🎲

⚽ Sports and games ⚽ Ball games

Basketball

Basketball

📖 In short

Basketball is a fast, fun sport played by two teams of five players. Each team tries to throw the ball into a high basket at the end of the court. The team that scores more points wins.

🤩 Did you know?

  • James Naismith invented basketball in 1891.
  • The basket hoop is 45 centimeters across.
  • The basket is about 3 meters above the floor.
  • Basketball has been an Olympic sport since 1936.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 A winter invention

A Canadian sports teacher named James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 so his students could play indoors in the cold winter. The first basket was a real fruit basket!

🔍 Dribbling

A player isn't allowed to walk with the ball in their hand, but must bounce it on the floor while moving, or pass it to a teammate.

💡 Points

A normal basket inside the line is worth two points, a long shot from behind the curved line is worth three, and a free throw after a foul is worth one.

🎯 A team game

Success in basketball needs teamwork: passing, defending together and helping teammates. Height helps, but speed, skill and smarts matter more.

📸 More pictures

Basketball
Basketball
Basketball

🧩 Test yourself

1 How many players from a basketball team are on the court?

2 How many points is a shot from behind the curved line worth?

3 The basket hoop is ?? centimeters across.

4 Which picture shows “Basketball”?

⚽ Discover more

📷 Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons