ALL ABOUT BASKETBALL FROM BEGINNER TO ADVANCE .
HISTORY
In a 1591 book published in Frankfurt am Main, early history mentions a game akin to basketball. It reports on the lifestyles and customs of coastal North American residents, Wahrhafftige Abconterfaytung der Wilden. Among other things, a game of skill is described, wherein balls must be thrown against a target woven from twigs, mounted high on a pole. If the target is hit, there's a small reward for the player.
BASIC OVERVIEW
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, typically consisting of five players each, oppose one another on a rectangular court. The primary objective is to shoot a basketball, approximately 9.4 inches (24 cm) in diameter, through the opposing team's hoop. This hoop is 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high to a backboard at each end of the court. The teams aim to prevent the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal, typically worth two points, increases to three points if made from behind the three-point line. Play stops after a foul, and the fouled player or designated shooter receives one, two, or three one-point free throws. The team with the highest score at the end of regulation play wins. In the event of a tie, an additional period of play, known as overtime, is required.
BASIC POSITIONING
The five players on each side are categorized into five playing positions. The center is typically the tallest player, the power forward is the second-tallest and strongest, the small forward is a slightly shorter but more agile player, and the shooting guard and point guard are the shortest players or the best ball handlers. They execute the coach's game plan by managing offensive and defensive plays, including player positioning.
REGULATIONS AND BASIC RULES
Games consist of four quarters, either 10 minutes (FIBA) or 12 minutes (NBA). College men's games are split into two 20-minute halves, while college women's games use 10-minute quarters. Most high school varsity games in the United States employ 8-minute quarters, though this varies by state. Halftime breaks are 15 minutes in FIBA, NBA, and NCAA games, and 10 minutes in high school games. Overtime periods last five minutes in most leagues, but four minutes in high school. The clock stops during breaks in play, resulting in games often lasting longer than their allotted time, typically about two hours.
Up to five players from each team may be on the court simultaneously. Substitutions are unlimited but can only occur when play is paused. Each team is managed by a coach who develops strategies, alongside assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors, and trainers.
Players wear a standard uniform consisting of shorts and a jersey with a unique number on both the front and back. High-top sneakers provide additional ankle support. Uniforms may display team names, player names, and sponsors, especially outside North America.
Teams can call a limited number of time-outs for brief meetings with players, lasting no more than one minute (or 100 seconds in the NBA for televised games).
Gameplay is overseen by officials including a referee (crew chief in the NBA), one or two umpires (called referees in the NBA), and table officials. Most games feature three referees. Table officials manage scoring, timekeeping
IMPORTANT FOULS
Fouls in basketball are signaled by the referee indicating a committed foul. Personal fouls and technical fouls are the main categories. Attempting to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through physical contact is illegal and termed a personal foul, typically by defensive players but also by offensive players. Fouled players may pass the ball inbounds or attempt free throws depending on whether the shot was successful. Free throws, worth one point, are taken from a line 15 feet (4.6 m) from the basket.
The referee judges the legality of contact, which can be controversial and vary between games, leagues, and referees.
Technical fouls, another category, result from various rules violations like improper recording or unsportsmanlike conduct. They lead to one or two free throws, taken by any player on the court. Repeated technical fouls can lead to disqualification. Intentional fouls involve excessive or unnecessary physical contact and are called flagrant fouls in the NBA, disqualifying fouls in FIBA and NCAA women's basketball, and flagrant fouls in other leagues.
If a team exceeds the foul limit in a period (four for NBA, NCAA women's, and international games), the opposing team gets one or two free throws on non-shooting fouls for the rest of the period. In US college men's and high school games, reaching 7 or 10 fouls results in different free throw scenarios.
During foul shots, opponents cannot interfere until the last or potentially last free throw.
When a team reaches a specified number of fouls, the opposing team enters the "bonus", signaled on scoreboards as "Bonus" or "Penalty". If the first shot of a two-shot foul is missed, opponents must wait for the second shot before attempting to regain possession.
If fouled while attempting a shot, players receive free throws equal to the shot's value. A successful shot plus a free throw is called a "three-point play" or "four-point play".
HEIGHT AS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR
Joonas Suotamo, a Finnish-American former professional center, stands at 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) tall. Heights of many professional centers exceed 7 feet (2.13 m).
At the professional level, most male players are taller than 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m), while most women stand above 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m). Guards, who rely on physical coordination and ball-handling skills, are typically the smallest players. Nearly all forwards in the top men's leagues are 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) or taller. Most centers surpass 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) in height.
According to an NBA survey, the average height of players is just under 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m), with an average weight close to 222 pounds (101 kg). The tallest players in NBA history were Manute Bol and Gheorghe Mureșan, both standing at 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m). In the WNBA, Margo Dydek held the record as the tallest player at 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m).