Basketball Rules

Official basketball rules vary from league to league,  but there are basic basketball rules and core basketball rules that anyone involved in basketball needs to know.   On this basketball rules website you will learn the difference between kids basketball rules, high school basketball rules, college basketball rules, women's basketball rules, European basketball rules and NBA basketball rules.   But before we dive into all those different types of basketball rules let's just begin with the basics.

Basketball is played with ten players on the floor at the same time, five players on each team.  The playing area is rectangular and is called the basketball court.  The size of the court varies depending on the league.  For example, the basketball court in college is longer than the basketball court in high school.  Futhermore, the basketball court in the NBA is longer and wider than the NCAA basketball courts.

There are normally two or three officials called referees.  They blow their whistles and make calls.  They can sometimes confir with each other but their decisions are final.  They can change their calls by looking back at the instant replay but only in certain circumstances, such as to see whether or not a shot was a three point shot or a two point shot, and whether or not someone got their shot off before time expired.

Each player is allowed 4 fouls in a game (five in the NBA).  If a player exceeds four fouls (five in the NBA) that player must leave the game.  This is called fouling out.

Technical fouls are also charged to an individual basketball player's foul total.  We will discuss the rules of personal fouls and technical fouls later.  The total sum of a team's fouls are called team fouls.  After a team commits seven fouls in a half the other team is awarded free throws for each foul.  This is called one and one, or "the bonus".  If the offensive player hits the first free throw he is then awarded a second free throw or bonus shot.  After ten team fouls the offensive team gets to shoot the double bonus when fouled, meaning two free throws each time they are fouled. 

We will get back to that later.  First let's discuss the general rules of basketball.   The team with the basketball is on offense.  They are the offensive team.  The team who does not have the ball is the defensive team.  Points are scored when someone shoots the ball through the rim and down through the net.  This is called a basket. 

The home team is the team playing in their own gym.  The away team is the team playing in the other team's home gym.  Normally, the home team wears white uniforms.

The goal is ten feet high.  The free throw line is 15 feet from the rim.  The three point line is over 20 feet six inches were from rim and makes a rounded arc around the basket.    A free throw is awarded when someone gets fouled and they are shooting the ball, or if the other team has commited more than six fouls in a half, or if a technical foul is called on the opposing team.   A free throw is worth one point.  A regular basket is worth two points.  A three point basket is worth three points.

Hopefully by now you are learning basketball rules, at least the basic rules of basketball anyway.  Please explore the other basketball rules pages so you can fully understand the basic rules of basketball and the official basketball rules for the NCAA and the NBA.