В дальнейшем в развитии баскетбола наступает значительный пробел, так как США вступила во вторую мировую войну.

1946 год для баскетбола является знаковым. В этом году зародилась Национальная Баскетбольная Ассоциация (НБА). Первые пять сезонов в НБА был лишь один лидер – команда «Лейкерс», и только в 1951 году бесспорного лидера смог одолеть «Рочестер Ройалз». В 1950 году разыграли первый чемпионат мира по баскетболу. Победителем стала команды из Аргентины.

ИСТОРИЯ БАСКЕТБОЛА В РОССИИ

Баскетбол в России появился только в 1901 году и о нем узнали от Георгия Дюпперона. Георгий Дюпперон являлся ярым пропагандистом физической культуры и спорта, который проживал в Санкт-Петербурге. Уже в 1906 году были проведены первые матчи среди команд.

В СССР баскетбол получил колоссальное развитие. С 1947 года Всесоюзная секция баскетбола была аккредитована во всех международных соревнованиях, проводимых ФИБА. Советская школа баскетбола выступала за наступательный характер игры. Индивидуальное мастерство, слаженность команды — все это позволило выиграть свой первый Чемпионат Европы в 1947 году.

Сегодня баскетбол является как колоссальным коммерческим проектом, так и национальным видом спорта. С каждым годом увеличивается количество стран участвующих в международных соревнованиях, увеличивается количество проводимых Лиг в странах и таким образом производится полная мировая глобализация баскетбола.

Рекомендуем для просмотра видео «История возникновения Баскетбола».

ИСТОРИЯ ВОЗНИКНОВЕНИЯ БАСКЕТБОЛА



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Basketball

Vince Carter (blue) tries to make a layup shot, while Pau Gasol (yellow) defends the basket
Highest governing body	FIBA
First played	December 21, 1891; 131 years ago. Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Characteristics
Contact	Limited
Team members	5 per side
Mixed-sex	Yes, separate competitions
Type	Indoor/Outdoor
Equipment	Basketball
Venue	Indoor court (mainly) or outdoor court (Streetball)
Glossary	Glossary of basketball
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide
Olympic	Yes, demonstrated in the 1904 and 1924 Summer Olympics Part of the Summer Olympic program since 1936
Paralympic	Yes

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately 9.4 inches (24 cm) in diameter) through the defender’s hoop (a basket 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high to a backboard at each end of the court, while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play (overtime) is mandated.

Players advance the ball by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling) or by passing it to a teammate, both of which require considerable skill. On offense, players may use a variety of shots – the layup, the jump shot, or a dunk; on defense, they may steal the ball from a dribbler, intercept passes, or block shots; either offense or defense may collect a rebound, that is, a missed shot that bounces from rim or backboard. It is a violation to lift or drag one’s pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling.

The five players on each side fall into five playing positions. The tallest player is usually the center, the second-tallest and strongest is the power forward, a slightly shorter but more agile player is the small forward, and the shortest players or the best ball handlers are the shooting guard and the point guard, who implements the coach’s game plan by managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays (player positioning). Informally, players may play three-on-three, two-on-two, and one-on-one.

Invented in 1891 by Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, basketball has evolved to become one of the world’s most popular and widely viewed sports.^[1][2] The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most significant professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition.^[3][4] Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the EuroLeague and the Basketball Champions League Americas. The FIBA Basketball World Cup and Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament are the major international events of the sport and attract top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for national teams, like EuroBasket and FIBA AmeriCup.

The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament feature top national teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA (NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship is also popular), whereas the strongest European clubs participate in the EuroLeague Women.

History

Creation

In December 1891, James Naismith, a Canadian professor of physical education and instructor at the International Young Men’s Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts,^[5] was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day.^[6] He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New England winters. After rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he invented a new game in which players would pass a ball to teammates and try to score points by tossing the ball into a basket mounted on a wall. Naismith wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto an elevated track. Naismith initially set up the peach basket with its bottom intact, which meant that the ball had to be retrieved manually after each «basket» or point scored. This quickly proved tedious, so Naismith removed the bottom of the basket to allow the balls to be poked out with a long dowel after each scored basket.

Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball. These round balls from «association football» were made, at the time, with a set of laces to close off the hole needed for inserting the inflatable bladder after the other sewn-together segments of the ball’s cover had been flipped outside-in.^[7][8] These laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable.^[9] Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith. (Whereas in American football, the lace construction proved to be advantageous for gripping and remains to this day.) The first balls made specifically for basketball were brown, and it was only in the late 1950s that Tony Hinkle, searching for a ball that would be more visible to players and spectators alike, introduced the orange ball that is now in common use. Dribbling was not part of the original game except for the «bounce pass» to teammates. Passing the ball was the primary means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the asymmetric shape of early balls.^{[dubious – discuss]} Dribbling was common by 1896, with a rule against the double dribble by 1898.^[10]

The peach baskets were used until 1906 when they were finally replaced by metal hoops with backboards. A further change was soon made, so the ball merely passed through. Whenever a person got the ball in the basket, his team would gain a point. Whichever team got the most points won the game.^[11] The baskets were originally nailed to the mezzanine balcony of the playing court, but this proved impractical when spectators in the balcony began to interfere with shots. The backboard was introduced to prevent this interference; it had the additional effect of allowing rebound shots.^[12] Naismith’s handwritten diaries, discovered by his granddaughter in early 2006, indicate that he was nervous about the new game he had invented, which incorporated rules from a children’s game called duck on a rock, as many had failed before it.^[13]

Frank Mahan, one of the players from the original first game, approached Naismith after the Christmas break, in early 1892, asking him what he intended to call his new game. Naismith replied that he hadn’t thought of it because he had been focused on just getting the game started. Mahan suggested that it be called «Naismith ball», at which he laughed, saying that a name like that would kill any game. Mahan then said, «Why not call it basketball?» Naismith replied, «We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it.»^[14][15] The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany, New York, on January 20, 1892, with nine players. The game ended at 1–0; the shot was made from 25 feet (7.6 m), on a court just half the size of a present-day Streetball or National Basketball Association (NBA) court.

At the time, soccer was being played with 10 to a team (which was increased to 11). When winter weather got too icy to play soccer, teams were taken indoors, and it was convenient to have them split in half and play basketball with five on each side. By 1897–1898 teams of five became standard.

College basketball

Basketball’s early adherents were dispatched to YMCAs throughout the United States, and it quickly spread through the United States and Canada. By 1895, it was well established at several women’s high schools. While YMCA was responsible for initially developing and spreading the game, within a decade it discouraged the new sport, as rough play and rowdy crowds began to detract from YMCA’s primary mission. However, other amateur sports clubs, colleges, and professional clubs quickly filled the void. In the years before World War I, the Amateur Athletic Union and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (forerunner of the NCAA) vied for control over the rules for the game. The first pro league, the National Basketball League, was formed in 1898 to protect players from exploitation and to promote a less rough game. This league only lasted five years.

James Naismith was instrumental in establishing college basketball. His colleague C. O. Beamis fielded the first college basketball team just a year after the Springfield YMCA game at the suburban Pittsburgh Geneva College.^[16] Naismith himself later coached at the University of Kansas for six years, before handing the reins to renowned coach Forrest «Phog» Allen. Naismith’s disciple Amos Alonzo Stagg brought basketball to the University of Chicago, while Adolph Rupp, a student of Naismith’s at Kansas, enjoyed great success as coach at the University of Kentucky. On February 9, 1895, the first intercollegiate 5-on-5 game was played at Hamline University between Hamline and the School of Agriculture, which was affiliated with the University of Minnesota.^[17][18][19] The School of Agriculture won in a 9–3 game.

⁣

In 1901, colleges, including the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, the University of Minnesota, the U.S. Naval Academy, the University of Colorado and Yale University began sponsoring men’s games. In 1905, frequent injuries on the football field prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to suggest that colleges form a governing body, resulting in the creation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). In 1910, that body changed its name to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The first Canadian interuniversity basketball game was played at YMCA in Kingston, Ontario on February 6, 1904, when McGill University – Naismith’s alma mater – visited Queen’s University. McGill won 9–7 in overtime; the score was 7–7 at the end of regulation play, and a ten-minute overtime period settled the outcome. A good turnout of spectators watched the game.^[20]

The first men’s national championship tournament, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball tournament, which still exists as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament, was organized in 1937. The first national championship for NCAA teams, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in New York, was organized in 1938; the NCAA national tournament began one year later. College basketball was rocked by gambling scandals from 1948 to 1951, when dozens of players from top teams were implicated in match fixing and point shaving. Partially spurred by an association with cheating, the NIT lost support to the NCAA tournament.

High school basketball

Before widespread school district consolidation, most American high schools were far smaller than their present-day counterparts. During the first decades of the 20th century, basketball quickly became the ideal interscholastic sport due to its modest equipment and personnel requirements. In the days before widespread television coverage of professional and college sports, the popularity of high school basketball was unrivaled in many parts of America. Perhaps the most legendary of high school teams was Indiana’s Franklin Wonder Five, which took the nation by storm during the 1920s, dominating Indiana basketball and earning national recognition.

Today virtually every high school in the United States fields a basketball team in varsity competition.^[21] Basketball’s popularity remains high, both in rural areas where they carry the identification of the entire community, as well as at some larger schools known for their basketball teams where many players go on to participate at higher levels of competition after graduation. In the 2016–17 season, 980,673 boys and girls represented their schools in interscholastic basketball competition, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.^[22] The states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky are particularly well known for their residents’ devotion to high school basketball, commonly called Hoosier Hysteria in Indiana; the critically acclaimed film Hoosiers shows high school basketball’s depth of meaning to these communities.

There is currently no tournament to determine a national high school champion. The most serious effort was the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at the University of Chicago from 1917 to 1930. The event was organized by Amos Alonzo Stagg and sent invitations to state champion teams. The tournament started out as a mostly Midwest affair but grew. In 1929 it had 29 state champions. Faced with opposition from the National Federation of State High School Associations and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that bore a threat of the schools losing their accreditation the last tournament was in 1930. The organizations said they were concerned that the tournament was being used to recruit professional players from the prep ranks.^[23] The tournament did not invite minority schools or private/parochial schools.

The National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament ran from 1924 to 1941 at Loyola University.^[24] The National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament from 1954 to 1978 played at a series of venues, including Catholic University, Georgetown and George Mason.^[25] The National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools was held from 1929 to 1942 at Hampton Institute.^[26] The National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held from 1941 to 1967 starting out at Tuskegee Institute. Following a pause during World War II it resumed at Tennessee State College in Nashville. The basis for the champion dwindled after 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education began an integration of schools. The last tournaments were held at Alabama State College from 1964 to 1967.^[27]

Professional basketball

Teams abounded throughout the 1920s. There were hundreds of men’s professional basketball teams in towns and cities all over the United States, and little organization of the professional game. Players jumped from team to team and teams played in armories and smoky dance halls. Leagues came and went. Barnstorming squads such as the Original Celtics and two all-African American teams, the New York Renaissance Five («Rens») and the (still existing) Harlem Globetrotters played up to two hundred games a year on their national tours.

