What is Basketball?
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.
How it is played
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 each side fall into five playing positions the tallest player is usually the
center, the 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.
