Basketball rules came to exist the time the sport was initially played in 1891. The Technical Commission of the International Basketball Federation dictates the international basketball rules. The majority of leagues, such as NBA (National Basketball Association), regulate following their set of rules.
The principal aim of basketball game is to try scoring higher points by putting the basketball in the competing team’s basket that is positioned 10 feet higher than the ground level. On completing the game, the team scoring the highest points is victorious. Leisure and school games carry on for 32 minutes, university and major international games are for 40 minutes, ladies’ professional games go on for 40 minutes, while men’s professional games are played for 48 minutes.
The rules of the game are administered by the referees on court. Each team is made of 5 players. A game starts with a ‘jump ball’ in the middle of the basketball court, where the referee throws the ball in the air and 2 players from each team get in line in the center and try to steer the ball to their teammates. According to the rules of this game, the team which possesses the basketball plays offense while their competitor plays defense, defending their basket.
The offense team has a fixed time, generally 35 seconds to score points by putting the basketball into the competitor’s basket. The ball player holding the ball can’t walk or run without dribbling the ball. As soon as the player halts dribbling, the ball should be either shot or passed, or should be handled by a different player before it can get back to the original player.
There are 2 ways of getting points; the first way is by scoring a basket, worth 2/3 points, based on the range of the shot. The other way is to gain a free throw or foul shot that is offered to a player if the opposing team player commits a technical or personal foul. Possession of the basketball alternates in the event the offense scores a point or if the defense successfully gains the ball. In case the offense team doesn’t quite get a shot, the ball is free and every player on the court has an equal chance to get it.