Basketball rules, explained

What is basketball?

Basketball is a fast, high-scoring team sport in which two sides of five try to shoot a ball through a raised hoop (the basket) while stopping the other team doing the same. It is played indoors on a hard court with a hoop 3.05 m (10 ft) high at each end.

Players and positions

Each team has 5 players on court, traditionally in five roles: point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and centre. Substitutions are unlimited and happen at stoppages.

How scoring works: 1, 2 and 3 points

• 2 points — a basket scored from inside the three-point line.
• 3 points — a basket scored from behind the three-point arc.
• 1 point — a successful free throw, taken unopposed after certain fouls.

The team with the most points when time runs out wins; a tie goes to overtime.

The clock and the shot clock

A game is played in four quarters — 12 minutes each in the NBA, 10 minutes under FIBA rules. On top of the game clock, the attacking team must attempt a shot that hits the rim within the 24-second shot clock, or they lose possession. Teams also get a set number of timeouts.

Dribbling, travelling and other violations

• Travelling: moving your feet without dribbling the ball.
• Double dribble: dribbling, stopping, then dribbling again — or dribbling with two hands.
• Back-court violation: returning the ball to your own half once you've crossed halfway.
• 3-second rule: an attacker standing in the key (the painted area) for more than three seconds.

Fouls and free throws

A personal foul is illegal contact — pushing, holding or hacking an opponent. Foul someone in the act of shooting and they get free throws. Accumulate too many and you foul out: five fouls under FIBA, six in the NBA. Once a team commits enough team fouls in a period, the opponents enter the bonus and get free throws on every subsequent foul.