Be prepared! Like any other major sport, basketball features its own extensive vocabulary of unique words and phrases used by players, coaches, sports journalists, commentators, and fans. As with any sport, basketball has its own terms and phrases to describe game moves, plays, positions, and more. Making it rain: When a player or team is making shots left right and centre. Dagger - A slang term that can be used to describe a clutch shot made in the final few seconds of the shot clock or the game. A buzzer beater can refer to both a shot made in the last second of a shot clock and in the last second of a game. Wiggle: Being able to manoeuvre in and out of defenders with the basketball. Championships are won at practice. A brick is related to an air ball in that the ball doesn’t make it into the basket. The loser of that game can consider themselves schooled (also known as taken to school). Assist - A pass to another basketball player that leads directly to a made basket. (“That car is so baller!”). The game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Nothing but net! However, you’ll usually hear this term when the shot in question is the winning shot of the game. It’s similar to a double dribble, but a traveling player is in motion while holding the ball. Basketball Lingo. Your best bet is to go on the court and learn the different lingo. Whether it's professional, college, or one-on-one in your backyard, basketball is one of the most popular games in the world. Alternating-possession rule: A rule in which teams take turns possessing the ball after stopped plays. That describes a swish shot that doesn’t touch the backboard or rim as it goes through the basket. Use this resource to learn Basketball Rules, Terminology and Definitions categorized in alphabetical order. However, for professional basketball players like Rick Barry, the so-called granny shot makes for a pretty good free-throw percentage. Definition: The stat line of a player reaching double digits in two statistical categories such as points and rebounds or points and assists, etc. Vote up the words and phrases that are most important for understanding basketball. Some NBA slang will extend beyond just knowing the positions played by LeBron James or Stephen Curry or the names of the stats they accumulate. Boards: Slang for rebound, which is the retrieval of a missed shot. Airball - A basketball shot that misses everything; net, backboard, and rim. While on defense, the team will attempt to prevent the opposition from scoring in their basket. If you shoot the basketball underhand versus overhand, you might hear calls of “granny shot!” across the court. This occurs in youth, high school and college basketball only. The game is a team sport with limited contact, that is typically places two teams consisting of five players against each other. It comes from the phrase “dropping a dime,” referring to dropping 10 cents into a pay phone to help someone out. Everything you need to know about the fastest 48 minutes in sports. Rally your basketball team, inspire your fans and liven up the crowd with some great basketball slogans! And One - Scoring a basket while getting fouled. Believe & Achieve. Now that you know the basic slang used in basketball, you’re sure to sound like a pro on the court – as long as you’ve got the skills to back it up! He experimented with a team game in which players threw a soccer ball to each other and scored by throwing it into a peach basket nailed high on a wall. Select from this list for shirts, banners, posters, t-shirts, jerseys, signs, warm-ups, locker room and more. When discussing teams, there are a load of statistics, terms, and acronyms thrown out. 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