The Everything Kids' Basketball Book, 5th Edition: A Guide to Your Favorite Players and Teams—and Tips on Playing Like a Pro

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Playing the Game

Basketball can seem like a very complex game. Maybe you’ve seen a coach draw a squiggly diagram to show what he wants to do. If you’ve watched the game on TV, you’ve probably noticed that the commentators draw lines on the screen during a game to show what happened. How do all of these people know exactly what’s going on? Simple! At its core, basketball isn’t that hard. It’s about hustling on defense and offense, paying attention, taking good shots, and making good passes. If you can do all of those things, you’re well on your way to becoming a good basketball player. To be the best you can be, you’ll need to focus on fundamentals and practice proper technique.

WORDS TO KNOW

Hustle

Try harder, never give up. When coaches yell for their players to hustle during practices and games, they are telling their players to keep working hard and not slack off.

Rebound

To get possession of the ball after an unsuccessful shot on either the defensive or offensive end. After a player misses a shot, both teams will try to get the ball. Whoever retrieves it gets the rebound.

Assist

A pass that sets up a successful basket. The player who made that pass is credited with an assist. Usually, the point guard will be the team leader in assists.

Steal

Taking the ball from the other team. You can intercept a pass or actually take it from a player who is dribbling carelessly or out of control. Racking up a lot of steals shows you are a good defender.

The Basics

The goal in playing basketball is to score more points than your opponent. Part of the way you do this is by preventing them from scoring. Some people think the goal is to make more baskets than your opponents, but since some baskets are worth 3 points and others are worth 2—and free throws are worth only 1—that’s not always the case.

Basketball is played on a court with a basketball hoop at each end. There are five players for each team on the court at a time. Unlike sports like football, players need to be able to play both offense and defense. They need to be able to make baskets to give their team points, but they also need to be able to stop the other team from making baskets at the other end of the court. To be a good offensive player, you’ll need to know how to dribble, pass, rebound, and shoot. On defense, you’ll need to know how to rebound, steal, and play all-around good defense, which means never getting lazy.

Basketball is a fun sport because even if you miss the first time you go out and shoot, by the end of an hour or two you’ll be making shots fairly often if you pay attention to your form. You can also get pretty good at dribbling in a hurry. Basketball is a sport that many people play because it’s easy to learn and there are usually basketball hoops in parks, schools, gyms, and even driveways.

Basketballs vary in size. College and professional players use larger balls than kids. The women’s basketball is slightly smaller than the one the men play with. You can usually get a good basketball at your favorite local discount store. If you are using it outside, make sure you get one made out of a synthetic or rubberlike cover rather than the leather ball used for indoor courts; these balls are more durable than the ones you use indoors. Once you have some athletic shoes and a ball, you are ready to get started.

FUN FACTS

Basketball was embraced as a US high school sport in the early 1900s for one reason: It didn’t cost much to provide equipment and space to play. Student-athletes needed only tennis shoes, T-shirts, and shorts, and schools installed backboards, hoops, and painted lines on playgrounds and in high school gymnasiums.

Players by Position

There are five players on the court at any given time for each team. Here are the players and their roles for any level, from amateur through college and professional.

Point Guard

Called the one spot, the point guard is usually the smallest and/or quickest player on the team. He also acts as the coach on the floor and the leader of the team, getting his teammates organized and deciding what to do with the ball. He must be an excellent ball handler and passer who plays with bounce and enthusiasm. Good point guards are usually tough and strong players who love to practice. More often than not, they are confident, competitive, poised, and fearless.

TIP-IN

Basketball shoes have become big business since the introduction of the Air Jordan, a shoe Michael Jordan introduced for Nike. You only need shoes that are comfortable and don’t hurt your feet. It’s cool to wear what the pros wear, but you’ll play your best in shoes that feel good rather than ones that look good or have your favorite player’s name on them.

Point guards can be counted on to understand the coach’s system and know that games are won on the inside, around the basket. They also realize that scoring is not their top priority. The point guard plays in front of his teammates on both ends of the floor. He is the take-charge person who encourages teammates and gets them to respond. He has great court vision and freely gives up the ball to the first open teammate. A point guard must be able to lead the team in assists each season and be able to come through when needed by handling the ball in the final moments of a close game. He must be able to make high-pressure free throws if he is fouled in the closing minutes of a tough game. Point guards are rarely the leading scorers on the team since they have other responsibilities, but they should average 10–12 points and at least 5 assists per game.

Name That Position

There’s a lot of skill involved in being a good basketball player. First, you have to know your position. Someone has forgotten the full names here. Can you fill in the blanks?

__________guard (usually the best scorer on the team)

__________forward (usually the most athletic)

__________forward (usually not as tall as the center)

__________guard (usually the shortest and fastest)

__________(usually the tallest and slowest)

ELEPHANT BALL

What’s the difference between an elephant and a basketball?

