Basketball

What is basketball?

Basketball is a sport in which two teams score points by shooting a ball through a hoop.

How to play basketball

Players from two teams play against each other on a basketball court, which has one hoop at each end. The players’ goal is to put the ball through the other team’s hoop. The team that has scored the most points at the end of the game wins. Each team puts five players on the floor and they pass or bounce the ball up the court to get into scoring position. The hoop is high above the players, so they usually have to shoot the ball up towards the hoop to score.

How to win

The team that scores the most points wins.

Equipment

Basketball – the ball that players use to score points with
Uniform – players on each team wear the same uniform
Shoes – basketball players wear special shoes that help them jump high on the court, stop and start quickly

Sport lingo

Dunk – the player literally jumps and drops the team into the basket
Shot – when a player tries to score a basket, using his/her hands to shoot the ball at the basket
Basket – the basket has a backboard, for the ball to bounce off, and a rim is attached for the ball to go through; the ball must go through the rim to score points
Lay up – a player takes a running shot at the hoop
Dribbling – a player can carry the ball up the floor only if they continually bounce it off the floor as they move up the court
Go big or stay home – basketball slang for a great game with a big scoring performance
The court – basketball is played on a wood floor, called a court, which is 94 feet long by 50 feet wide
Basketball – made of leather, it is filled with air and has a circumference of 30 inches