In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed. The first game was played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers on November 1, 1946. Three seasons later, in 1949, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). By the 1950s, basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball. In 1959, a basketball hall of fame was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, site of the first game. Its rosters include the names of great players, coaches, referees and people who have contributed significantly to the development of the game. The hall of fame has people who have accomplished many goals in their career in basketball. An upstart organization, the American Basketball Association, emerged in 1967 and briefly threatened the NBA’s dominance until the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Today the NBA is the top professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition.

The NBA has featured many famous players, including George Mikan, the first dominating «big man»; ball-handling wizard Bob Cousy and defensive genius Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics; charismatic center Wilt Chamberlain, who originally played for the barnstorming Harlem Globetrotters; all-around stars Oscar Robertson and Jerry West; more recent big men Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone; playmakers John Stockton, Isiah Thomas and Steve Nash; crowd-pleasing forwards Julius Erving and Charles Barkley; European stars Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker; Latin American stars Manu Ginobili, more recent superstars , Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, etc; and the three players who many credit with ushering the professional game to its highest level of popularity during the 1980s and 1990s: Larry Bird, Earvin «Magic» Johnson, and Michael Jordan.

In 2001, the NBA formed a developmental league, the National Basketball Development League (later known as the NBA D-League and then the NBA G League after a branding deal with Gatorade). As of the 2021–22 season, the G League has 30 teams.

International basketball

FIBA (International Basketball Federation) was formed in 1932 by eight founding nations: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland. At this time, the organization only oversaw amateur players. Its acronym, derived from the French Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball Amateur, was thus «FIBA». Men’s basketball was first included at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics, although a demonstration tournament was held in 1904. The United States defeated Canada in the first final, played outdoors. This competition has usually been dominated by the United States, whose team has won all but three titles. The first of these came in a controversial final game in Munich in 1972 against the Soviet Union, in which the ending of the game was replayed three times until the Soviet Union finally came out on top.^[28] In 1950 the first FIBA World Championship for men, now known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup, was held in Argentina. Three years later, the first FIBA World Championship for women, now known as the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, was held in Chile. Women’s basketball was added to the Olympics in 1976, which were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with teams such as the Soviet Union, Brazil and Australia rivaling the American squads.

In 1989, FIBA allowed professional NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time. Prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics, only European and South American teams were allowed to field professionals in the Olympics. The United States’ dominance continued with the introduction of the original Dream Team. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, the United States suffered its first Olympic loss while using professional players, falling to Puerto Rico (in a 19-point loss) and Lithuania in group games, and being eliminated in the semifinals by Argentina. It eventually won the bronze medal defeating Lithuania, finishing behind Argentina and Italy. The Redeem Team, won gold at the 2008 Olympics, and the B-Team, won gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey despite featuring no players from the 2008 squad. The United States continued its dominance as they won gold at the 2012 Olympics, 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

Worldwide, basketball tournaments are held for boys and girls of all age levels. The global popularity of the sport is reflected in the nationalities represented in the NBA. Players from all six inhabited continents currently play in the NBA. Top international players began coming into the NBA in the mid-1990s, including Croatians Dražen Petrović and Toni Kukoč, Serbian Vlade Divac, Lithuanians Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Dutchman Rik Smits and German Detlef Schrempf.

In the Philippines, the Philippine Basketball Association’s first game was played on April 9, 1975, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded as a «rebellion» of several teams from the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association, which was tightly controlled by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (now defunct), the then-FIBA recognized national association. Nine teams from the MICAA participated in the league’s first season that opened on April 9, 1975. The NBL is Australia’s pre-eminent men’s professional basketball league. The league commenced in 1979, playing a winter season (April–September) and did so until the completion of the 20th season in 1998. The 1998–99 season, which commenced only months later, was the first season after the shift to the current summer season format (October–April). This shift was an attempt to avoid competing directly against Australia’s various football codes. It features 8 teams from around Australia and one in New Zealand. A few players including Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Chris Anstey and Andrew Bogut made it big internationally, becoming poster figures for the sport in Australia. The Women’s National Basketball League began in 1981.

Women’s basketball

Women’s basketball began in 1892 at Smith College when Senda Berenson, a physical education teacher, modified Naismith’s rules for women. Shortly after she was hired at Smith, she went to Naismith to learn more about the game.^[29] Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could teach, she organized the first women’s collegiate basketball game on March 21, 1893, when her Smith freshmen and sophomores played against one another.^[30] However, the first women’s interinstitutional game was played in 1892 between the University of California and Miss Head’s School.^[31] Berenson’s rules were first published in 1899, and two years later she became the editor of A. G. Spalding’s first Women’s Basketball Guide.^[30] Berenson’s freshmen played the sophomore class in the first women’s intercollegiate basketball game at Smith College, March 21, 1893.^[32] The same year, Mount Holyoke and Sophie Newcomb College (coached by Clara Gregory Baer) women began playing basketball. By 1895, the game had spread to colleges across the country, including Wellesley, Vassar, and Bryn Mawr. The first intercollegiate women’s game was on April 4, 1896. Stanford women played Berkeley, 9-on-9, ending in a 2–1 Stanford victory.

Women’s basketball development was more structured than that for men in the early years. In 1905, the executive committee on Basket Ball Rules (National Women’s Basketball Committee) was created by the American Physical Education Association.^[33] These rules called for six to nine players per team and 11 officials. The International Women’s Sports Federation (1924) included a women’s basketball competition. 37 women’s high school varsity basketball or state tournaments were held by 1925. And in 1926, the Amateur Athletic Union backed the first national women’s basketball championship, complete with men’s rules.^[33] The Edmonton Grads, a touring Canadian women’s team based in Edmonton, Alberta, operated between 1915 and 1940. The Grads toured all over North America, and were exceptionally successful. They posted a record of 522 wins and only 20 losses over that span, as they met any team that wanted to challenge them, funding their tours from gate receipts.^[34] The Grads also shone on several exhibition trips to Europe, and won four consecutive exhibition Olympics tournaments, in 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936; however, women’s basketball was not an official Olympic sport until 1976. The Grads’ players were unpaid, and had to remain single. The Grads’ style focused on team play, without overly emphasizing skills of individual players. The first women’s AAU All-America team was chosen in 1929.^[33] Women’s industrial leagues sprang up throughout the United States, producing famous athletes, including Babe Didrikson of the Golden Cyclones, and the All American Red Heads Team, which competed against men’s teams, using men’s rules. By 1938, the women’s national championship changed from a three-court game to two-court game with six players per team.^[33]

The NBA-backed Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) began in 1997. Though it had shaky attendance figures, several marquee players (Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, and Candace Parker among others) have helped the league’s popularity and level of competition. Other professional women’s basketball leagues in the United States, such as the American Basketball League (1996–98), have folded in part because of the popularity of the WNBA. The WNBA has been looked at by many as a niche league. However, the league has recently taken steps forward. In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ESPN. The new television deal ran from 2009 to 2016. Along with this deal, came the first-ever rights fees to be paid to a women’s professional sports league. Over the eight years of the contract, «millions and millions of dollars» were «dispersed to the league’s teams.» In a March 12, 2009, article, NBA commissioner David Stern said that in the bad economy, «the NBA is far less profitable than the WNBA. We’re losing a lot of money among a large number of teams. We’re budgeting the WNBA to break even this year.»^[35]

Rules and regulations

Measurements and time limits discussed in this section often vary among tournaments and organizations; international and NBA rules are used in this section.

The object of the game is to outscore one’s opponents by throwing the ball through the opponents’ basket from above while preventing the opponents from doing so on their own. An attempt to score in this way is called a shot. A successful shot is worth two points, or three points if it is taken from beyond the three-point arc 6.75 metres (22 ft 2 in) from the basket in international games^[36] and 23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m) in NBA games.^[37] A one-point shot can be earned when shooting from the foul line after a foul is made. After a team has scored from a field goal or free throw, play is resumed with a throw-in awarded to the non-scoring team taken from a point beyond the endline of the court where the points(s) were scored.^[38]

Playing regulations

Games are played in four quarters of 10 (FIBA)^[39] or 12 minutes (NBA).^[40] College men’s games use two 20-minute halves,^[41] college women’s games use 10-minute quarters,^[42] and most United States high school varsity games use 8-minute quarters; however, this varies from state to state.^[43][44] 15 minutes are allowed for a half-time break under FIBA, NBA, and NCAA rules^[41][45][46] and 10 minutes in United States high schools.^[43] Overtime periods are five minutes in length^[41][47][48] except for high school, which is four minutes in length.^[43] Teams exchange baskets for the second half. The time allowed is actual playing time; the clock is stopped while the play is not active. Therefore, games generally take much longer to complete than the allotted game time, typically about two hours.

Five players from each team may be on the court at one time.^{[49][50][51][52]} Substitutions are unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped. Teams also have a coach, who oversees the development and strategies of the team, and other team personnel such as assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers.

For both men’s and women’s teams, a standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a jersey with a clearly visible number, unique within the team, printed on both the front and back. Players wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Typically, team names, players’ names and, outside of North America, sponsors are printed on the uniforms.

A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach (or sometimes mandated in the NBA) for a short meeting with the players, are allowed. They generally last no longer than one minute (100 seconds in the NBA) unless, for televised games, a commercial break is needed.

The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee (referred to as crew chief in the NBA), one or two umpires (referred to as referees in the NBA) and the table officials. For college, the NBA, and many high schools, there are a total of three referees on the court. The table officials are responsible for keeping track of each team’s scoring, timekeeping, individual and team fouls, player substitutions, team possession arrow, and the shot clock.

Equipment

The only essential equipment in a basketball game is the ball and the court: a flat, rectangular surface with baskets at opposite ends. Competitive levels require the use of more equipment such as clocks, score sheets, scoreboard(s), alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated stop-clock systems.

A regulation basketball court in international games is 28 meters (92 feet) long and 15 meters (49 feet) wide. In the NBA and NCAA the court is 94 by 50 feet (29 by 15 meters).^[37] Most courts have wood flooring, usually constructed from maple planks running in the same direction as the longer court dimension.^[53][54] The name and logo of the home team is usually painted on or around the center circle.

The basket is a steel rim 18 inches (46 cm) diameter with an attached net affixed to a backboard that measures 6 by 3.5 feet (1.8 by 1.1 meters) and one basket is at each end of the court. The white outlined box on the backboard is 18 inches (46 cm) high and 2 feet (61 cm) wide. At almost all levels of competition, the top of the rim is exactly 10 feet (3.05 meters) above the court and 4 feet (1.22 meters) inside the baseline. While variation is possible in the dimensions of the court and backboard, it is considered important for the basket to be of the correct height – a rim that is off by just a few inches can have an adverse effect on shooting. The net must «check the ball momentarily as it passes through the basket» to aid the visual confirmation that the ball went through.^[55] The act of checking the ball has the further advantage of slowing down the ball so the rebound doesn’t go as far.^[56]

The size of the basketball is also regulated. For men, the official ball is 29.5 inches (75 cm) in circumference (size 7, or a «295 ball») and weighs 22 oz (620 g). If women are playing, the official basketball size is 28.5 inches (72 cm) in circumference (size 6, or a «285 ball») with a weight of 20 oz (570 g). In 3×3, a formalized version of the halfcourt 3-on-3 game, a dedicated ball with the circumference of a size 6 ball but the weight of a size 7 ball is used in all competitions (men’s, women’s, and mixed teams).^[57]

Violations

The ball may be advanced toward the basket by being shot, passed between players, thrown, tapped, rolled or dribbled (bouncing the ball while running).

