Basketball is an individual team game where two teams, usually of at least five players each, against one another on an elliptical or rectangular court, competing for the win with the main goal of shooting the basketball over the opponent’s basket with a free throw. It started in New York City during the first major international basketball tournament in the United States. The US National Team had recently qualified for the 1996 Olympics and had not tasted defeat since then. However, the US squad was missing a key player and the result was a devastating blow to the pride of the United States. This prompted the US basketball association to organize international competitions so that a stronger team could be raised and given a chance to show the world what the US teams were made of.
Since its early days, BASKETBALL has evolved into an international competition wherein teams are formed from different countries. For example, in Spain, there are BASKETABLES instead of teams. The BASKETABLES stands for Basketball Association International. Spain currently has the highest number of registered players per capita than any other country in the world. The BASKETABLES also arranges for the teams uniform colors depending on their playing surface, as well as the equipment, ranging from basketballs, to footwear, ball handling kits, foul boards and the like.
BASKETBALL today has grown to more dimensions than just the actual sport itself. It has become a means to promote camaraderie, unity, brotherhood and much more. During a match, players wear uniforms and gather around in order to sing, dance and play together. The game itself has brought people from all walks of life and cultures together. There are now huge crowds of fans who watch every game and there are even sports enthusiasts who buy books and magazines in order to keep up with the updates about the latest news in this growing sport.
BASKETBALL is played between two teams comprising of eleven players. Each team has one goal that they need to accomplish before the game is over. The game has three phases, pre-game, the warm-up, and the game played. The warm-up and the pre-game phases can be considered as a training session for the players and the team because it allows them to warm up their bodies and get ready for the game.
Basketball games are usually played in an empty court; however, certain instances may call for additional regulation size courts. There are two teams on each end of the two courts, and players have to jump from side to side, pass to other players and make free throws. Once the game is under way, there are three referees who are in charge of the calls being made by the players, the teams and the spectators. These referees are the only ones allowed to call a foul for any given infraction during the BASKETBALL competition.
BASKETBALL involves many different elements such as shooting, ball handling, rebounding, defense, rebounding, and ball control. There are three types of BASKETBALL: point-of-possession, shot-clock, and fast-break BASKETball. Each type of BASKETball is normally played in one half, unless the score is tied at the end of the quarter. In cases where there is a three-point lead or less than three points in the second half, the game is played to overtime. Most basketball courts have three baseline levels.