NBA Glossary

A buzzer-beater is a shot released before the game clock expires that goes in as time runs out, often deciding the game.

Double dribble is the violation called when a player dribbles with both hands at once or restarts the dribble after stopping.

A dunk is a field goal scored by forcing the ball down through the hoop from above the rim with one or both hands.

A field goal is any basket scored from the floor during play, worth two points inside the three-point line and three points beyond it.

A free throw is an uncontested shot worth one point, taken from the free throw line as a penalty after certain fouls.

Goaltending is the violation that occurs when a defender touches the ball on its downward flight toward the basket or while it is on or above the rim.

A jump shot is a shot released while the shooter is in the air, typically from mid-range or beyond the three-point line.

A layup is a close-range shot taken on the move, usually laid off the backboard with one hand as the shooter drives to the basket.

Overtime is the extra period, five minutes in the NBA, played when a game is tied at the end of regulation.

A personal foul is a rules infraction involving illegal physical contact with an opponent, charged to the individual player.

The shot clock is the 24-second timer that limits how long a team may hold the ball before attempting a shot that hits the rim.

A technical foul is a foul assessed for unsportsmanlike conduct or procedural violations rather than illegal contact during play.

The three-point line is the arc painted on the court beyond which a made field goal counts for three points instead of two.

Traveling is the violation called when a player holding a live ball moves illegally with it, taking extra steps without dribbling.

The bench is a team's reserve players collectively, and bench scoring or bench depth describes how much production a team gets from its substitutes.

The center is the tallest frontcourt position, the 5 in coaching shorthand, traditionally playing closest to the basket on both ends.

A point forward is a forward who takes on the primary playmaking duties usually assigned to a point guard, initiating the offence and distributing the ball.

The point guard is the primary ball handler and play initiator, responsible for bringing the ball up court and starting the offence.

The power forward is the frontcourt player, the 4 in coaching shorthand, who traditionally plays near the basket as a rebounder and interior scorer alongside the centre.

A role player is a contributor valued for specific defined skills, such as shooting, defence, or rebounding, rather than for carrying the offence as a star.

The shooting guard is the perimeter scorer typically stationed on the wing, the 2 in coaching shorthand, tasked with shooting and secondary creation.

The sixth man is a team's most important reserve, the first player off the bench, valued enough that the league names a Sixth Man of the Year award.

The small forward is the versatile wing, the 3 in coaching shorthand, expected to score, defend multiple positions, and fill the gaps between guards and bigs.

A stretch four is a power forward whose three-point shooting pulls opposing big men away from the basket and stretches the defence.

A swingman is a versatile perimeter player who can play both the shooting guard and small forward positions, swinging between the two wing spots.

A two-way player is a player who contributes at a high level on both offence and defence, rather than specializing in one end of the floor.

An alley-oop is a play in which one player throws a pass toward the rim and a teammate catches it in midair and scores, usually with a dunk, in a single motion.

A backdoor cut is an offensive move in which a player who appears to be coming toward the ball instead cuts behind their defender toward the basket for a pass.

To box out is to position your body between an opponent and the basket after a shot goes up, blocking their path to the rebound.

A crossover is a dribble move in which the ball handler switches the ball quickly from one hand to the other in front of the body to change direction and beat a defender.

A double team is a defensive tactic in which two defenders converge on the ball handler, usually a dominant scorer, to force a pass or turnover.

A fadeaway is a jump shot taken while jumping or leaning backward, away from the defender, creating space for the release at the cost of balance.

A fast break is a quick offensive attack launched immediately after a rebound, steal, or made basket, before the defence can set itself.

A full-court press is a defensive scheme that pressures the ball over the entire length of the court, starting in the backcourt, to force turnovers and speed the offence up.

Isolation, or iso, is an offensive tactic that clears one side of the floor so a scorer can attack a single defender one-on-one.

Man-to-man defense assigns each defender a specific opponent to guard wherever that opponent goes on the court.

