[2.2] 2024 Official Basketball Rules

• basketball


  Played by 2 teams of 5 players each. The aim of each team is to score in the opponent's basket and to prevent the other team from scoring
• The court shall have a flat, hard surface free from obstructions with dimensions of 28 m in length by 15 m in width measured from the inner edge of the boundary line.
• The floor shall include the court area surrounded by a further boundary lane free from obstructions with a minimum of 2 m in width. Therefore, the floor shall have dimensions of a minimum of 32 m in length and a minimum of 19 m in width.
• backcourt


  consists of its own basket, the inbounds part of the backboard, and that part of the court limited by the end line behind its own basket, the sidelines, and the center line
• frontcourt


  consists of the opponents' basket, the inbounds part of the backboard, and that part of the court limited by the endline behind the opponents' basket, the sidelines, and the inner edge of the center line nearest to the opponents' basket
• lines


  shall be of the same color and marked in white or other contrasting colour, 5 cm in width, and clearly visible
• jump ball


  occurs when a referee tosses the ball between any 2 opponents
• held ball


  occurs when one or more players from opposing teams have one or both hands firmly on the ball so that neither player can gain control without undue roughness
• alternating possession


  a method of causing the ball to become life with a throw-in rather than a jump ball
• throw-in


  occurs when the ball is passed on to the court by the out-of-bounds thrower-in
• time-out


  an interruption of the game requested by the head coach or first assistant coach
• substitution


  an interruption of the game requested by the substitute to become a player
• violations


  an infraction of the rules
• dribbling


  the movement of a live ball caused by a player in control of that ball who throws, taps, rolls or bounces the ball on the court
• travelling


  the illegal movement of one foot or both feet beyond the limits outlined in this article, in any direction, while holding a live ball on the court
• pivot


  the legal movement in which a player who is holding a live ball on the court steps once or more than once in any direction with the same foot, while the other foot, called the pivot foot, is kept at its point of contact with the court