The ball must stay within the court; the last team to touch the ball before it travels out of bounds forfeits possession. The ball is out of bounds if it touches a boundary line, or touches any player or object that is out of bounds.

There are limits placed on the steps a player may take without dribbling, which commonly results in an infraction known as traveling. Nor may a player stop his dribble and then resume dribbling. A dribble that touches both hands is considered stopping the dribble, giving this infraction the name double dribble. Within a dribble, the player cannot carry the ball by placing his hand on the bottom of the ball; doing so is known as carrying the ball. A team, once having established ball control in the front half of their court, may not return the ball to the backcourt and be the first to touch it. A violation of these rules results in loss of possession.

The ball may not be kicked, nor be struck with the fist. For the offense, a violation of these rules results in loss of possession; for the defense, most leagues reset the shot clock and the offensive team is given possession of the ball out of bounds.

There are limits imposed on the time taken before progressing the ball past halfway (8 seconds in FIBA and the NBA; 10 seconds in NCAA and high school for both sexes), before attempting a shot (24 seconds in FIBA, the NBA, and U Sports (Canadian universities) play for both sexes, and 30 seconds in NCAA play for both sexes), holding the ball while closely guarded (5 seconds), and remaining in the restricted area known as the free-throw lane, (or the «key») (3 seconds). These rules are designed to promote more offense.

There are also limits on how players may block an opponent’s field goal attempt or help a teammate’s field goal attempt. Goaltending is a defender’s touching of a ball that is on a downward flight toward the basket, while the related violation of basket interference is the touching of a ball that is on the rim or above the basket, or by a player reaching through the basket from below. Goaltending and basket interference committed by a defender result in awarding the basket to the offense, while basket interference committed by an offensive player results in cancelling the basket if one is scored. The defense gains possession in all cases of goaltending or basket interference.

Fouls

An attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through certain types of physical contact is illegal and is called a personal foul. These are most commonly committed by defensive players; however, they can be committed by offensive players as well. Players who are fouled either receive the ball to pass inbounds again, or receive one or more free throws if they are fouled in the act of shooting, depending on whether the shot was successful. One point is awarded for making a free throw, which is attempted from a line 15 feet (4.6 m) from the basket.

The referee is responsible for judging whether contact is illegal, sometimes resulting in controversy. The calling of fouls can vary between games, leagues and referees.

There is a second category of fouls called technical fouls, which may be charged for various rules violations including failure to properly record a player in the scorebook, or for unsportsmanlike conduct. These infractions result in one or two free throws, which may be taken by any of the five players on the court at the time. Repeated incidents can result in disqualification. A blatant foul involving physical contact that is either excessive or unnecessary is called an intentional foul (flagrant foul in the NBA). In FIBA and NCAA women’s basketball, a foul resulting in ejection is called a disqualifying foul, while in leagues other than the NBA, such a foul is referred to as flagrant.

If a team exceeds a certain limit of team fouls in a given period (quarter or half) – four for NBA, NCAA women’s, and international games – the opposing team is awarded one or two free throws on all subsequent non-shooting fouls for that period, the number depending on the league. In the US college men’s game and high school games for both sexes, if a team reaches 7 fouls in a half, the opposing team is awarded one free throw, along with a second shot if the first is made. This is called shooting «one-and-one». If a team exceeds 10 fouls in the half, the opposing team is awarded two free throws on all subsequent fouls for the half.

When a team shoots foul shots, the opponents may not interfere with the shooter, nor may they try to regain possession until the last or potentially last free throw is in the air.

After a team has committed a specified number of fouls, the other team is said to be «in the bonus». On scoreboards, this is usually signified with an indicator light reading «Bonus» or «Penalty» with an illuminated directional arrow or dot indicating that team is to receive free throws when fouled by the opposing team. (Some scoreboards also indicate the number of fouls committed.)

If a team misses the first shot of a two-shot situation, the opposing team must wait for the completion of the second shot before attempting to reclaim possession of the ball and continuing play.

If a player is fouled while attempting a shot and the shot is unsuccessful, the player is awarded a number of free throws equal to the value of the attempted shot. A player fouled while attempting a regular two-point shot thus receives two shots, and a player fouled while attempting a three-point shot receives three shots.

If a player is fouled while attempting a shot and the shot is successful, typically the player will be awarded one additional free throw for one point. In combination with a regular shot, this is called a «three-point play» or «four-point play» (or more colloquially, an «and one») because of the basket made at the time of the foul (2 or 3 points) and the additional free throw (1 point).

Common techniques and practices

Positions

Although the rules do not specify any positions whatsoever, they have evolved as part of basketball. During the early years of basketball’s evolution, two guards, two forwards, and one center were used. In more recent times specific positions evolved, but the current trend, advocated by many top coaches including Mike Krzyzewski, is towards positionless basketball, where big players are free to shoot from outside and dribble if their skill allows it.^[58] Popular descriptions of positions include:

Point guard (often called the «1«) : usually the fastest player on the team, organizes the team’s offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time.

Shooting guard (the «2«) : creates a high volume of shots on offense, mainly long-ranged; and guards the opponent’s best perimeter player on defense.

Small forward (the «3«) : often primarily responsible for scoring points via cuts to the basket and dribble penetration; on defense seeks rebounds and steals, but sometimes plays more actively.

Power forward (the «4«): plays offensively often with their back to the basket; on defense, plays under the basket (in a zone defense) or against the opposing power forward (in man-to-man defense).

Center (the «5«): uses height and size to score (on offense), to protect the basket closely (on defense), or to rebound.

The above descriptions are flexible. For most teams today, the shooting guard and small forward have very similar responsibilities and are often called the wings, as do the power forward and center, who are often called post players. While most teams describe two players as guards, two as forwards, and one as a center, on some occasions teams choose to call them by different designations.

Strategy

There are two main defensive strategies: zone defense and man-to-man defense. In a zone defense, each player is assigned to guard a specific area of the court. Zone defenses often allow the defense to double team the ball, a manoeuver known as a trap. In a man-to-man defense, each defensive player guards a specific opponent.

Offensive plays are more varied, normally involving planned passes and movement by players without the ball. A quick movement by an offensive player without the ball to gain an advantageous position is known as a cut. A legal attempt by an offensive player to stop an opponent from guarding a teammate, by standing in the defender’s way such that the teammate cuts next to him, is a screen or pick. The two plays are combined in the pick and roll, in which a player sets a pick and then «rolls» away from the pick towards the basket. Screens and cuts are very important in offensive plays; these allow the quick passes and teamwork, which can lead to a successful basket. Teams almost always have several offensive plays planned to ensure their movement is not predictable. On court, the point guard is usually responsible for indicating which play will occur.

Shooting

Shooting is the act of attempting to score points by throwing the ball through the basket, methods varying with players and situations.

Typically, a player faces the basket with both feet facing the basket. A player will rest the ball on the fingertips of the dominant hand (the shooting arm) slightly above the head, with the other hand supporting the side of the ball. The ball is usually shot by jumping (though not always) and extending the shooting arm. The shooting arm, fully extended with the wrist fully bent, is held stationary for a moment following the release of the ball, known as a follow-through. Players often try to put a steady backspin on the ball to absorb its impact with the rim. The ideal trajectory of the shot is somewhat controversial, but generally a proper arc is recommended. Players may shoot directly into the basket or may use the backboard to redirect the ball into the basket.

The two most common shots that use the above described setup are the set shot and the jump shot. Both are preceded by a crouching action which preloads the muscles and increases the power of the shot. In a set shot, the shooter straightens up and throws from a standing position with neither foot leaving the floor; this is typically used for free throws. For a jump shot, the throw is taken in mid-air with the ball being released near the top of the jump. This provides much greater power and range, and it also allows the player to elevate over the defender. Failure to release the ball before the feet return to the floor is considered a traveling violation.

Another common shot is called the layup. This shot requires the player to be in motion toward the basket, and to «lay» the ball «up» and into the basket, typically off the backboard (the backboard-free, underhand version is called a finger roll). The most crowd-pleasing and typically highest-percentage accuracy shot is the slam dunk, in which the player jumps very high and throws the ball downward, through the basket while touching it.

Another shot that is less common than the layup, is the «circus shot». The circus shot is a low-percentage shot that is flipped, heaved, scooped, or flung toward the hoop while the shooter is off-balance, airborne, falling down, and/or facing away from the basket. A back-shot is a shot taken when the player is facing away from the basket, and may be shot with the dominant hand, or both; but there is a very low chance that the shot will be successful.^[59]

A shot that misses both the rim and the backboard completely is referred to as an air ball. A particularly bad shot, or one that only hits the backboard, is jocularly called a brick. The hang time is the length of time a player stays in the air after jumping, either to make a slam dunk, layup or jump shot.

Rebounding

The objective of rebounding is to successfully gain possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw, as it rebounds from the hoop or backboard. This plays a major role in the game, as most possessions end when a team misses a shot. There are two categories of rebounds: offensive rebounds, in which the ball is recovered by the offensive side and does not change possession, and defensive rebounds, in which the defending team gains possession of the loose ball. The majority of rebounds are defensive, as the team on defense tends to be in better position to recover missed shots.

Passing

A pass is a method of moving the ball between players. Most passes are accompanied by a step forward to increase power and are followed through with the hands to ensure accuracy.

A staple pass is the chest pass. The ball is passed directly from the passer’s chest to the receiver’s chest. A proper chest pass involves an outward snap of the thumbs to add velocity and leaves the defence little time to react.

Another type of pass is the bounce pass. Here, the passer bounces the ball crisply about two-thirds of the way from his own chest to the receiver. The ball strikes the court and bounces up toward the receiver. The bounce pass takes longer to complete than the chest pass, but it is also harder for the opposing team to intercept (kicking the ball deliberately is a violation). Thus, players often use the bounce pass in crowded moments, or to pass around a defender.

The overhead pass is used to pass the ball over a defender. The ball is released while over the passer’s head.

The outlet pass occurs after a team gets a defensive rebound. The next pass after the rebound is the outlet pass.

The crucial aspect of any good pass is it being difficult to intercept. Good passers can pass the ball with great accuracy and they know exactly where each of their other teammates prefers to receive the ball. A special way of doing this is passing the ball without looking at the receiving teammate. This is called a no-look pass.

Another advanced style of passing is the behind-the-back pass, which, as the description implies, involves throwing the ball behind the passer’s back to a teammate. Although some players can perform such a pass effectively, many coaches discourage no-look or behind-the-back passes, believing them to be difficult to control and more likely to result in turnovers or violations.

Dribbling

Dribbling is the act of bouncing the ball continuously with one hand and is a requirement for a player to take steps with the ball. To dribble, a player pushes the ball down towards the ground with the fingertips rather than patting it; this ensures greater control.

When dribbling past an opponent, the dribbler should dribble with the hand farthest from the opponent, making it more difficult for the defensive player to get to the ball. It is therefore important for a player to be able to dribble competently with both hands.

Good dribblers (or «ball handlers») tend to keep their dribbling hand low to the ground, reducing the distance of travel of the ball from the floor to the hand, making it more difficult for the defender to «steal» the ball. Good ball handlers frequently dribble behind their backs, between their legs, and switch directions suddenly, making a less predictable dribbling pattern that is more difficult to defend against. This is called a crossover, which is the most effective way to move past defenders while dribbling.

