Basketball
One, two or three points, in one move.
4 quarters of 10 minutes, the game clock in your pocket.
Score a matchOne basket, one to three taps.
Tap the color that scored once, twice or three times: the taps add up. Try it!
- 4 × 10 min
- 1, 2 or 3 points per basket
- Tied: 5 more minutes
- Pick basketball, and name the two teams.
- Start the clock at the jump ball. On every basket, tap the color that scored once, twice or three times.
- In the last two minutes, the clock stops after every basket. If it’s tied, overtime starts on its own. The referee calls every basket out loud.
The rules, in short.
What the FIBA official rules say, and nothing more.
- 1, 2, 3
What a basket is worth
A free throw is worth 1 point, a field goal from the two-point area 2, a field goal from the three-point area 3.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 16.2.1 - 1
Free throws
Fouled on a missed shot, you get 2 free throws, or 3 if you were shooting from the three-point area. If the shot goes in anyway, the basket counts and you get 1 extra free throw. Each free throw made is worth 1 point.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 34.2.2 and 44.1.1 - 5
Fouls
A player with 5 fouls must leave the game. After 4 team fouls in a quarter, the team is in the penalty: each further personal foul on a player not shooting gives 2 free throws instead of a throw-in. Overtime counts as part of the 4th quarter.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 41.1, 42.1.1, 42.1.3 and 42.2.1 - 4 × 10
Playing time
The game has 4 quarters of 10 minutes, with a 15-minute halftime and 2 minutes between the other quarters.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 8.1, 8.3 and 8.4 - 5
A tie
If it’s tied after the 4th quarter, you play as many 5-minute overtimes as needed. Basketball has no draws.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 8.7 - 2:00
The stopped clock
The clock stops on every whistle. In the last two minutes of the 4th quarter and of overtime, it also stops after every basket.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 50.2 - Jump ball
Possession
The game starts with a jump ball in the center circle. After that, an arrow at the table shows which team gets the next throw-in, in turn.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 9.1, 12.6.2 and 12.6.4 - 5
Players
Two teams of 5 players on the court, and up to 12 players on the score sheet.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 1.1 and 4.2.1
Or stay on the bench.
On your watch or the three buttons on your earbuds: one, two or three quick presses on ⏮ for pink, on ⏭ for yellow. ⏯ starts or stops the clock; two quick presses undo.
The questions people ask.
How many quarters are in basketball?
4, of 10 minutes each, with a 15-minute halftime after the 2nd.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 8.1 and 8.4How many players are on a basketball team?
5 on the court, and up to 12 on the score sheet.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 1.1 and 4.2.1How much is a basket worth in basketball?
1 point for a free throw, 2 for a basket in the two-point area, 3 for a shot from the three-point area.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 16.2.1What happens when a basketball game is tied?
You play a 5-minute overtime, then another, as many as it takes to separate the teams.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 8.7How many time-outs are there in basketball?
2 in the first half, 3 in the second, with at most 2 in the last two minutes, and 1 per overtime. Each lasts one minute.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 18.2.1 and 18.2.5Can a defender touch the ball on its way down to the basket?
No. If a defender touches it above the ring on its downward flight, or after it has hit the backboard, the basket is awarded: 2 or 3 points depending on where the shot came from. An attacker who does the same scores nothing.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026, v1.1, Art. 31.2.1, 31.3.1 and 31.3.2