# What Basketball Is · Basketball Level 1: Beginner

Basketball · Level 1: Beginner · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/basketball/level-1/what-basketball-is/)

What Basketball Is in Basketball (Level 1: Beginner) on Insporta: 100 sourced facts behind 10 tests. Covers: the aim and the teams; and more.

The aim, the shape of a game, scoring, and the forms of the sport: 3x3, wheelchair, mini, the women's game, indoor and outdoor, who runs it and its relatives.

## Test 1: The aim and the teams

- Points come from putting the ball through the opponents' basket; the team with more points wins. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Standard basketball is five against five; the rest of the squad waits on the bench. (Source: General basketball reference)
- The defending team guards its own basket while the other team attacks it. (Source: General basketball reference)
- A player moves with the ball by dribbling it; running with it held is travelling. (Source: General basketball reference)
- After a score the other team throws the ball in and goes the other way. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Basketball has no draws: tied games go to overtime until someone leads at the end. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Possession changes quickly and teams often score many times, so the game is fast and high-scoring. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Gain the ball, bring it up, shoot, and possession turns over to the other side. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Five play, the substitutes wait on the bench, the coaches stand or sit with them. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Each team plays five at a time, one in white caps and one bare-headed here. (Source: General basketball reference)

## Test 2: How a game is shaped

- FIBA games have four 10-minute quarters; the NBA plays 12-minute quarters. (Source: General basketball reference)
- NBA quarters run 12 minutes, so its games are 48 minutes long against FIBA's 40. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Half-time is the long break in the middle of the game. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Overtime periods last 5 minutes, repeated until a team leads. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Playing time only runs while the ball is live, so the real game lasts much longer. (Source: General basketball reference)
- An official tosses the ball up between two players at the centre circle to start the game. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Teams change baskets for the second half. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Two quarters, half-time, two more quarters, and overtime only if tied. (Source: General basketball reference)
- 3x3 lasts 10 minutes, FIBA 5x5 40, the NBA 48. (Source: General basketball reference)
- A tie after the 4th quarter is settled by 5-minute overtimes. (Source: General basketball reference)

## Test 3: Scoring in plain words

- Field goals inside the arc count 2; beyond it, 3. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Each successful free throw is 1 point. (Source: General basketball reference)
- A basket plus the extra free throw is an and-one; on a 2-pointer it makes a three-point play. (Source: General basketball reference)
- 3 for the shot plus 1 for the free throw: a four-point play. (Source: General basketball reference)
- A dunk is a two-point field goal, no different in value from a lay-up. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Shots released from beyond the arc count 3. (Source: General basketball reference)
- 40 + 24 + 14 = 78. (Source: General basketball reference)
- 1, 2 and 3 points. (Source: General basketball reference)
- The shot counts, then the extra free throw: four points in all. (Source: General basketball reference)
- A shot from beyond the arc is worth 3; a lay-up and a dunk 2; a free throw 1. (Source: General basketball reference)

## Test 4: 3x3 basketball

- 3x3 is played three against three, with one substitute. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))
- 3x3 is played on a half court with a single basket. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))
- In 3x3 a shot inside the arc counts 1 and one beyond it counts 2. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))
- The first team to 21 wins straight away; otherwise the higher score after 10 minutes wins. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))
- 3x3 uses a 12-second shot clock to keep the game fast. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))
- 3x3 made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))
- With one basket, a team that wins the ball must 'clear' it beyond the arc before attacking. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))
- 3 players, a 12-second shot clock, first to 21. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))
- The ball must be cleared beyond the arc before the new attack. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))
- In 3x3, a shot from beyond the arc is worth 2. (Source: FIBA 3x3 rules (general reference))

## Test 5: Wheelchair basketball

- The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation governs the sport. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))
- Wheelchair basketball uses the same court and basket height as the standing game. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))
- Players are classified from 1.0 to 4.5 by functional ability. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))
- The five players on court may total no more than 14.0 points. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))
- More than two pushes while holding the ball is travelling. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))
- It has been on the programme since the first Paralympics, in Rome in 1960. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))
- Classes run from 1.0 to 4.5 in half-point steps. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))
- Lower numbers mean less physical function. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))
- Two pushes holding the ball, then he must bounce or pass it. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))
- The five players total exactly 14.0, which is allowed. (Source: IWBF wheelchair basketball (general reference))