A skilled player can dribble without watching the ball, using the dribbling motion or peripheral vision to keep track of the ball’s location. By not having to focus on the ball, a player can look for teammates or scoring opportunities, as well as avoid the danger of having someone steal the ball away from him/her.

Blocking

A block is performed when, after a shot is attempted, a defender succeeds in altering the shot by touching the ball. In almost all variants of play, it is illegal to touch the ball after it is in the downward path of its arc; this is known as goaltending. It is also illegal under NBA and Men’s NCAA basketball to block a shot after it has touched the backboard, or when any part of the ball is directly above the rim. Under international rules it is illegal to block a shot that is in the downward path of its arc or one that has touched the backboard until the ball has hit the rim. After the ball hits the rim, it is again legal to touch it even though it is no longer considered as a block performed.

To block a shot, a player has to be able to reach a point higher than where the shot is released. Thus, height can be an advantage in blocking. Players who are taller and playing the power forward or center positions generally record more blocks than players who are shorter and playing the guard positions. However, with good timing and a sufficiently high vertical leap, even shorter players can be effective shot blockers.

Height

At the professional level, most male players are above 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and most women above 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m). Guards, for whom physical coordination and ball-handling skills are crucial, tend to be the smallest players. Almost all forwards in the top men’s pro leagues are 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) or taller. Most centers are over 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) tall. According to a survey given to all NBA teams,^[when?] the average height of all NBA players is just under 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m), with the average weight being close to 222 pounds (101 kg). The tallest players ever in the NBA were Manute Bol and Gheorghe Mureșan, who were both 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m) tall. At 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m), Margo Dydek was the tallest player in the history of the WNBA.

The shortest player ever to play in the NBA is Muggsy Bogues at 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m).^[60] Other average-height or relatively short players have thrived at the pro level, including Anthony «Spud» Webb, who was 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall, but had a 42-inch (1.1 m) vertical leap, giving him significant height when jumping, and Temeka Johnson, who won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and a championship with the Phoenix Mercury while standing only 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m). While shorter players are often at a disadvantage in certain aspects of the game, their ability to navigate quickly through crowded areas of the court and steal the ball by reaching low are strengths.

Players regularly inflate their height in high school or college. Many prospects exaggerate their height while in high school or college to make themselves more appealing to coaches and scouts, who prefer taller players. Charles Barkley stated; «I’ve been measured at 6-5, 6-4+3⁄4. But I started in college at 6-6.» Sam Smith, a former writer from the Chicago Tribune, said: «We sort of know the heights, because after camp, the sheet comes out. But you use that height, and the player gets mad. And then you hear from his agent. Or you file your story with the right height, and the copy desk changes it because they have the ‘official’ N.B.A. media guide, which is wrong. So you sort of go along with the joke.»^[61]

Since the 2019-20 NBA season heights of NBA players are recorded definitively by measuring players with their shoes off.^[62]

Variations and similar games

Variations of basketball are activities based on the game of basketball, using common basketball skills and equipment (primarily the ball and basket). Some variations only have superficial rule changes, while others are distinct games with varying degrees of influence from basketball. Other variations include children’s games, contests or activities meant to help players reinforce skills.

An earlier version of basketball, played primarily by women and girls, was Six-on-six basketball. Horseball is a game played on horseback where a ball is handled and points are scored by shooting it through a high net (approximately 1.5m×1.5m). The sport is like a combination of polo, rugby, and basketball. There is even a form played on donkeys known as Donkey basketball, which has attracted criticism from animal rights groups.

Half-court

Perhaps the single most common variation of basketball is the half-court game, played in informal settings without referees or strict rules. Only one basket is used, and the ball must be «taken back» or «cleared» – passed or dribbled outside the three-point line each time possession of the ball changes from one team to the other. Half-court games require less cardiovascular stamina, since players need not run back and forth a full court. Half-court raises the number of players that can use a court or, conversely, can be played if there is an insufficient number to form full 5-on-5 teams.

Half-court basketball is usually played 1-on-1, 2-on-2 or 3-on-3. The latter variation is gradually gaining official recognition as 3×3, originally known as FIBA 33. It was first tested at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games in Macau and the first official tournaments were held at the 2009 Asian Youth Games and the 2010 Youth Olympics, both in Singapore. The first FIBA 3×3 Youth World Championships^[63] were held in Rimini, Italy in 2011, with the first FIBA 3×3 World Championships for senior teams following a year later in Athens. The sport is highly tipped to become an Olympic sport as early as 2016.^[64] In the summer of 2017, the BIG3 basketball league, a professional 3×3 half court basketball league that features former NBA players, began. The BIG3 features several rule variants including a four-point field goal.^[65]

Other variations

Variations of basketball with their own page or subsection include:

• One-on-one is a variation in which two players will use only a small section of the court (often no more than a half of a court) and compete to play the ball into a single hoop. Such games tend to emphasize individual dribbling and ball stealing skills over shooting and team play.
• Dunk Hoops is a variation played on basketball hoops with lowered (under basketball regulation 10 feet) rims. It originated when the popularity of the slam dunk grew and was developed to create better chances for dunks with lowered rims and using altered goaltending rules.
• Unicycle basketball is played using a regulation basketball on a regular basketball court with the same rules, for example, one must dribble the ball while riding. There are a number of rules that are particular to unicycle basketball as well, for example, a player must have at least one foot on a pedal when in-bounding the ball. Unicycle basketball is usually played using 24″ or smaller unicycles, and using plastic pedals, both to preserve the court and the players’ shins. Popular unicycle basketball games are organized in North America.^[67]

Spin-offs from basketball that are now separate sports include:

• Ringball, a traditional South African sport that stems from basketball, has been played since 1907. The sport is now promoted in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, India, and Mauritius to establish Ringball as an international sport.
• Korfball (Dutch: Korfbal, korf meaning ‘basket’) started in the Netherlands and is now played worldwide as a mixed-gender team ball game, similar to mixed netball and basketball.
• Netball is a limited-contact team sport in which two teams of seven try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a high hoop. Australia New Zealand champions (so called ANZ Championship) is very famous in Australia and New Zealand as the premier netball league. Formerly played exclusively by women, netball today features mixed-gender competitions.
• Slamball, invented by television writer Mason Gordon, is a full-contact sport featuring trampolines. The main difference from basketball is the court; below the padded rim and backboard are four trampolines set into the floor, which serve to propel players to great heights for slam dunks. The rules also permit some physical contact between the members of the four-player teams. Professional games of Slamball aired on Spike TV in 2002, and the sport has since expanded to China and other countries.

• 

  A basketball player in Israel, 1969

• 

  A basketball training course at the Phan Đình Phùng High School, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Basketball as a social and communal sport features environments, rules and demographics different from those seen in professional and televised basketball.

Recreational basketball

Basketball is played widely as an extracurricular, intramural or amateur sport in schools and colleges. Notable institutions of recreational basketball include:

• Basketball schools and academies, where students are trained in developing basketball fundamentals, undergo fitness and endurance exercises and learn various basketball skills. Basketball students learn proper ways of passing, ball handling, dribbling, shooting from various distances, rebounding, offensive moves, defense, layups, screens, basketball rules and basketball ethics. Also popular are the basketball camps organized for various occasions, often to get prepared for basketball events, and basketball clinics for improving skills.
• College and university basketball played in educational institutions of higher learning. This includes National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) intercollegiate basketball.

Disabled basketball

• Deaf basketball: One of several deaf sports, deaf basketball relies on signing for communication. Any deaf sporting event that happens, its purpose is to serve as a catalyst for the socialization of a low-incidence and geographically dispersed population.^[68]
• Wheelchair basketball: A sport based on basketball but designed for disabled people in wheelchairs and considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. There is a functional classification system that is used to help determine if the wheelchair basketball player classification system reflects the existing differences in the performance of elite female players. This system gives an analysis of the players’ functional resources through field-testing and game observation. During this system’s process, players are assigned a score of 1 to 4.5.^[69]

Other forms

• Biddy basketball played by minors, sometimes in formal tournaments, around the globe.
• Gay basketball played in LGBTQIA+ communities. The sport is a major event during the Gay Games, World Outgames and EuroGames.
• Midnight basketball, an initiative to curb inner-city crime in the United States and elsewhere by engaging youth in urban areas with sports as an alternative to drugs and crime.
• Rezball, short for reservation ball, is the avid Native American following of basketball, particularly a style of play particular to Native American teams of some areas.

Fantasy basketball

Fantasy basketball was popularized during the 1990s by ESPN Fantasy Sports, NBA.com, and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. On the model of fantasy baseball and football, players create fictional teams, select professional basketball players to «play» on these teams through a mock draft or trades, then calculate points based on the players’ real-world performance.

See also

References

Citations

General references

Further reading

External links

Historical

• Basketball Hall of Fame – Springfield, MA
• National Basketball Foundation – runs the Naismith Museum in Ontario
• Hometown Sports Heroes

Organizations

• Basketball at the Olympic Games
• International Basketball Federation
• National Basketball Association
• Women’s National Basketball Association
• Continental Basketball Association (oldest professional basketball league in the world)
• National Wheelchair Basketball Association

Other sources

• «Basketball». Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
• Basketball at Curlie
• Eurobasket website
• Basketball-Reference.com: Basketball Statistics, Analysis and History Archived February 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
• Ontario’s Historical Plaques – Dr. James Naismith (1861–1939)

Basketball

Vince Carter (blue) tries to make a layup shot, while Pau Gasol (yellow) defends the basket
Highest governing body	FIBA
First played	December 21, 1891; 131 years ago. Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Characteristics
Contact	Limited
Team members	5 per side
Mixed-sex	Yes, separate competitions
Type	Indoor/Outdoor
Equipment	Basketball
Venue	Indoor court (mainly) or outdoor court (Streetball)
Glossary	Glossary of basketball
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide
Olympic	Yes, demonstrated in the 1904 and 1924 Summer Olympics Part of the Summer Olympic program since 1936
Paralympic	Yes

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately 9.4 inches (24 cm) in diameter) through the defender’s hoop (a basket 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high to a backboard at each end of the court, while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play (overtime) is mandated.

Players advance the ball by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling) or by passing it to a teammate, both of which require considerable skill. On offense, players may use a variety of shots – the layup, the jump shot, or a dunk; on defense, they may steal the ball from a dribbler, intercept passes, or block shots; either offense or defense may collect a rebound, that is, a missed shot that bounces from rim or backboard. It is a violation to lift or drag one’s pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling.

The five players on each side fall into five playing positions. The tallest player is usually the center, the second-tallest and strongest is the power forward, a slightly shorter but more agile player is the small forward, and the shortest players or the best ball handlers are the shooting guard and the point guard, who implements the coach’s game plan by managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays (player positioning). Informally, players may play three-on-three, two-on-two, and one-on-one.

Invented in 1891 by Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, basketball has evolved to become one of the world’s most popular and widely viewed sports.^[1][2] The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most significant professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition.^[3][4] Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the EuroLeague and the Basketball Champions League Americas. The FIBA Basketball World Cup and Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament are the major international events of the sport and attract top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for national teams, like EuroBasket and FIBA AmeriCup.

