Basketball Rules - Palming the Ball

A basic rule of basketball is palming, which is a form of carrying, which is a form of traveling.  When an offensive player is dribbling the basketball he cannot clinch the basketball with the palm of his hand in a way that gives him an advantage over the defensive player.  A palming violation is a turnover and the defensive team takes over possession of the basketball.

Palming is called most often in high school and college basketball.  The NBA is more lenient with players when enforcing the palming basketball rule.