Basketball

BASKETBALL. It could have been called boxball. In the winter of 1891 an instructor at a YMCA training school asked the janitor to hang a couple of boxes from the gymnasium balcony for an experimental indoor ball game. A former divinity student who had played rugby, he disliked the rough side of sports so he thought about guidelines that would rule out physical contact in the new game. He decided upon upright goals to minimize force on the ball and to keep some distance between the players and the actual scoring. The game became known as basketball because the janitor, unable to find boxes to make the elevated goals, nailed up two half-bushel peach baskets.

The inventor's "fundamental principles" of basketball, and most of the 13 original rules he posted a century ago, have endured. By penalizing offensive or defensive fouls, court officials preserve the sport's old-fashioned ideals. But style and performance give modern basketball a wholly different look. The new era's superstars have perfected moves that earlier players could never have imagined--Kareem's skyhook, the Big Dipper's finger roll, Dr. J's slam dunk, Magic's no-look pass, Air Jordan's hang time. (See also Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem; Chamberlain, Wilt; Erving, Julius; Johnson, Magic; Jordan, Michael.)

Basketball has always enjoyed great popularity. Within a decade of its invention there were women's teams, professional circuits, and an intercollegiate conference. The game quickly spread to Canada, France, and Australia, and was introduced into Olympic competition in 1904. Today young people play basketball in grade school, high school, college, and at athletic clubs. Many teams represent towns, churches, service clubs, and businesses. In addition to the amateur teams there are regular leagues and independent professional clubs. More than 200 million persons a year pay to see basketball games--more admissions than for any other American sport.

Broadcasts of the games played in international leagues, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the National Basketball Association (NBA) make basketball one of the most-watched sports on television. Lucrative contracts for the network and cable television rights to broadcast NBA games pushed the average NBA player's guaranteed salary to more than a million dollars per year.

On court. The five players on a basketball team are a center, two forwards, and two guards. The officials for the game are a referee and an umpire, who are assisted by two time keepers and two scorers. (A single time keeper and a single scorer may be used if acceptable to the referee.) In NCAA tournament play three officials are used.

The dimensions of the indoor playing floor are 50 by 94 feet for professional and college play, 50 by 84 feet for high schools, and 42 by 74 feet for junior high schools. (The markings for the international court vary.) At each end of the court is a goal, or basket, 10 feet above the floor. It is a metal orange ring, 18 inches in diameter, with a net suspended from the rim. Each basket is attached to a rectangular or fan-shaped backboard, which may be made of any rigid material--usually unbreakable glass. The inflated ball has a grippable, pebbled surface. It measures 91/2 inches in diameter and 291/2 to 30 inches in circumference, and its weight is from 20 to 22 ounces.

Violations and Fouls

Penalties are given for two general types of offenses--violations and fouls. The most common violations include: running or walking with the ball without dribbling (bouncing the ball); double dribbling (using both hands at the same time to dribble or stopping and restarting the dribble); and goaltending (interfering with a shot on the ball's downward path into the basket). Other violations include kicking the ball intentionally or punching it. Most violations are punished by awarding the ball out-of-bounds to a member of the other team to put back into play.

Fouls may be either personal or technical. Since basketball is theoretically not a body contact sport, a personal foul can result from any physical involvement with an opposing player. Pushing, pulling, bumping, holding, tripping, and charging are all infractions of the rules. A personal foul may be a common foul (neither obvious nor intentional), double foul (in which two opponents commit personal fouls against each other at about the same time), or multiple foul (in which two players on one team commit personal fouls against an opponent at about the same time). A player control foul is a common foul committed by a player while controlling the ball.

The officials call the fouls, penalizing the offending team either by awarding the ball out-of-bounds to its opponents or by awarding free throws (unhindered shots at the basket from the free throw line). If a player is fouled in the act of shooting and misses the basket, he receives two free throws. If he is fouled in the act of shooting and makes the basket, the score counts and he receives an additional free throw (called a three-point play if he makes the extra basket). A high school or college player who commits five personal fouls must leave the game. Professional players are allowed six fouls. When a player is called for a personal foul, the foul is also registered against the team. When a team exceeds its limit--four team fouls per quarter in professional play and six per half in college and high school play--the opposing team receives extra free throws.

A technical foul may be committed by either a player or a nonplayer, such as coaches or spectators. Technical fouls are called against a team for delaying the game, unsportsmanlike tactics, illegal substitutions, or illegal time-outs. The penalty throw for a technical foul may be made by any member of the opposing team, which then is usually given possession of the ball out-of-bounds at midcourt.

How the Game Is Played

The visiting team has the choice of baskets at the start of the game. The teams change baskets for the second half. Play begins when the referee tosses up the ball between two opposing players, who stand with one or both feet on or inside the center circle and jump to tap the ball to a teammate. Other players must stay outside the six-foot outer circle until the ball is tapped. The team receiving the ball tries to advance it toward its own basket. Any player may shoot at the basket. A successful throw is a field goal, which counts two points. Successful free throws count one point each. Extra-point field goals can be made from beyond the three-point line.

A player with possession of the ball must pass or shoot before taking two steps or must start dribbling before taking a second step. The dribble continues until