Basketball Uniforms and Equipment
Much of basketball's popularity can be attributed to its simple needs in the player and court equipment. It is easy for any player with a pair of etheric shoes to find a simple rim attached to a wall or pole to practice shooting. All he needs is one other friend to play a game of one-on-one. Basketball is an inexpensive sport whose set-up is readily available everywhere in the world.
Uniform and Equipment
Much of basketball's popularity can be attributed to its simple needs in the player and court equipment. It is easy for any player with a pair of etheric shoes to find a simple rim attached to a wall or pole to practice shooting. All he needs is one other friend to play a game of one-on-one. Basketball is an inexpensive sport whose set-up is readily available everywhere in the world.
Professional basketball players wear simple uniforms - shorts and sleeveless jerseys adorned with their team's logo. During games, the home team wears light-colored uniforms and visitors wear darker-colored ones. A player's number is printed at least 6" high on both sides of the jersey, and his name appears on the back. Today, college players often wear a T-shirt underneath their jersey (illegal in the NBA), and the shorts seem to get longer every season. A few players even wear 2 pairs of shorts, with a longer pair beneath the official trunks (a style readily mimicked by American kids), although the NBA now requires the hem of its players' shorts to be at least 1 inch above the knee.
The sneakers worn by players are called high-tops, designed to support and protect the ankles. This is the only part of the NBA uniform on which commercial logos may be worn. New designs with innovative features are continually introduced by the biggest athletic shoe companies, such as shoes with air pumps. There are highly coveted by youngsters who try to emulate the star athletes. One famous TV ad claimed (tongue-in-cheek) "it was the shoes" that gave Michael Jordan his incredible leaping ability.
The equipment is also simple - a ball and a basket. The ball itself is an inflated sphere made of an airtight rubber casing covered with leather that is about 30 inches in circumference (29" college and WNBA) and weighs about 22 ounces. It is inflated to 7 1/2 - 8 1/2 pounds of pressure.
Scoring
There are 2 ways to score in basketball: a field goal or a free-throw. A field goal is scored anytime the ball comes down through the top of the basket during play. It counts for 2 points unless it is thrown by a player with both feet completely behind the 3-point line (or at least one foot if the other is in mid-air), where it counts as a 3-point shot. Inside shooting occurs near the basket, usually in the key, while outside (perimeter) shooting occurs from outside the key, near or beyond the 3-point line.
A free-throw is a shot taken from the foul line by a player who is unguarded. Each successful free-throw counts for 1 point. One or 2 free-throw is taken when a player "goes to the line" depending on the situation that brought him there (discussed in the chapter on VIOLATIONS & FOULS). Players who are fouled in the process of shooting a 3-point shot get 3 free-throws (though prior to 1995 only 2 were awarded in the NBA).
Free-throws are generally easier to make because the shooter is not distracted by any opponents and he can take up to 10 seconds on preparing his shot. Around 20% of the points in an NBA game come from free-throws, so all players practice free-throws extensively. A team with a good free-throw percentage has a big advantage, not only because so many free-throw opportunities present themselves during a game but because intentional fouls in the final minutes of close games put players in foul
When a player scores a 2 - point field goal and is fouled in the process, he goes to the line for a single free-throw to try to complete a 3-point play. (Be sure not to confuse this with the 3-point shot mentioned above). The 3-point play generally gets the fans very excited. Even more exciting, but rarer, is the 4 - point play where a player is fouled as he is shooting a successful 3-point shot, and then makes the free-throw for a total of 4 points.
During the free-throw, players from both teams stand along either side of the foul lane to rebound any final free-throw that is missed, making sure not to step into the lane until the shooter releases the ball. (See Fig. 6) Players from both teams (up to 6 in college, but only up to 5 in the NBA), line up in alternating order, starting with the no shooting team closest to the basket. Those players not lining up along the lane must stand behind the 3-point line (and the free-throw line extended in college). A player who steps into the lane early or distracts the shooter commits a free-throw lane violation.
For a technical free-throw, only the shooter goes to the line. All the other players are required to stand behind him to limit potential distraction.
Last Few Words
Basketball is a game of streaks with teams gaining momentum and often scoring several times in a row. When such a run occurs an announcer will point it out by saying, for example, “The Lakes are on a 10-2 run." This means that the Lakes scored 10 points while their opponents scored only 2 in the same period of time. For the Lakers to have scored 8 more points, their opponents must have missed several shots or committed turnovers. If you enjoy the article then go to our home page to read more article.
