Intro

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players, 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 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 or more 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 lay-up, 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 a each side at a time fall into five positions player positions: the tallest player
is usually the center, the tallest and strongest is the power forward, a slightly shorter but more
agile big man 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.
History

In early December 1891, Canadian James Naismith,[4] a physical education professor and
instructor was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day. He sought a vigorous
indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness. After rejecting
other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the
basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot (3.0 m) elevated track. In contrast with
modern basketball nets, this peach basket retained its bottom, and balls had to be retrieved
manually after each "basket" or point scored
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. 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. 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.
Rules

Basketball is a team sport. Two teams of five players each try to score by
shooting a ball through a hoop elevated 10 feet above the ground. The game is
played on a rectangular floor called the court, and there is a hoop at each end.
The court is divided into two main sections by the mid-court line. If the offensive
team puts the ball into play behind the mid-court line, it has ten seconds to get
the ball over the mid-court line. If it doesn't, then the defense gets the ball.
Once the offensive team gets the ball over the mid-court line, it can no longer
have possession of the ball in the area in back of the line. If it does, the defense
is awarded the ball. The ball is moved down the court toward the basket by passing or
dribbling. The team with the ball is called the offense. The team without the ball is called
the defense. They try to steal the ball, contest shots, steal and deflect passes,
and garner rebounds. When a team makes a basket, they score two points and
the ball goes to the other team. If a basket, or field goal, is made outside of the
three-point arc, then that basket is worth three points. A free throw is worth one
point.

VIOLATIONS

Walking/Traveling. Taking more than 'a step and a half' without dribbling the
ball is traveling. Moving your pivot foot once you've stopped dribbling is
traveling.

Carrying/palming. When a player dribbles the ball with his hand too far to the
side of or, sometimes, even under the ball.

Double Dribble. Dribbling the ball with both hands on the ball at the same time
or picking up the dribble and then dribbling again is a double dribble.

Held ball. Occasionally, two or more opposing players will gain possession of
the ball at the same time. In order to avoid a prolonged and/or violent tussle,
the referee stops the action and awards the ball to one team or the other on a
rotating basis.

Goaltending. If a defensive player interferes with a shot while it's on the way
down toward the basket, while it's on the way up toward the basket after having
touched the backboard, or while it's in the cylinder above the rim, it's
goaltending and the shot counts. If committed by an offensive player, it's a
violation and the ball is awarded to the opposing team for a throw-in.

Backcourt violation. Once the offense has brought the ball across the mid-
court line, they cannot go back across the line during possession. If they do, the
ball is awarded to the other team to pass inbounds.

Time restrictions. A player passing the ball inbounds has five seconds to pass
the ball. If he does not, then the ball is awarded to the other team. Other time
restrictions include the rule that a player cannot have the ball for more than five
seconds when being closely guarded and, in some states and levels, shot-clock
restrictions requiring a team to attempt a shot within a given time frame.

Positioning
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 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.
Facts
The game became an official Olympic event at the Summer Games in Berlin, Germany in 1936.

 The Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League merged on
August 5, 1976, creating the National Basketball Association (NBA).

 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played 20 seasons in the NBA, holds the record for most points
scored in a career with 38,387.

 On March 2, 1962, Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in one game
against New York. That is the most one player has ever scored in one game.
 The Chicago Bulls have won all six NBA Finals in which they've appeared.

 The first basketball hoops were peach baskets with the bottom intact. Officials had to get the
ball out after each basket. The first string nets were used in the early 1900s.[6]

 a warm basketball is bouncier than a cold one because the molecules in the warm ball hit its
inside surface at a higher speed.[14]

 The basketball record for the biggest margin of a win goes to the Cleveland Cavaliers over the
Miami Heat on December 17, 1991, when they demolished the Heat 148–80.[

 Adidas manufactures all the NBA uniforms.

 All NBA courts are made of maple wood, which is strong but also flexible, to help players
jump and land safely.[

 NBA players run as much as four miles during a game.

 The highest-scoring game in NBA history occurred on December 13, 1983, when the Detroit
Pistons defeated the Denver Nuggets 186–184 in triple overtime

 On September 25, 2000, Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics was stabbed 11 times in the face,
neck, and back and had a bottle smashed over his head during a fight. Even after undergoing
lung surgery, he made a full recovery and continued to play basketball.[