Popular Basketball Terminologies

Understanding different basketball terminologies is the first step to understanding the game. Here are the popular terms you often hear during the game.

Offense - The team that is in possession of the ball and with a chance to score.

Defense - The team without the ball; the team that is guarding another team to prevent them from scoring.

Free throw (foul shot) - A shot that is worth 1 point. A shot taken from the foul line after the opponent committed a technical foul or a personal foul.

Dunk - A shot where the player aggressively jumps and reaches the rim to score.

Alley oop - A play executed by throwing the ball to a player in mid air near the basket to immediately score before touching the ground.

Bank shot - A shot where the ball touches the backboard first making an angle to drop the ball into the basket.

Three-point shot - A shot thrown beyond the arc; a shot that is worth 3 points.

Lay-up - A shot taken by driving in to, jumping close to, and putting the ball directly into the basket using one hand.

Pass - A ball thrown by a player to a teammate. This is used to start play or help the teammate to make a basket.

Assist - A pass given to help a teammate score.

Rebound - An action made by a player to grab the ball bouncing off the rim or the backboard. It is usually made after a player made a shot.

Offensive rebound - A rebound made from a teammate's own missed shot.

Defensive rebound - A rebound made from the opponent's missed shot.

Man-to-man defense - A defensive technique where each player guards a specific player from the opponent.

Block - An act where a defensive player touches a part of the ball on its way to the basket, thus preventing a field goal.

Shot clock - A time limit given to the offensive team to shoot the ball.

Jump ball - Where 2 players jump and try to tap the ball tossed by an official in between them. This is used during the start of the game (tip off), start the overtime period or to reset the play.

Traveling (walk) - A violation where the ball-handler makes more than 2 steps without dribbling the ball.

Points in the paint - Points made inside the shaded area (in the foul line) of the court.

Personal foul - An illegal contact committed by any player against the opponent.

Team foul - An accumulated foul of the team within one quarter.

Penalty - A situation where the team is forced to send the opponent to the foul line every time they commit a foul.