oul is any contact, committed by a player of the other team, thought, by the umpires, to have caused a disadvantage.
- Technical foul is a violation of certain basketball rules. They include:
- fighting or threatening to fight with another person
- entering the basketball court when it is not a substitution time
- a player being out of bounds (away from the court) to gain an advantage
- having too many players play on the court
- refusing to sit on the bench
- returning to play when a player is disqualified (loses his privileges to play)
- yelling and/or swearing at another player or an official
- Rebound is the act of catching the basketball after a shot has been attempted, but missed.
- Assist is to pass a teammate the ball, which then the teammate immediately shoots into the basketball ring successfully. 2-3 dribbles are allowed after catching the ball for assist to be counted.
- Steal is to take the ball away from a person who is dribbling, shooting or passing without physically touching the person (committing a foul).
- Turnover is when the team that controls the ball loses control and the other team gains control.
- Walkover is the automatic victory of a team if the opposing team withdraws, is disqualified or there is not any competition at all.
- Substitution is the act of replacing a player from the court to an another player sitting on the bench.
- Double dribble is when a player dribbles the ball and picks it up and then dribbles it again without having shot or passed it. Dribbling the ball with two hands is also a double dribble. If a player double dribbles, the ball is automatically given to the other team.
- Carry is when a player physically turns the ball over with their hands whilst dribbling it.
- Travel is when a player in possession of the ball moves both feet without dribbling the ball. If a player travels, the ball is automatically given to the opposing team.
- Shot clock is a clock designed to limit the time a team has to shoot a basketball. The shot clock is different in different leagues, but it is usually between 24 seconds and 35 seconds. After time runs out, the ball is automatically given to the opposing team unless they shot, before the clock runs out, and hit the rim or the ball enters the basket.
- Substitute (subs) is when a player on the bench swaps for a player on the court. The player on the bench is allowed to play and the player sits on the bench.
- Jump ball happens at the start of every game. This is where the ball gets thrown up from the centre circle and one person from each team jumps for it, aiming to hit it to one of his team mates.
- Alternating possession At the start of the game there is a jump ball. Whichever team "wins" the jump ball gets the arrow pointed towards their goal. Each time the rules mention it the ball gets given to the team who is trying to score in the direction of the arrow and the arrow gets turned.
- Clutch is a shot made at a difficult moment in the game, usually when the shot clock is about to run out or the team, losing by 1 or 2 points, suddenly wins the game, because of the clutch shot.
- Backcourt violation is when a player crosses the half-court line and walks backwards over the line while in possession of the ball, or passes to another player who is behind the half-court line. Note that this rule does not apply if a defensive player taps the ball, and it goes beyond the half-court line, and the offensive player retrieves it in the "backcourt".
- 3 second violation is when a player stands in the lane (an area marked by the big square in front of the basket) for more than 3 seconds. The offensive team that commits a 3 second violation will lose the possession of the ball. The defensive team that commits a 3 second violation will receive a technical foul.
- 8 or 10 second violation is when the team with the ball fails to advance the ball past the center line within the allowed time. The offensive team will lose possession. The allowed time is 8 seconds in international play, the NBA, and WNBA, and 10 seconds in men's college basketball and high school