One is big and round and charges through nets and the other is a basketball!

TIP-IN

Before he became an NBA coach, Scott Skiles was one of the best passing guards in the league. He played for the Orlando Magic in 1990 and set a record for most assists in a game. He had 30 against the Denver Nuggets on December 30, 1990.

Shooting Guard

The shooting guard, or two, must be a very versatile player. She is usually the bigger of the two guards and the best shooter on the team. She is a scorer who can both take the ball directly to the basket and be an excellent outside shooter up to 20 feet from the basket. Also known as an off guard, she should be a very good ball handler, capable of rushing the ball up the court on a fast break or ready to take over for the point guard in breaking the opponent’s defense and running the offense. The off guard should be the second-best passer on the team and should be capable of playing great defense to stop the other team’s shooting guard. A shooting guard must understand what shots the coach wants her to take. She must be willing to take and make a good percentage of the big shots late in the game.

Small Forward

The three, as it is known, is probably the most athletic position on the team because the small forward must be able to play inside the key area by the basket and shoot from the outside too. Usually the smaller of the two forwards, the small forward must be capable of rebounding and scoring against taller players. He must be able to handle the ball outside on the perimeter against smaller players. This position is one of the more physically demanding, and the player needs to be both tough and aggressive in rebounding to compensate for lack of size. The ideal small forward should average five to seven rebounds per game and have an excellent jump shot, along with the ability to make their way through a crowd of defenders and score. The small forward requires a player who can run and fill the lane on a fast break. A fast break is when the team gets the ball near their basket and runs toward the other end of the court with the ball, also known as breaking fast up the court. A small forward must also help against presses, which is when a defensive team comes into their opponents’ end of the floor to guard them all the way up the court into the offensive end rather than just running back and waiting for the team with the ball to come into their end of the court. The small forward must also be disciplined enough to rebound missed shots. Because of the versatility required to play this position, the small forward often becomes the leading scorer on the team.

FUN FACTS

Steph Curry led tiny Davidson College deep into the 2008 college basketball national championship tournament. The next year, the Golden State Warriors selected him as the seventh overall pick in the draft. He has since become one of the best shooting guards in NBA history and holds the record for most three-pointers made in a single season. He has twice been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.

WORDS TO KNOW

Playmaker

A player who either sets up plays with smart passes that lead to baskets or takes the ball and scores after receiving it. The playmaker has the ability to put points on the board in situations where scoring a basket seems unlikely.

Power Forward

This is called the four position, usually the tallest or strongest of the two forwards. The power forward is usually a player who likes physical play and has a shooting range of 15 feet from the basket. They can be intimidating players and have to play with an attitude that they will out-work and out-hustle their opponents. A true power forward knows that the success of the team depends on his ability to become a dominant force and top rebounder. They should average seven to nine rebounds per game at the college or professional level; they should be one of the two leading rebounders on the team, along with the center. They are the best offensive rebounders on the team, scoring the majority of their points off the offensive board and in the lane, the area in the free-throw box in front of the basket. You will see players run through the lane with the ball to score or jump through the lane to get rebounds.

FUN FACTS

In 2003, LeBron James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron left Cleveland in 2010 to join the Miami Heat, winning championships in 2012 and 2013. After Miami lost to the Spurs in the 2014 Finals, LeBron returned to the Cavs and helped win the first championship in Cavaliers’ history in 2016. In 2018, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. He led the Lakers to a championship win in 2020.

Power forwards are the best outlet passers; an outlet pass is thrown by the player who gets the rebound after a missed shot. This outlet pass can result in a fast break where the players rush the ball up the court so that the defense on the other team does not have time to set up properly. Power forwards often play in the part of the court called the post, which is on either side of the free-throw line. It’s where players who dunk usually get the ball because they are only 5 to 8 feet from the hoop when someone passes them the ball. Power forwards are able to anticipate when a shot will be taken so they can start to the board early to rebound.

FUN FACTS

The Los Angeles Sparks selected Stanford forward Nneka Ogwumike as the first overall pick in the 2012 WNBA draft. Nneka was named to the WNBA All-Star Team in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019 and won the WNBA Most Valuable Player award in 2016. She also helped lead the Sparks to win the WNBA championship in 2016.

Center

This is called the five spot. Many people believe that this is the most difficult position to play because of the short reaction time caused by many players being in the lane, or area under the basket, at the same time. Also, this player must perform offensively with her back to the basket. The center is normally the tallest player on the team and the most effective player with her back to the basket. Strength is a very important part of playing this position. The center needs to be able to muscle her way to a position where she can receive the ball and score even with several players around her.

Good teams try to pass the ball inside, or in the area under the basket, on about every fourth pass. The center must