Basketball is a sport played worldwide but was invented in America. The first game was played in 1891 at a YMCA in Springfield, Mass., using peach baskets attached to an elevated track. The National Basketball Association, or NBA, was created in 1949 when the Basketball Association of America merged with the National Basketball League.
Teams and the Court
Basketball is competitive game that pits two teams of five players against each other. The official NBA court is 90 feet long and 54 feet wide. At each end of the rectangular court is a netted steel hoop with a diameter of 18 inches suspended 10 feet in the air against a 72-inch wide backboard. The court is divided into two halves width-wise by a line at center court. The freethrow line is 15 feet from and parallel to the backboard, and the three-point line is an arc 23 feet 9 inches from the backboard.
Advancing the Ball and Scoring
The object of basketball is to score the most points in the allotted time. Two points are scored when you shoot the ball through the hoop, except shots from beyond the three-point line, which are awarded three points. A free throw is worth one point. During game play, the ball is generally advanced by passing or dribbling, but players can also advance it inadvertently by tipping, rolling or pushing. From the time a team takes possession of the ball in its backcourt it has eight seconds to cross the line at center court and once it has done so, it a foul for any member of that team to be the first to touch the ball if crosses the line again into the backcourt.
Traveling Violation
A traveling violation occurs when you take too many steps without dribbling the ball. Once a player has control of the ball, she can continue advancing, in which case she must release the ball to pass or dribble before any time a second step reaches the ground. If you receive the ball while still, you can begin advancing or pivot around a single foot. Once you establish a pivot foot, you cannot step with that foot again until you've released the ball and it touches the backboard, the rim or another player.
Charging and Blocking
Charging is an offense foul called when a player with the ball causes contact with a defensive player in a legitimate defensive stance. It is also charging when the defensive player jumps vertically to block and the advancing player makes contact. Blocking is a common defensive foul called when the defensive player initiates contact with an advancing offensive player or when contact is initiated by the offensive player but the defensive player is not in a legitimate defensive position.
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