The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament feature top national teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA (NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship is also popular), whereas the strongest European clubs participate in the EuroLeague Women.

History

Creation

In December 1891, James Naismith, a Canadian professor of physical education and instructor at the International Young Men’s Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts,^[5] was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day.^[6] He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New England winters. After rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he invented a new game in which players would pass a ball to teammates and try to score points by tossing the ball into a basket mounted on a wall. Naismith wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto an elevated track. Naismith initially set up the peach basket with its bottom intact, which meant that the ball had to be retrieved manually after each «basket» or point scored. This quickly proved tedious, so Naismith removed the bottom of the basket to allow the balls to be poked out with a long dowel after each scored basket.

Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball. These round balls from «association football» were made, at the time, with a set of laces to close off the hole needed for inserting the inflatable bladder after the other sewn-together segments of the ball’s cover had been flipped outside-in.^[7][8] These laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable.^[9] Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith. (Whereas in American football, the lace construction proved to be advantageous for gripping and remains to this day.) The first balls made specifically for basketball were brown, and it was only in the late 1950s that Tony Hinkle, searching for a ball that would be more visible to players and spectators alike, introduced the orange ball that is now in common use. Dribbling was not part of the original game except for the «bounce pass» to teammates. Passing the ball was the primary means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the asymmetric shape of early balls.^{[dubious – discuss]} Dribbling was common by 1896, with a rule against the double dribble by 1898.^[10]

The peach baskets were used until 1906 when they were finally replaced by metal hoops with backboards. A further change was soon made, so the ball merely passed through. Whenever a person got the ball in the basket, his team would gain a point. Whichever team got the most points won the game.^[11] The baskets were originally nailed to the mezzanine balcony of the playing court, but this proved impractical when spectators in the balcony began to interfere with shots. The backboard was introduced to prevent this interference; it had the additional effect of allowing rebound shots.^[12] Naismith’s handwritten diaries, discovered by his granddaughter in early 2006, indicate that he was nervous about the new game he had invented, which incorporated rules from a children’s game called duck on a rock, as many had failed before it.^[13]

Frank Mahan, one of the players from the original first game, approached Naismith after the Christmas break, in early 1892, asking him what he intended to call his new game. Naismith replied that he hadn’t thought of it because he had been focused on just getting the game started. Mahan suggested that it be called «Naismith ball», at which he laughed, saying that a name like that would kill any game. Mahan then said, «Why not call it basketball?» Naismith replied, «We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it.»^[14][15] The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany, New York, on January 20, 1892, with nine players. The game ended at 1–0; the shot was made from 25 feet (7.6 m), on a court just half the size of a present-day Streetball or National Basketball Association (NBA) court.

At the time, soccer was being played with 10 to a team (which was increased to 11). When winter weather got too icy to play soccer, teams were taken indoors, and it was convenient to have them split in half and play basketball with five on each side. By 1897–1898 teams of five became standard.

College basketball

Basketball’s early adherents were dispatched to YMCAs throughout the United States, and it quickly spread through the United States and Canada. By 1895, it was well established at several women’s high schools. While YMCA was responsible for initially developing and spreading the game, within a decade it discouraged the new sport, as rough play and rowdy crowds began to detract from YMCA’s primary mission. However, other amateur sports clubs, colleges, and professional clubs quickly filled the void. In the years before World War I, the Amateur Athletic Union and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (forerunner of the NCAA) vied for control over the rules for the game. The first pro league, the National Basketball League, was formed in 1898 to protect players from exploitation and to promote a less rough game. This league only lasted five years.

James Naismith was instrumental in establishing college basketball. His colleague C. O. Beamis fielded the first college basketball team just a year after the Springfield YMCA game at the suburban Pittsburgh Geneva College.^[16] Naismith himself later coached at the University of Kansas for six years, before handing the reins to renowned coach Forrest «Phog» Allen. Naismith’s disciple Amos Alonzo Stagg brought basketball to the University of Chicago, while Adolph Rupp, a student of Naismith’s at Kansas, enjoyed great success as coach at the University of Kentucky. On February 9, 1895, the first intercollegiate 5-on-5 game was played at Hamline University between Hamline and the School of Agriculture, which was affiliated with the University of Minnesota.^[17][18][19] The School of Agriculture won in a 9–3 game.

⁣

In 1901, colleges, including the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, the University of Minnesota, the U.S. Naval Academy, the University of Colorado and Yale University began sponsoring men’s games. In 1905, frequent injuries on the football field prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to suggest that colleges form a governing body, resulting in the creation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). In 1910, that body changed its name to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The first Canadian interuniversity basketball game was played at YMCA in Kingston, Ontario on February 6, 1904, when McGill University – Naismith’s alma mater – visited Queen’s University. McGill won 9–7 in overtime; the score was 7–7 at the end of regulation play, and a ten-minute overtime period settled the outcome. A good turnout of spectators watched the game.^[20]

The first men’s national championship tournament, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball tournament, which still exists as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament, was organized in 1937. The first national championship for NCAA teams, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in New York, was organized in 1938; the NCAA national tournament began one year later. College basketball was rocked by gambling scandals from 1948 to 1951, when dozens of players from top teams were implicated in match fixing and point shaving. Partially spurred by an association with cheating, the NIT lost support to the NCAA tournament.

High school basketball

Before widespread school district consolidation, most American high schools were far smaller than their present-day counterparts. During the first decades of the 20th century, basketball quickly became the ideal interscholastic sport due to its modest equipment and personnel requirements. In the days before widespread television coverage of professional and college sports, the popularity of high school basketball was unrivaled in many parts of America. Perhaps the most legendary of high school teams was Indiana’s Franklin Wonder Five, which took the nation by storm during the 1920s, dominating Indiana basketball and earning national recognition.

Today virtually every high school in the United States fields a basketball team in varsity competition.^[21] Basketball’s popularity remains high, both in rural areas where they carry the identification of the entire community, as well as at some larger schools known for their basketball teams where many players go on to participate at higher levels of competition after graduation. In the 2016–17 season, 980,673 boys and girls represented their schools in interscholastic basketball competition, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.^[22] The states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky are particularly well known for their residents’ devotion to high school basketball, commonly called Hoosier Hysteria in Indiana; the critically acclaimed film Hoosiers shows high school basketball’s depth of meaning to these communities.

There is currently no tournament to determine a national high school champion. The most serious effort was the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at the University of Chicago from 1917 to 1930. The event was organized by Amos Alonzo Stagg and sent invitations to state champion teams. The tournament started out as a mostly Midwest affair but grew. In 1929 it had 29 state champions. Faced with opposition from the National Federation of State High School Associations and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that bore a threat of the schools losing their accreditation the last tournament was in 1930. The organizations said they were concerned that the tournament was being used to recruit professional players from the prep ranks.^[23] The tournament did not invite minority schools or private/parochial schools.

The National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament ran from 1924 to 1941 at Loyola University.^[24] The National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament from 1954 to 1978 played at a series of venues, including Catholic University, Georgetown and George Mason.^[25] The National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools was held from 1929 to 1942 at Hampton Institute.^[26] The National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held from 1941 to 1967 starting out at Tuskegee Institute. Following a pause during World War II it resumed at Tennessee State College in Nashville. The basis for the champion dwindled after 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education began an integration of schools. The last tournaments were held at Alabama State College from 1964 to 1967.^[27]

Professional basketball

Teams abounded throughout the 1920s. There were hundreds of men’s professional basketball teams in towns and cities all over the United States, and little organization of the professional game. Players jumped from team to team and teams played in armories and smoky dance halls. Leagues came and went. Barnstorming squads such as the Original Celtics and two all-African American teams, the New York Renaissance Five («Rens») and the (still existing) Harlem Globetrotters played up to two hundred games a year on their national tours.

In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed. The first game was played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers on November 1, 1946. Three seasons later, in 1949, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). By the 1950s, basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball. In 1959, a basketball hall of fame was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, site of the first game. Its rosters include the names of great players, coaches, referees and people who have contributed significantly to the development of the game. The hall of fame has people who have accomplished many goals in their career in basketball. An upstart organization, the American Basketball Association, emerged in 1967 and briefly threatened the NBA’s dominance until the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Today the NBA is the top professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition.

The NBA has featured many famous players, including George Mikan, the first dominating «big man»; ball-handling wizard Bob Cousy and defensive genius Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics; charismatic center Wilt Chamberlain, who originally played for the barnstorming Harlem Globetrotters; all-around stars Oscar Robertson and Jerry West; more recent big men Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone; playmakers John Stockton, Isiah Thomas and Steve Nash; crowd-pleasing forwards Julius Erving and Charles Barkley; European stars Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker; Latin American stars Manu Ginobili, more recent superstars , Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, etc; and the three players who many credit with ushering the professional game to its highest level of popularity during the 1980s and 1990s: Larry Bird, Earvin «Magic» Johnson, and Michael Jordan.

In 2001, the NBA formed a developmental league, the National Basketball Development League (later known as the NBA D-League and then the NBA G League after a branding deal with Gatorade). As of the 2021–22 season, the G League has 30 teams.

International basketball

FIBA (International Basketball Federation) was formed in 1932 by eight founding nations: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland. At this time, the organization only oversaw amateur players. Its acronym, derived from the French Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball Amateur, was thus «FIBA». Men’s basketball was first included at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics, although a demonstration tournament was held in 1904. The United States defeated Canada in the first final, played outdoors. This competition has usually been dominated by the United States, whose team has won all but three titles. The first of these came in a controversial final game in Munich in 1972 against the Soviet Union, in which the ending of the game was replayed three times until the Soviet Union finally came out on top.^[28] In 1950 the first FIBA World Championship for men, now known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup, was held in Argentina. Three years later, the first FIBA World Championship for women, now known as the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, was held in Chile. Women’s basketball was added to the Olympics in 1976, which were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with teams such as the Soviet Union, Brazil and Australia rivaling the American squads.

In 1989, FIBA allowed professional NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time. Prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics, only European and South American teams were allowed to field professionals in the Olympics. The United States’ dominance continued with the introduction of the original Dream Team. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, the United States suffered its first Olympic loss while using professional players, falling to Puerto Rico (in a 19-point loss) and Lithuania in group games, and being eliminated in the semifinals by Argentina. It eventually won the bronze medal defeating Lithuania, finishing behind Argentina and Italy. The Redeem Team, won gold at the 2008 Olympics, and the B-Team, won gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey despite featuring no players from the 2008 squad. The United States continued its dominance as they won gold at the 2012 Olympics, 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

Worldwide, basketball tournaments are held for boys and girls of all age levels. The global popularity of the sport is reflected in the nationalities represented in the NBA. Players from all six inhabited continents currently play in the NBA. Top international players began coming into the NBA in the mid-1990s, including Croatians Dražen Petrović and Toni Kukoč, Serbian Vlade Divac, Lithuanians Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Dutchman Rik Smits and German Detlef Schrempf.

