This is a list of common basketball lingo, terminology and jargon terms.
The game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game is a team sport with limited contact, that is typically places two teams consisting of five players against each other. The main objective of the game is to shoot a ball through a hoop that is attached to a backboard on each side of the court.
With the sport being over 100 years old and the popularity growing international, the list of basketball terms to describe all parts of the game continue to grow. Below is a comprehensive list of basketball terms to help educate fans of all levels.
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15 footer
2-For-1
2 Pointer
2-3 Zone Defense
24-Second Violation
3-Second Violation
5-Second Violation
8-Second Violation
A.
Active Around The Rim
Air Ball
All Ball
All Day
Alley Oop
Amoeba Defense
And One
Assist
Assists Per Game (APG)
Assist Percentage
B. 
Back Screen
Backboard
Backcourt
Backcourt Violation
Backdoor Cut
Ball Fake
Ball Handler
Ball Hog
Ball Reversal
Ball Screen
Banana Cut
Bank Shot
Baseball Pass
Baseline
Basket Interference
Beat The Defender
Bench
Bench Points
Big Man
Bird Rights
Block City
Block Out
Blocking Foul
Block Percentage
Bounce Pass
Box-And-One Defense
Box Out
Breaking Ankles
Brick
Bricklayer
Bucket
Bump The Cutter
Bury
Buzzer Beater
C.
Carrying
Center
Charge
Charity Stripe
Chase Down Block
Cherry Picking
Chest Pass
Clear Out
Clear-Path Foul
Close-Out
Coast-To-Coast
Combo Guard
Continuity Offense
Controlling The Boards
Court Vision
Crash The Boards
Creating His Own Shot
Crossover
Crunch Time
D.
Dagger
Dead Ball Foul
Dead-Ball Rebound
Defensive Rating (DRtg)
Defensive Rebound
Defensive Win Shares (DWS)
Deny The Ball
Dime
Dipsy Doo
Disabled Player Exception
Dish
Double Bonus
Double Dribble
Double-Double
Double Nickel
Double Pump
Double Rim
Down Screen
Downtown
Draw In The Defense
Dribble
Dribble Drive Motion
Dribbling
Drop Step
Dunk
E.
Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%)
Elbow
Empty The Bench
Euro Step
F.
Fadeaway
Fast Break
Field Goal
Field Goal Percentage
Fifteen Footer
Finger Roll
Flagrant Foul
Flagrant 2 Foul
Flex Offense
Floater
Flop
Foul Trouble
Four-Point Play
Franchise Player
Free Throw
Free Throw Lane
Free Throw Line
Frontcourt
Full-Court Press
G.
Get Back
Give And Go
Glass Cleaner
Granny Shot
Green Light
Goaltending
Gunner
H.
Hack
Hack-A-Shaq
Half-Court Defense
Half-Court Offense
Hamptons Five
Hand-Checking
Handles
Hang Time
Heating Up
Held Ball
Help Side Defense
High Percentage Shot
High Post
Hook Shot
Hops
I.
Illegal Screen
In-N-Out
In The Paint
Inbounds
Inbounds Pass
Incidental Contact
Intentional Foul
Iso
J.
Jab Step
Jump Ball
Jump Hook
Jump Shot
K.
L.
Lane
Lane Violation
Lay-In
Layup
Lock Him Up
Loose Ball
Loose Ball Foul
Low Percentage Shot
Low Post
M.
Magic Number
Man-To-Man Defense
Match-Up Zone Defense
Mid-Level Exception
Mid-Range Jump Shot
Motion Offense
Moving Violation
N.
O.
Offensive Foul
Offensive Rebound
Offensive Rebounds Per Game
On The Bench
One-And-Done
One-And-One
Outlet Pass
Over-And-Back Violation
Over The Back
Over The Limit
Overhead Pass
P.
Pace Factor
Pack-Line Defense
Paint
Palming
Perimeter
Personal Foul
Pick And Pop
Pick And Roll
Pivot Foot
Point Forward
Point Guard (PG)
Points In The Paint
Points Per Game (PPG)
Possession Arrow
Post Up
Posterize
Power Dribble
Power Forward
Press
Princeton Offense
Pump Fake
Pure Shooter
Push The Ball
Putback
Putback Dunk
Q.
R.
Rainbow Shot
Rating Percentage Index (RPI)
Reach-In Foul
Rebound
Rebounds Per Game (RPG)
Redshirt
Rejected
Restricted Area
Reverse Layup
Rimshot
Rock
Role Player
Run And Gun Offense
Running The Point
S.
Screen
Second Chance Points
Set Shot
Shooting Foul
Shooting Guard
Shot Clock
Shot Clock Violation
Skyhook
Sixth Man
Slam Dunk
Small Ball
Small Forward
Splash Brothers
Square Up
Steal
Stretch Five
Stretch Forward
Stretch Four
Strong Side
Stuff
Stutter Step
Swingman
Swish
T.
Take It To The Hole
Team Foul
Technical Foul
Three-Point Field Goal
Three Point Play
Three-Second Violation
Ticky Tack Foul
Tip-In
Traffic
Transition Defense
Transition Offense
Traveling
Triangle Offense
Trifecta
Triple-Double
True Freshman
True Shooting Percentage (TS%)
Turnover Percentage
Turnovers Per Game
Turrible
Two Pointer
U.
Up And Down
Up And Under
Use The Glass
