nds.

Competitive levels require the use of more equipment such as clocks, score sheets, scoreboards,
alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated stop-clock systems.

An outdoor basketball net

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).[41] Most courts have wood flooring, usually
constructed from maple planks running in the same direction as the longer court dimension.[57][58] 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.[59] The act of checking the ball has the further advantage of slowing down the ball so the rebound does
not go as far.[60]

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 3x3, 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).[61]

Violations
Main article: Violation (basketball)

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 their 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 their 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

The referee signals that a foul has been committed.

Main articles: Personal foul (basketball) and Technical foul

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).

A foul committed during a shot attempt

Common techniques and practices

Basketball positions in the offensive zone

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 dr