In the Philippines, the Philippine Basketball Association’s first game was played on April 9, 1975, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded as a «rebellion» of several teams from the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association, which was tightly controlled by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (now defunct), the then-FIBA recognized national association. Nine teams from the MICAA participated in the league’s first season that opened on April 9, 1975. The NBL is Australia’s pre-eminent men’s professional basketball league. The league commenced in 1979, playing a winter season (April–September) and did so until the completion of the 20th season in 1998. The 1998–99 season, which commenced only months later, was the first season after the shift to the current summer season format (October–April). This shift was an attempt to avoid competing directly against Australia’s various football codes. It features 8 teams from around Australia and one in New Zealand. A few players including Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Chris Anstey and Andrew Bogut made it big internationally, becoming poster figures for the sport in Australia. The Women’s National Basketball League began in 1981.

Women’s basketball

Women’s basketball began in 1892 at Smith College when Senda Berenson, a physical education teacher, modified Naismith’s rules for women. Shortly after she was hired at Smith, she went to Naismith to learn more about the game.^[29] Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could teach, she organized the first women’s collegiate basketball game on March 21, 1893, when her Smith freshmen and sophomores played against one another.^[30] However, the first women’s interinstitutional game was played in 1892 between the University of California and Miss Head’s School.^[31] Berenson’s rules were first published in 1899, and two years later she became the editor of A. G. Spalding’s first Women’s Basketball Guide.^[30] Berenson’s freshmen played the sophomore class in the first women’s intercollegiate basketball game at Smith College, March 21, 1893.^[32] The same year, Mount Holyoke and Sophie Newcomb College (coached by Clara Gregory Baer) women began playing basketball. By 1895, the game had spread to colleges across the country, including Wellesley, Vassar, and Bryn Mawr. The first intercollegiate women’s game was on April 4, 1896. Stanford women played Berkeley, 9-on-9, ending in a 2–1 Stanford victory.

Women’s basketball development was more structured than that for men in the early years. In 1905, the executive committee on Basket Ball Rules (National Women’s Basketball Committee) was created by the American Physical Education Association.^[33] These rules called for six to nine players per team and 11 officials. The International Women’s Sports Federation (1924) included a women’s basketball competition. 37 women’s high school varsity basketball or state tournaments were held by 1925. And in 1926, the Amateur Athletic Union backed the first national women’s basketball championship, complete with men’s rules.^[33] The Edmonton Grads, a touring Canadian women’s team based in Edmonton, Alberta, operated between 1915 and 1940. The Grads toured all over North America, and were exceptionally successful. They posted a record of 522 wins and only 20 losses over that span, as they met any team that wanted to challenge them, funding their tours from gate receipts.^[34] The Grads also shone on several exhibition trips to Europe, and won four consecutive exhibition Olympics tournaments, in 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936; however, women’s basketball was not an official Olympic sport until 1976. The Grads’ players were unpaid, and had to remain single. The Grads’ style focused on team play, without overly emphasizing skills of individual players. The first women’s AAU All-America team was chosen in 1929.^[33] Women’s industrial leagues sprang up throughout the United States, producing famous athletes, including Babe Didrikson of the Golden Cyclones, and the All American Red Heads Team, which competed against men’s teams, using men’s rules. By 1938, the women’s national championship changed from a three-court game to two-court game with six players per team.^[33]

The NBA-backed Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) began in 1997. Though it had shaky attendance figures, several marquee players (Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, and Candace Parker among others) have helped the league’s popularity and level of competition. Other professional women’s basketball leagues in the United States, such as the American Basketball League (1996–98), have folded in part because of the popularity of the WNBA. The WNBA has been looked at by many as a niche league. However, the league has recently taken steps forward. In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ESPN. The new television deal ran from 2009 to 2016. Along with this deal, came the first-ever rights fees to be paid to a women’s professional sports league. Over the eight years of the contract, «millions and millions of dollars» were «dispersed to the league’s teams.» In a March 12, 2009, article, NBA commissioner David Stern said that in the bad economy, «the NBA is far less profitable than the WNBA. We’re losing a lot of money among a large number of teams. We’re budgeting the WNBA to break even this year.»^[35]

Rules and regulations

Measurements and time limits discussed in this section often vary among tournaments and organizations; international and NBA rules are used in this section.

The object of the game is to outscore one’s opponents by throwing the ball through the opponents’ basket from above while preventing the opponents from doing so on their own. An attempt to score in this way is called a shot. A successful shot is worth two points, or three points if it is taken from beyond the three-point arc 6.75 metres (22 ft 2 in) from the basket in international games^[36] and 23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m) in NBA games.^[37] A one-point shot can be earned when shooting from the foul line after a foul is made. After a team has scored from a field goal or free throw, play is resumed with a throw-in awarded to the non-scoring team taken from a point beyond the endline of the court where the points(s) were scored.^[38]

Playing regulations

Games are played in four quarters of 10 (FIBA)^[39] or 12 minutes (NBA).^[40] College men’s games use two 20-minute halves,^[41] college women’s games use 10-minute quarters,^[42] and most United States high school varsity games use 8-minute quarters; however, this varies from state to state.^[43][44] 15 minutes are allowed for a half-time break under FIBA, NBA, and NCAA rules^[41][45][46] and 10 minutes in United States high schools.^[43] Overtime periods are five minutes in length^[41][47][48] except for high school, which is four minutes in length.^[43] Teams exchange baskets for the second half. The time allowed is actual playing time; the clock is stopped while the play is not active. Therefore, games generally take much longer to complete than the allotted game time, typically about two hours.

Five players from each team may be on the court at one time.^{[49][50][51][52]} Substitutions are unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped. Teams also have a coach, who oversees the development and strategies of the team, and other team personnel such as assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers.

For both men’s and women’s teams, a standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a jersey with a clearly visible number, unique within the team, printed on both the front and back. Players wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Typically, team names, players’ names and, outside of North America, sponsors are printed on the uniforms.

A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach (or sometimes mandated in the NBA) for a short meeting with the players, are allowed. They generally last no longer than one minute (100 seconds in the NBA) unless, for televised games, a commercial break is needed.

The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee (referred to as crew chief in the NBA), one or two umpires (referred to as referees in the NBA) and the table officials. For college, the NBA, and many high schools, there are a total of three referees on the court. The table officials are responsible for keeping track of each team’s scoring, timekeeping, individual and team fouls, player substitutions, team possession arrow, and the shot clock.

Equipment

The only essential equipment in a basketball game is the ball and the court: a flat, rectangular surface with baskets at opposite ends. Competitive levels require the use of more equipment such as clocks, score sheets, scoreboard(s), alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated stop-clock systems.

A regulation basketball court in international games is 28 meters (92 feet) long and 15 meters (49 feet) wide. In the NBA and NCAA the court is 94 by 50 feet (29 by 15 meters).^[37] Most courts have wood flooring, usually constructed from maple planks running in the same direction as the longer court dimension.^[53][54] The name and logo of the home team is usually painted on or around the center circle.

The basket is a steel rim 18 inches (46 cm) diameter with an attached net affixed to a backboard that measures 6 by 3.5 feet (1.8 by 1.1 meters) and one basket is at each end of the court. The white outlined box on the backboard is 18 inches (46 cm) high and 2 feet (61 cm) wide. At almost all levels of competition, the top of the rim is exactly 10 feet (3.05 meters) above the court and 4 feet (1.22 meters) inside the baseline. While variation is possible in the dimensions of the court and backboard, it is considered important for the basket to be of the correct height – a rim that is off by just a few inches can have an adverse effect on shooting. The net must «check the ball momentarily as it passes through the basket» to aid the visual confirmation that the ball went through.^[55] The act of checking the ball has the further advantage of slowing down the ball so the rebound doesn’t go as far.^[56]

The size of the basketball is also regulated. For men, the official ball is 29.5 inches (75 cm) in circumference (size 7, or a «295 ball») and weighs 22 oz (620 g). If women are playing, the official basketball size is 28.5 inches (72 cm) in circumference (size 6, or a «285 ball») with a weight of 20 oz (570 g). In 3×3, a formalized version of the halfcourt 3-on-3 game, a dedicated ball with the circumference of a size 6 ball but the weight of a size 7 ball is used in all competitions (men’s, women’s, and mixed teams).^[57]

Violations

The ball may be advanced toward the basket by being shot, passed between players, thrown, tapped, rolled or dribbled (bouncing the ball while running).

The ball must stay within the court; the last team to touch the ball before it travels out of bounds forfeits possession. The ball is out of bounds if it touches a boundary line, or touches any player or object that is out of bounds.

There are limits placed on the steps a player may take without dribbling, which commonly results in an infraction known as traveling. Nor may a player stop his dribble and then resume dribbling. A dribble that touches both hands is considered stopping the dribble, giving this infraction the name double dribble. Within a dribble, the player cannot carry the ball by placing his hand on the bottom of the ball; doing so is known as carrying the ball. A team, once having established ball control in the front half of their court, may not return the ball to the backcourt and be the first to touch it. A violation of these rules results in loss of possession.

The ball may not be kicked, nor be struck with the fist. For the offense, a violation of these rules results in loss of possession; for the defense, most leagues reset the shot clock and the offensive team is given possession of the ball out of bounds.

There are limits imposed on the time taken before progressing the ball past halfway (8 seconds in FIBA and the NBA; 10 seconds in NCAA and high school for both sexes), before attempting a shot (24 seconds in FIBA, the NBA, and U Sports (Canadian universities) play for both sexes, and 30 seconds in NCAA play for both sexes), holding the ball while closely guarded (5 seconds), and remaining in the restricted area known as the free-throw lane, (or the «key») (3 seconds). These rules are designed to promote more offense.

There are also limits on how players may block an opponent’s field goal attempt or help a teammate’s field goal attempt. Goaltending is a defender’s touching of a ball that is on a downward flight toward the basket, while the related violation of basket interference is the touching of a ball that is on the rim or above the basket, or by a player reaching through the basket from below. Goaltending and basket interference committed by a defender result in awarding the basket to the offense, while basket interference committed by an offensive player results in cancelling the basket if one is scored. The defense gains possession in all cases of goaltending or basket interference.

Fouls

An attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through certain types of physical contact is illegal and is called a personal foul. These are most commonly committed by defensive players; however, they can be committed by offensive players as well. Players who are fouled either receive the ball to pass inbounds again, or receive one or more free throws if they are fouled in the act of shooting, depending on whether the shot was successful. One point is awarded for making a free throw, which is attempted from a line 15 feet (4.6 m) from the basket.

The referee is responsible for judging whether contact is illegal, sometimes resulting in controversy. The calling of fouls can vary between games, leagues and referees.

There is a second category of fouls called technical fouls, which may be charged for various rules violations including failure to properly record a player in the scorebook, or for unsportsmanlike conduct. These infractions result in one or two free throws, which may be taken by any of the five players on the court at the time. Repeated incidents can result in disqualification. A blatant foul involving physical contact that is either excessive or unnecessary is called an intentional foul (flagrant foul in the NBA). In FIBA and NCAA women’s basketball, a foul resulting in ejection is called a disqualifying foul, while in leagues other than the NBA, such a foul is referred to as flagrant.

If a team exceeds a certain limit of team fouls in a given period (quarter or half) – four for NBA, NCAA women’s, and international games – the opposing team is awarded one or two free throws on all subsequent non-shooting fouls for that period, the number depending on the league. In the US college men’s game and high school games for both sexes, if a team reaches 7 fouls in a half, the opposing team is awarded one free throw, along with a second shot if the first is made. This is called shooting «one-and-one». If a team exceeds 10 fouls in the half, the opposing team is awarded two free throws on all subsequent fouls for the half.