The pick and pop is a screen action in which the screener, instead of rolling to the basket, pops out to open space, usually beyond the three-point line, for a jump shot.

The pick and roll is a two-player action in which a screener sets a pick for the ball handler and then rolls toward the basket to receive a pass.

A post-up is an offensive play in which a player receives the ball with their back to the basket near the paint and backs the defender down to score or pass.

Small ball is a strategy of using smaller, faster, more skilled lineups, often without a traditional centre, to gain advantages in speed, spacing, and switching.

The triangle offense is a structured half-court system built on a three-player triangle on one side of the floor, spacing, and reads rather than set plays.

A zone defense assigns each defender an area of the court to protect rather than a specific opponent, shifting collectively as the ball moves.

The 50-40-90 club is the informal group of players who have shot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three, and 90 percent from the free throw line in one season.

An assist is a pass that directly leads to a teammate's made field goal, credited to the passer in the official statistics.

A block, or blocked shot, is a defensive play in which a defender deflects a field goal attempt before it reaches the basket, without committing a foul.

A double-double is a single game performance reaching double digits in two of the five main statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

Field goal percentage is the share of a player's or team's field goal attempts that are made, calculated as made field goals divided by attempts.

Player Efficiency Rating, or PER, is a composite statistic that compresses a player's box score production into a single per-minute number, with the league average set at 15.

Plus-minus is a statistic measuring the point differential while a player is on the floor: the team's score minus the opponent's score during that player's minutes.

A quadruple-double is a single game performance reaching double digits in four of the five main statistical categories, one of the rarest feats in the sport.

A rebound is the recovery of a missed shot, credited as offensive when the shooting team keeps the ball and defensive when the defending team gains it.

A steal is a defensive play in which a defender legally takes the ball from the offence, by intercepting a pass or stripping the dribble, causing a turnover.

A triple-double is a single game performance reaching double digits in three of the five main statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

True shooting percentage is a shooting efficiency statistic that accounts for two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws in a single number.

A turnover is any play in which a team loses possession of the ball to the defence before attempting a shot, through a steal, violation, or error.

Usage rate estimates the percentage of a team's possessions a player finishes, by shot attempt, free throws, or turnover, while on the floor.

Bird rights are a salary cap exception allowing a team to re-sign its own free agent for any amount up to the maximum, even if the team is over the cap.

The draft lottery is the weighted drawing that determines the order of the first picks in the NBA Draft among the teams that missed the playoffs.

A draft pick is a team's selection slot in the NBA Draft, an asset that can be used to choose a player or traded to another team.

Free agency is the period and system in which players whose contracts have expired may negotiate and sign with any team, subject to the salary cap rules.

Load management is the practice of resting healthy players, especially stars, for selected games to reduce injury risk and preserve them for the playoffs.

The luxury tax is a penalty payment charged to teams whose payroll exceeds a set threshold above the salary cap, with escalating rates for repeat offenders.

A max contract is a player contract at the maximum salary the rules allow for that player, set as a percentage of the salary cap based on years of service.

The mid-level exception is a salary cap exception allowing teams over the cap to sign a player for a set amount roughly at the league's average salary level.

The point spread is a betting line expressed as the number of points by which a favourite is expected to win, used to balance wagers on both teams.

The salary cap is the limit on how much a team may spend on player salaries in a season, set by the league's collective bargaining agreement.

Tanking is the strategy of fielding a deliberately weakened team to lose games and improve draft lottery position, a practice the league penalizes and repeatedly reforms against.

The apron is a payroll threshold above the luxury tax line that, once crossed, restricts how a team may build its roster, with a stricter second apron above it.

The trade deadline is the date in the season after which teams may no longer make trades until the offseason, set in February in recent NBA seasons.

Waivers are the process by which a released player's contract is offered to other teams, which may claim the player and the contract before the player becomes a free agent.