## Test 6: Mini-basketball

- Mini-basketball is FIBA's game for children up to around 12. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))
- The basket is lowered to 2.60 m so young players can reach it with good technique. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))
- Younger players use the smaller, lighter size 5 ball. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))
- A lower basket lets small players reach it without heaving the ball. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))
- Mini-basketball is about enjoyment and everyone taking part. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))
- Smaller courts are allowed so the game fits young players. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))
- Mini-basketball aims for every child to play a real part. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))
- 2.60 m, 3.05 m, and the top of the 1.05 m board whose lower edge sits at 2.90 m. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))
- 5 for young children, 6 for women and 3x3, 7 for men. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))
- Mini-basketball for under-12s uses a 2.60 m basket. (Source: FIBA mini-basketball (general reference))

## Test 7: The women's game

- Women play with the slightly smaller size 6 ball. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Women shoot at a 3.05 m basket on the same court as men. (Source: General basketball reference)
- The women's tournament joined the Olympics at Montreal in 1976. (Source: General basketball reference)
- The WNBA was founded in 1996 and played its first season in 1997. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Both use the size 6 ball (3x3's is weighted like a size 7). (Source: General basketball reference)
- FIBA's rules are the same for women and men; the ball size is the main difference. (Source: General basketball reference)
- The Women's World Cup crowns FIBA's world champions among women's national teams. (Source: General basketball reference)
- 1953, 1976, then 1997. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Three, five and seven players a side. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Size 6 is the women's ball; size 7 the men's; size 5 for young children. (Source: General basketball reference)

## Test 8: Indoor and outdoor basketball

- Top indoor courts are hardwood, commonly maple. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Outdoor courts are usually asphalt or concrete. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Outdoor surfaces wear a ball out fast, so outdoor balls are built tougher. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Streetball is the pick-up game of city courts. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Leather plays best on wood and wears out on asphalt. (Source: General basketball reference)
- 3x3 events are often staged outdoors in public spaces. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Wet asphalt or concrete is slippery, so players risk falls. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Leather for indoors, composite for both, rubber for outdoors. (Source: General basketball reference)
- From pro arena, to school gym, to the street court. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Indoor courts are hardwood; asphalt is for outdoor courts. (Source: General basketball reference)

## Test 9: Who runs the sport

- FIBA is the Fédération Internationale de Basketball, the sport's world body. (Source: General basketball reference)
- FIBA's headquarters are in Mies, near Geneva, Switzerland. (Source: General basketball reference)
- FIBA was founded in Geneva in 1932. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Each country's national federation is FIBA's member there. (Source: General basketball reference)
- FIBA has five regions: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. (Source: General basketball reference)
- The NBA is an independent professional league with its own rules. (Source: General basketball reference)
- National federations are the members of FIBA. (Source: General basketball reference)
- World body, region, country, club. (Source: General basketball reference)
- 1932, 1946, 1996. (Source: General basketball reference)
- The IWBF runs wheelchair basketball; FIBA the standing game. (Source: General basketball reference)

## Test 10: The basketball family of games

- Netball has seven a side, no dribbling and a ring without a backboard. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Netball rings have no backboard behind them. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Korfball teams mix men and women on court. (Source: General basketball reference)
- One basket and half a court are all a 3x3 game needs. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Streetball is the informal, outdoor pick-up game. (Source: General basketball reference)
- All three are scored by shooting a ball into a raised basket or ring. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Wheelchair basketball has been a Paralympic sport since 1960. (Source: General basketball reference)
- 3, 5 and 7 players a side. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Full FIBA rules, then 3x3 events, then informal streetball. (Source: General basketball reference)
- Netball: seven a side, no dribbling, no backboard. (Source: General basketball reference)

Sources: General basketball references, FIBA (3x3, mini-basketball), IWBF, FIBA/WABC Coaches Manual; original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered FIBA rules belong to the Rules category.

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