When a team shoots foul shots, the opponents may not interfere with the shooter, nor may they try to regain possession until the last or potentially last free throw is in the air.

After a team has committed a specified number of fouls, the other team is said to be «in the bonus». On scoreboards, this is usually signified with an indicator light reading «Bonus» or «Penalty» with an illuminated directional arrow or dot indicating that team is to receive free throws when fouled by the opposing team. (Some scoreboards also indicate the number of fouls committed.)

If a team misses the first shot of a two-shot situation, the opposing team must wait for the completion of the second shot before attempting to reclaim possession of the ball and continuing play.

If a player is fouled while attempting a shot and the shot is unsuccessful, the player is awarded a number of free throws equal to the value of the attempted shot. A player fouled while attempting a regular two-point shot thus receives two shots, and a player fouled while attempting a three-point shot receives three shots.

If a player is fouled while attempting a shot and the shot is successful, typically the player will be awarded one additional free throw for one point. In combination with a regular shot, this is called a «three-point play» or «four-point play» (or more colloquially, an «and one») because of the basket made at the time of the foul (2 or 3 points) and the additional free throw (1 point).

Common techniques and practices

Positions

Although the rules do not specify any positions whatsoever, they have evolved as part of basketball. During the early years of basketball’s evolution, two guards, two forwards, and one center were used. In more recent times specific positions evolved, but the current trend, advocated by many top coaches including Mike Krzyzewski, is towards positionless basketball, where big players are free to shoot from outside and dribble if their skill allows it.^[58] Popular descriptions of positions include:

Point guard (often called the «1«) : usually the fastest player on the team, organizes the team’s offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time.

Shooting guard (the «2«) : creates a high volume of shots on offense, mainly long-ranged; and guards the opponent’s best perimeter player on defense.

Small forward (the «3«) : often primarily responsible for scoring points via cuts to the basket and dribble penetration; on defense seeks rebounds and steals, but sometimes plays more actively.

Power forward (the «4«): plays offensively often with their back to the basket; on defense, plays under the basket (in a zone defense) or against the opposing power forward (in man-to-man defense).

Center (the «5«): uses height and size to score (on offense), to protect the basket closely (on defense), or to rebound.

The above descriptions are flexible. For most teams today, the shooting guard and small forward have very similar responsibilities and are often called the wings, as do the power forward and center, who are often called post players. While most teams describe two players as guards, two as forwards, and one as a center, on some occasions teams choose to call them by different designations.

Strategy

There are two main defensive strategies: zone defense and man-to-man defense. In a zone defense, each player is assigned to guard a specific area of the court. Zone defenses often allow the defense to double team the ball, a manoeuver known as a trap. In a man-to-man defense, each defensive player guards a specific opponent.

Offensive plays are more varied, normally involving planned passes and movement by players without the ball. A quick movement by an offensive player without the ball to gain an advantageous position is known as a cut. A legal attempt by an offensive player to stop an opponent from guarding a teammate, by standing in the defender’s way such that the teammate cuts next to him, is a screen or pick. The two plays are combined in the pick and roll, in which a player sets a pick and then «rolls» away from the pick towards the basket. Screens and cuts are very important in offensive plays; these allow the quick passes and teamwork, which can lead to a successful basket. Teams almost always have several offensive plays planned to ensure their movement is not predictable. On court, the point guard is usually responsible for indicating which play will occur.

Shooting

Shooting is the act of attempting to score points by throwing the ball through the basket, methods varying with players and situations.

Typically, a player faces the basket with both feet facing the basket. A player will rest the ball on the fingertips of the dominant hand (the shooting arm) slightly above the head, with the other hand supporting the side of the ball. The ball is usually shot by jumping (though not always) and extending the shooting arm. The shooting arm, fully extended with the wrist fully bent, is held stationary for a moment following the release of the ball, known as a follow-through. Players often try to put a steady backspin on the ball to absorb its impact with the rim. The ideal trajectory of the shot is somewhat controversial, but generally a proper arc is recommended. Players may shoot directly into the basket or may use the backboard to redirect the ball into the basket.

The two most common shots that use the above described setup are the set shot and the jump shot. Both are preceded by a crouching action which preloads the muscles and increases the power of the shot. In a set shot, the shooter straightens up and throws from a standing position with neither foot leaving the floor; this is typically used for free throws. For a jump shot, the throw is taken in mid-air with the ball being released near the top of the jump. This provides much greater power and range, and it also allows the player to elevate over the defender. Failure to release the ball before the feet return to the floor is considered a traveling violation.

Another common shot is called the layup. This shot requires the player to be in motion toward the basket, and to «lay» the ball «up» and into the basket, typically off the backboard (the backboard-free, underhand version is called a finger roll). The most crowd-pleasing and typically highest-percentage accuracy shot is the slam dunk, in which the player jumps very high and throws the ball downward, through the basket while touching it.

Another shot that is less common than the layup, is the «circus shot». The circus shot is a low-percentage shot that is flipped, heaved, scooped, or flung toward the hoop while the shooter is off-balance, airborne, falling down, and/or facing away from the basket. A back-shot is a shot taken when the player is facing away from the basket, and may be shot with the dominant hand, or both; but there is a very low chance that the shot will be successful.^[59]

A shot that misses both the rim and the backboard completely is referred to as an air ball. A particularly bad shot, or one that only hits the backboard, is jocularly called a brick. The hang time is the length of time a player stays in the air after jumping, either to make a slam dunk, layup or jump shot.

Rebounding

The objective of rebounding is to successfully gain possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw, as it rebounds from the hoop or backboard. This plays a major role in the game, as most possessions end when a team misses a shot. There are two categories of rebounds: offensive rebounds, in which the ball is recovered by the offensive side and does not change possession, and defensive rebounds, in which the defending team gains possession of the loose ball. The majority of rebounds are defensive, as the team on defense tends to be in better position to recover missed shots.

Passing

A pass is a method of moving the ball between players. Most passes are accompanied by a step forward to increase power and are followed through with the hands to ensure accuracy.

A staple pass is the chest pass. The ball is passed directly from the passer’s chest to the receiver’s chest. A proper chest pass involves an outward snap of the thumbs to add velocity and leaves the defence little time to react.

Another type of pass is the bounce pass. Here, the passer bounces the ball crisply about two-thirds of the way from his own chest to the receiver. The ball strikes the court and bounces up toward the receiver. The bounce pass takes longer to complete than the chest pass, but it is also harder for the opposing team to intercept (kicking the ball deliberately is a violation). Thus, players often use the bounce pass in crowded moments, or to pass around a defender.

The overhead pass is used to pass the ball over a defender. The ball is released while over the passer’s head.

The outlet pass occurs after a team gets a defensive rebound. The next pass after the rebound is the outlet pass.

The crucial aspect of any good pass is it being difficult to intercept. Good passers can pass the ball with great accuracy and they know exactly where each of their other teammates prefers to receive the ball. A special way of doing this is passing the ball without looking at the receiving teammate. This is called a no-look pass.

Another advanced style of passing is the behind-the-back pass, which, as the description implies, involves throwing the ball behind the passer’s back to a teammate. Although some players can perform such a pass effectively, many coaches discourage no-look or behind-the-back passes, believing them to be difficult to control and more likely to result in turnovers or violations.

Dribbling

Dribbling is the act of bouncing the ball continuously with one hand and is a requirement for a player to take steps with the ball. To dribble, a player pushes the ball down towards the ground with the fingertips rather than patting it; this ensures greater control.

When dribbling past an opponent, the dribbler should dribble with the hand farthest from the opponent, making it more difficult for the defensive player to get to the ball. It is therefore important for a player to be able to dribble competently with both hands.

Good dribblers (or «ball handlers») tend to keep their dribbling hand low to the ground, reducing the distance of travel of the ball from the floor to the hand, making it more difficult for the defender to «steal» the ball. Good ball handlers frequently dribble behind their backs, between their legs, and switch directions suddenly, making a less predictable dribbling pattern that is more difficult to defend against. This is called a crossover, which is the most effective way to move past defenders while dribbling.

A skilled player can dribble without watching the ball, using the dribbling motion or peripheral vision to keep track of the ball’s location. By not having to focus on the ball, a player can look for teammates or scoring opportunities, as well as avoid the danger of having someone steal the ball away from him/her.

Blocking

A block is performed when, after a shot is attempted, a defender succeeds in altering the shot by touching the ball. In almost all variants of play, it is illegal to touch the ball after it is in the downward path of its arc; this is known as goaltending. It is also illegal under NBA and Men’s NCAA basketball to block a shot after it has touched the backboard, or when any part of the ball is directly above the rim. Under international rules it is illegal to block a shot that is in the downward path of its arc or one that has touched the backboard until the ball has hit the rim. After the ball hits the rim, it is again legal to touch it even though it is no longer considered as a block performed.

To block a shot, a player has to be able to reach a point higher than where the shot is released. Thus, height can be an advantage in blocking. Players who are taller and playing the power forward or center positions generally record more blocks than players who are shorter and playing the guard positions. However, with good timing and a sufficiently high vertical leap, even shorter players can be effective shot blockers.

Height

At the professional level, most male players are above 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and most women above 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m). Guards, for whom physical coordination and ball-handling skills are crucial, tend to be the smallest players. Almost all forwards in the top men’s pro leagues are 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) or taller. Most centers are over 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) tall. According to a survey given to all NBA teams,^[when?] the average height of all NBA players is just under 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m), with the average weight being close to 222 pounds (101 kg). The tallest players ever in the NBA were Manute Bol and Gheorghe Mureșan, who were both 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m) tall. At 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m), Margo Dydek was the tallest player in the history of the WNBA.

The shortest player ever to play in the NBA is Muggsy Bogues at 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m).^[60] Other average-height or relatively short players have thrived at the pro level, including Anthony «Spud» Webb, who was 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall, but had a 42-inch (1.1 m) vertical leap, giving him significant height when jumping, and Temeka Johnson, who won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and a championship with the Phoenix Mercury while standing only 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m). While shorter players are often at a disadvantage in certain aspects of the game, their ability to navigate quickly through crowded areas of the court and steal the ball by reaching low are strengths.

Players regularly inflate their height in high school or college. Many prospects exaggerate their height while in high school or college to make themselves more appealing to coaches and scouts, who prefer taller players. Charles Barkley stated; «I’ve been measured at 6-5, 6-4+3⁄4. But I started in college at 6-6.» Sam Smith, a former writer from the Chicago Tribune, said: «We sort of know the heights, because after camp, the sheet comes out. But you use that height, and the player gets mad. And then you hear from his agent. Or you file your story with the right height, and the copy desk changes it because they have the ‘official’ N.B.A. media guide, which is wrong. So you sort of go along with the joke.»^[61]

Since the 2019-20 NBA season heights of NBA players are recorded definitively by measuring players with their shoes off.^[62]

Variations and similar games

Variations of basketball are activities based on the game of basketball, using common basketball skills and equipment (primarily the ball and basket). Some variations only have superficial rule changes, while others are distinct games with varying degrees of influence from basketball. Other variations include children’s games, contests or activities meant to help players reinforce skills.

