Photo: nba.com

Every school requires some basic rules to follow. 

The rules manage the play and procedures in the game.                        

When Dr. Naismith was designing the basketball he focused on creating a non-contact sport to be played indoors.

In January 1982, he developed and published the rules in Springfield college newspaper, The Triangle. Since then, the game has been using the rules and added new ones to the game. The rules are mainly determined by the International Basket Federation Commission. 

For most games, the international and local tournaments have the same rules. But things are different for basketball. 

In this game, you find that the NBA rules are not similar to those of college leagues. Additionally, some rules of basketball NBA basketball. 

NBA Basketball Rules you need to know

  1. NBA court regulation

One of the most important rules in NBA basketball is the size of the court. 

Their courts have their own dimension for example; the three-point line is pretty long when compared to international events. The free-throw line should be equal to the distance from the basket and the lane should be 16 feet wide. 

The line in corners is at 22’ and the top should be 23’9”.

  1. Number of players and substitution

Each NBA team is allowed to put only five players on the court at a time. And when the game is on, it involves a lot of running and this is evident that your team will need substitutes.  The reason why teams have substitutes is to keep the team energetic so as to maintain the players’ energy levels. 

If one eligible is injured and has to leave the court then the coach can make substitutions. He or she has the right to make as much substitution as they want. NBA doesn’t have strict rules on substitution but one exception is that a substitute player is not allowed to enter the game if there is a successful goal by either team.

  1. Dribbling

If you are a basketball fanatic, you know that good dribble requires skills. 

A good dribble helps the player ditch their opponent and make way to score a goal or pass the ball to another player assisting them to score the goal. 

When dribbling there are some rules as an NBA player you should follow such as you are only allowed to possess the ball for only 24 seconds to attempt a shot. Another rule is that you cannot touch the ball with both hands simultaneously. Additionally, you cannot rest while possessing control of the ball. 

  1. Time Outs

All the NBA games have four quarters that last for twelve minutes each.

The number of timeouts permitted is two and this is because both teams have a total of 60 seconds timeouts in every game. 

  1. Fights and fouls

During an NBA game, fighting from the bench is prohibited. If you notice that one of your teammates is fighting in the court, you should not get off the bench into the court to help them. If you do, you may either be fined or suspended for the next game. 

Some fouls may be tricky and no team gets punished for them. In NBA, if a player makes six personal fouls or two technical ones, you will be disqualified. 

Touching your opponents’ results to foul and players need to avoid getting into physical contact with an offensive player.

  1. Zone defense

If a team has a weak defense team, then their opponents get more chances of attacking and scoring more goals. So, there is this one person who is always stationed at the zone defense area to block the opponents.

In the NBA, the case is not the same. A player cannot spend more than three seconds on the restrictive area unless they are guarding an opponent player.

  1. During the game

All NBA basketball games take four 12 minutes quarters. Another thing to note is that there is no tie or draw in this game. But what if your teams play hard, but still, in the end, both sides score the same?

So, no matter what the score is, there must be a winning team. In case the game ends in a tie, an additional five minutes overtime is given to players. 

  1. Alternating possession

In an NBA basketball game, it requires a jump to start the game. The team that losses the initial jump ball gets the chance to possess the ball in the second and fourth quarters. When they start to play now, the team that posse the ball for the most time has a chance to win the game. 

To conclude…

Every player in an NBA team is subject to the same rules regardless of the position they play on the team. The positions only apply for basketball strategy but there are no ranks in the rules. If you love watching basketball or promotions of major tournaments these are the basic rules of NBA basketball that you need to know.