Basketball was invented in the United States in 1891and quickly became popular. Basketball is one of the major world sport developed in the United States. The official basketball rules for 1966-1967 describe the sport as follows: "Basketball is played by two teams of five players each. The purpose of each team is to throw the ball into it own basket and to prevent the other team from scoring. The ball may be thrown, rolled, dribbled in any direction, subject to restrictions laid down in rules." Basketball is usually played indoors but can be played on level surfaces outdoors. More people watch basketball games than any other sport in the United States other than football. The Olympic games have included basketball since 1936.
— Dribble: to bounce the ball on the floor.
— Field Goal: counts as two points when scored in the basket before the 3-point line.
— Foul: a violation mostly when a person pushes, holds, or charges into another.
— Free Throw: a shot toward a fouled player.
— Jump Ball: when the referee tosses the ball in the air while two opposing players try to tap the
ball to their teammates.
— Press: when the opposing player guards offensive players closely.
— Rebound: means to grab the ball as soon as an unmade shot hits the rim or bounces off the backboard.
— Traveling: when a player takes two or more steps without dribbling.
— Turnover: when the offensive team loses possession without taking a shot.
The basketball measures about 30inches (76 centimeters) in circumference and weighs from 20 to 22 ounces for the NBA's official ball. It is made of leather, plastic, or any other material inflated with air. To check if the ball is inflated enough it is dropped from 6 feet and should bounce from 49 to 54 inches.
The court is a hard level surface. Most indoor court is made of wood but there are some made out of rubbers. Outdoor courts are made of conc
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