Basketball

Basketball is a team sport played by two teams on a hard court with two baskets (nets attached to hoops mounted on elevated supports). Each team tries to shoot the ball into the opponent's basket while preventing the other team from doing the same. Each team has five players on the court at any time, with substitutions allowed.

The game takes place on a rectangular court approximately 28 metres long according to international standards. The ball is moved in two ways: dribbling (bouncing it on the ground continuously) or passing it to another player. A player cannot move while holding the ball without dribbling; this violation is called travelling.

Scoring System

A shot made from inside the three-point line scores two points. A shot from beyond that line scores three points. A free throw (uncontested shot taken from the free-throw line as a penalty) scores one point. The team with the most points when time ends wins; if scores are tied, play continues into overtime.

Rules and Time

International games are divided into four quarters of ten minutes each; in the NBA in the United States, each quarter is twelve minutes. There is a time limit (shot clock) within which a team must attempt a shot. Contact fouls, violations of rules regarding physical contact, are called fouls; a player who accumulates too many fouls is removed from the game. Other rule violations, such as travelling or double dribble, result in the ball being turned over to the opposing team.

History

The sport was invented in the late 19th century in the United States as a game to be played indoors during winter. Initially, peach baskets attached to a wall were used, from which the game takes its name. The sport spread rapidly through schools and universities, then worldwide. It became an official Olympic sport in the 20th century and is now governed by the international organization FIBA.