An earlier version of basketball, played primarily by women and girls, was Six-on-six basketball. Horseball is a game played on horseback where a ball is handled and points are scored by shooting it through a high net (approximately 1.5m×1.5m). The sport is like a combination of polo, rugby, and basketball. There is even a form played on donkeys known as Donkey basketball, which has attracted criticism from animal rights groups.

Half-court

Perhaps the single most common variation of basketball is the half-court game, played in informal settings without referees or strict rules. Only one basket is used, and the ball must be «taken back» or «cleared» – passed or dribbled outside the three-point line each time possession of the ball changes from one team to the other. Half-court games require less cardiovascular stamina, since players need not run back and forth a full court. Half-court raises the number of players that can use a court or, conversely, can be played if there is an insufficient number to form full 5-on-5 teams.

Half-court basketball is usually played 1-on-1, 2-on-2 or 3-on-3. The latter variation is gradually gaining official recognition as 3×3, originally known as FIBA 33. It was first tested at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games in Macau and the first official tournaments were held at the 2009 Asian Youth Games and the 2010 Youth Olympics, both in Singapore. The first FIBA 3×3 Youth World Championships^[63] were held in Rimini, Italy in 2011, with the first FIBA 3×3 World Championships for senior teams following a year later in Athens. The sport is highly tipped to become an Olympic sport as early as 2016.^[64] In the summer of 2017, the BIG3 basketball league, a professional 3×3 half court basketball league that features former NBA players, began. The BIG3 features several rule variants including a four-point field goal.^[65]

Other variations

Variations of basketball with their own page or subsection include:

• One-on-one is a variation in which two players will use only a small section of the court (often no more than a half of a court) and compete to play the ball into a single hoop. Such games tend to emphasize individual dribbling and ball stealing skills over shooting and team play.
• Dunk Hoops is a variation played on basketball hoops with lowered (under basketball regulation 10 feet) rims. It originated when the popularity of the slam dunk grew and was developed to create better chances for dunks with lowered rims and using altered goaltending rules.
• Unicycle basketball is played using a regulation basketball on a regular basketball court with the same rules, for example, one must dribble the ball while riding. There are a number of rules that are particular to unicycle basketball as well, for example, a player must have at least one foot on a pedal when in-bounding the ball. Unicycle basketball is usually played using 24″ or smaller unicycles, and using plastic pedals, both to preserve the court and the players’ shins. Popular unicycle basketball games are organized in North America.^[67]

Spin-offs from basketball that are now separate sports include:

• Ringball, a traditional South African sport that stems from basketball, has been played since 1907. The sport is now promoted in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, India, and Mauritius to establish Ringball as an international sport.
• Korfball (Dutch: Korfbal, korf meaning ‘basket’) started in the Netherlands and is now played worldwide as a mixed-gender team ball game, similar to mixed netball and basketball.
• Netball is a limited-contact team sport in which two teams of seven try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a high hoop. Australia New Zealand champions (so called ANZ Championship) is very famous in Australia and New Zealand as the premier netball league. Formerly played exclusively by women, netball today features mixed-gender competitions.
• Slamball, invented by television writer Mason Gordon, is a full-contact sport featuring trampolines. The main difference from basketball is the court; below the padded rim and backboard are four trampolines set into the floor, which serve to propel players to great heights for slam dunks. The rules also permit some physical contact between the members of the four-player teams. Professional games of Slamball aired on Spike TV in 2002, and the sport has since expanded to China and other countries.

• 

  A basketball player in Israel, 1969

• 

  A basketball training course at the Phan Đình Phùng High School, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Basketball as a social and communal sport features environments, rules and demographics different from those seen in professional and televised basketball.

Recreational basketball

Basketball is played widely as an extracurricular, intramural or amateur sport in schools and colleges. Notable institutions of recreational basketball include:

• Basketball schools and academies, where students are trained in developing basketball fundamentals, undergo fitness and endurance exercises and learn various basketball skills. Basketball students learn proper ways of passing, ball handling, dribbling, shooting from various distances, rebounding, offensive moves, defense, layups, screens, basketball rules and basketball ethics. Also popular are the basketball camps organized for various occasions, often to get prepared for basketball events, and basketball clinics for improving skills.
• College and university basketball played in educational institutions of higher learning. This includes National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) intercollegiate basketball.

Disabled basketball

• Deaf basketball: One of several deaf sports, deaf basketball relies on signing for communication. Any deaf sporting event that happens, its purpose is to serve as a catalyst for the socialization of a low-incidence and geographically dispersed population.^[68]
• Wheelchair basketball: A sport based on basketball but designed for disabled people in wheelchairs and considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. There is a functional classification system that is used to help determine if the wheelchair basketball player classification system reflects the existing differences in the performance of elite female players. This system gives an analysis of the players’ functional resources through field-testing and game observation. During this system’s process, players are assigned a score of 1 to 4.5.^[69]

Other forms

• Biddy basketball played by minors, sometimes in formal tournaments, around the globe.
• Gay basketball played in LGBTQIA+ communities. The sport is a major event during the Gay Games, World Outgames and EuroGames.
• Midnight basketball, an initiative to curb inner-city crime in the United States and elsewhere by engaging youth in urban areas with sports as an alternative to drugs and crime.
• Rezball, short for reservation ball, is the avid Native American following of basketball, particularly a style of play particular to Native American teams of some areas.

Fantasy basketball

Fantasy basketball was popularized during the 1990s by ESPN Fantasy Sports, NBA.com, and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. On the model of fantasy baseball and football, players create fictional teams, select professional basketball players to «play» on these teams through a mock draft or trades, then calculate points based on the players’ real-world performance.

See also

References

Citations

General references

Further reading

External links

Historical

• Basketball Hall of Fame – Springfield, MA
• National Basketball Foundation – runs the Naismith Museum in Ontario
• Hometown Sports Heroes

Organizations

• Basketball at the Olympic Games
• International Basketball Federation
• National Basketball Association
• Women’s National Basketball Association
• Continental Basketball Association (oldest professional basketball league in the world)
• National Wheelchair Basketball Association

Other sources

• «Basketball». Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
• Basketball at Curlie
• Eurobasket website
• Basketball-Reference.com: Basketball Statistics, Analysis and History Archived February 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
• Ontario’s Historical Plaques – Dr. James Naismith (1861–1939)

Баскетбол (история и правила) — сообщение доклад по физкультуре

Баскетбол – это игра 2 команд, во время которой забрасывают мяч в кольцо соперника. Задача команд, забросить больше мячей и противостоять сопернику. За забитые мячи дают очки. Баскетбол является самым популярным спортивным развлечением.

Баскетбол прекрасная игра. Она полезна не только для физического состояния, а и для эмоционального. Ведь когда играешь в баскетбол, чувства переполняют тебя. Все отрицательные эмоции будто выходят из тебя.

История возникновения игры

В 1891 году один из преподавателей урока физкультуры в США, по просьбе директора, решил оживить уроки и создать новый вид спортивных занятий. Он предложил забрасывать футбольные мячи в корзины для фруктов. Для этого он прикрепил их к балкону. Никаких правил, существующих сейчас, там не было, поэтому игра едва напоминала современный баскетбол. Игроки менялись и поочерёдно забрасывали мяч в корзины. Победа предоставлялась тем, кто забросит наибольшее количество раз.  Только через год создатель игры придумал правила, которые позволили сделать её ярче.

Современные правила баскетбола

• Официально игра начинается спорным броском.
• Играют на поле 2 команды. Количество участников 12 человек. Из них 5, которые непосредственно играют, а 7 поставлены для замены.
• Игроки, ведущие мяч, должны передвигаться, набивая его об пол.
• Матч игры состоит из 4 таймов. Время каждого тайма отличается в зависимости от того, в какой ассоциации играют.
• Мяч, который забросили, может привести команде разные очки. Это зависит от того в каком месте поля забросили и при каком периоде.
• Если во время основной игры, команды получили одинаковое количество очков, может назначаться повторные овертаймы, пока не определят победителя.
• 2 шага в баскетболе и игрок должен либо передать мяч, либо забросить.
• Существует довод, что в баскетбол лучше всего играть, имея высокий рост. Но как показало время, в баскетболе насчитывается множество игроков, которые имеют рост не выше 170 см или даже 160 см, например как самый низкий игрок Магси Богз.
• Раньше, как придумали баскетбол, правил было всего лишь 13. Но в современное время их насчитывают более 200.
• Некоторые данные полагают, что по правилам создателя баскетбола, мяч нужно было не набивать, а катить.

Интересные факты:

• Существует довод, что в баскетбол лучше всего играть, имея высокий рост. Но как показало время, в баскетболе насчитывается множество игроков, которые имеют рост не выше 170 см или даже 160 см, например как самый низкий игрок Магси Богз.
• Раньше, как придумали баскетбол, правил было всего лишь 13. Но в современное время их насчитывают более 200.
• Некоторые данные полагают, что по правилам создателя баскетбола, мяч нужно было не набивать, а катить.

Вариант 2

Начнем с того, что баскетбол — это популярная спортивная дисциплина. Задача игры очень проста: закинуть мяч в кольцо соперника. А команда состоит из 5 человек.

История создания.

В 1891 году в США Джеймс Нейсмит придумал игру, дабы разбавить уроки: требовалось закинуть мяч в стоявшую корзину. Это, конечно, далеко от современного баскетбола, но именно данная игра зародила первые «ростки». Позднее доктор формирует первые правила игры. С каждой игрой вводились и корректировались все новые правила. Шли годы — игра набирала своих кумиров. После США игра завоевала Восток, а позже — Европу. С каждой новой игрой в тех или иных странах начинали формироваться свои чемпионы, а так же открывались дополнительные заведения по обучению игры. В США формируется профессиональная лига НБА, год формирования — 1946.

Правила раз за разом переписывались и переписывались. Сейчас же команда должна состоять из 12 человек, только вот на поле ведут борьбу все также 5. Что касается продолжительности игры, то она состоит из четырех четвертей длительностью в 10 минут.

Правила баскетбола.

Стоить заметить, что данная игра может быть как простой, так и сложной. Все зависит от упорства игрока и его навыков. И вот именно знание правил — это фундамент игры баскетбола.

— Основное правило: баскетбол — это не футбол! Здесь не допустимо ведение мяча какой-либо другой конечностью, кроме рук. Но! вести можно только одной рукой, чередуя.

— Не допустим агрессивный контакт с игроками: не бить, не пинать, не толкать!

— Мяч должен находиться в постоянном движении, если конечно игрок не планирует его забросить в кольцо или передать подачу союзнику. Допустимо лишь 2 шага с момента прекращения ведения мяча.

— Запрещено совершать прыжки, держа мяч в руках, в тех случаях, если не будет совершен бросок либо в кольцо, либо союзнику. Нарушение последует за прыжок без броска, после чего мяч автоматически переходит во владение соперника.

Этот список начальных правил свободно позволит начинать развивать свои умения в баскетболе как новичкам, так и позволит повторить правила и для профессионалов. Сам по себе баскетбол делится на две группы: Европейский и Американский. Учитывая высоту развития данной игры в Америке, Европа каждый раз пытается догнать и обогнать свои конкурентов, в связи с этим правила каждый год могут изменяться, но именно короткий свод правил выше будет актуален и по сей день еще долгие годы.

4, 5, 6, 7 класс

Баскетбол

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