On a competition level, a team is made of 5 players playing on the court and 5 players sitting on the bench that can be used for substitution during the game period.

Each player is assigned a position when playing. This position is usually determined by the height of the player.
The tallest guy usually plays “center” or “position 5”, while the medium size ones play “forwards” or “position 3 and 4”. The shortest players then play “guards” or “position 1 and 2”.

A player scores when he manage to put the ball into the basket from above. Scoring a basket increases the team score by 3, 2 or one point.
If the player successfully shoots from outside of the 3 points line, the basket is worth 3 points, other wise it is worth 2 points.
It is also possible to score one point when shooting from the free throw line, after a foul for instance.

A violation occurs when the player infracts the rules of Basketball. A violation results in the awarding of the ball to the opponents.
It happens when the player takes more than 2 steps without bouncing the ball on the floor. This is called Traveling.
An other violations is when a player stops dribbling and then starts dribbling again or bounces the ball with its two hands at once. We call this a double Dribble.
You can also commit a violation if you twist your hand , when in contact with the ball, pass the vertical. This is called Carry, as the hand must always remain on the top of the ball.

A foul is an illegal action that can commit a player from one team to a player from the adverse team. Basketball is generally said a non-contact game. If, in particular occasion this is not respected, a foul is committed.
There are two types of fouls. The first ones are called defensive fouls. They occur when the offensive player is being fouled by the defender. Defenders should not block, push, trip, strike or hold the player in possession of the ball. The second ones are the offensive fouls. For example a player in offense commits an offensive foul when charging into a stationary defender.

Wheelchair basketball was invented in 1946 by a former American. "running" basketball players, who, after wartime injury, wanted to again experience the exhilaration of a highly athletic sport within a team environment. It is now played in more than 80 countries by over 25,000 men, women and children with a physical disability which prevents them from playing competitive basketball on their feet.

Beach Basketball®is an exciting, non-stop action game played in the sand. The game was born over three decades ago on the physical education fields of Gulf Shores School. This modified version of basketball, invented by Philip Bryant has grown from a tremendously effective skill improvement game, to a very popular, widespread competitive sport.

Street ball is mainly played as a leisure game but street ball players can also compete against each other in outdoor tournaments. There are no specific streetball rules, the players define their way to play. Street ball is directly linked to urban culture which is very popular among younger players.

Basketball for Deaf (completely or partially unable to hear in one or both ears) men and women has been playing since early 1920. The game today is played with exactly the same rules complying with FIBA. Format of tournaments may be adjusted due to lesser number of participating countries.

Bankshot is the only sports system that allows able-bodied and athletes with a disability to play together at the same time. This game involves no running, dribbling, jumping, or body contact and relies on the shooting skill.