When a basketball player fouls an opponent who is in the act of shooting, the officials will award the opponent free throws. For that reason, players and the officials need to know precisely when the act of shooting is over, according to the rules. The act doesn't necessarily end when the ball leaves the player's hand -- or even when it goes into the basket.
How It Begins
Basketball rules give officials a certain amount of discretion in determining when a player is in the act of shooting. The National Basketball Association, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the International Basketball Federation -- the sports world's governing body --l say that the act of shooting begins when a player makes a motion that usually or normally precedes the release of the ball. The NCAA rules refer to a "motion that habitually precedes the release of the ball," which allows for idiosyncrasies within individual player's styles. It's up to the game officials to decide what constitutes a normal or habitual motion.
How It Ends
Once the act begins, the rules consider the player to be "shooting." The precise moment at which the act of shooting ends varies a bit. In the NBA, it ends simply when the player returns to a "normal floor position," as judged by the officials. Under NCAA and FIBA rules, if the shooter took the shot with one or both feet on the floor, the act of shooting ends when the ball leaves the shooter's hands. If the shooter is airborne, the act ends when both feet have returned to the floor. These rules apply to dunks, as well.
Fouls
Though the NCAA and FIBA rules say the act of shooting doesn't end at least until the ball leaves the player's hands, this requirement doesn't apply if the player is fouled or obstructed so that he can't get the shot off -- for example, if an opponent grabs his arm.
Taps
When a missed shot is clattering about the rim and the backboard, a teammate of the shooter may attempt to "tap" it into the basket. This is legal, as long as the ball isn't directly above the rim -- "in the cylinder," in basketball parlance -- in which case it would be a goalkeeping violation. In NCAA and FIBA rules, a tap is an attempt at a basket, so a player tapping the ball is in the act of shooting. In the NBA, taps are not considered attempts, so a player executing a tap is not in the act of shooting.
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