Basketball is a fast, exciting and popular sport, played by over 300 million people all over the world. It was invented in the United States in 1891. Today, it is a sport that is played in all types of schools all over the world. The best professional players compete in teams of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Although basketball can be played almost everywhere it is mostly an indoor game played on a court that is 29 metres long and 15 metres wide. The floor is made of wood. At each end there is a backboard and a basket which you must shoot the ball through. The basket is about 3 metres from the floor. The official ball is made out of leather and it has a circumference of 76 cm.

The court has many important lines drawn on the floor. The midcourt line and the centre circle are where the game starts. The refereethrows the ball into the air and two players jump up and try to push it to their team-mates. The three-point line is a curved line on the floor. If a player shoots a basket from outside the line the team gets three points. The free throw line is the place from which a player tries to score a point after he is fouled. The sidelines and the baselines mark the boundaries of the court.

Each team consists of five players who can be substituted at any time. Normally a team has two guards, two forwards and a centre. The guards are usually the smallest and quickest players. They should be good dribblers and passers and they play farther away from the basket. Most of them are good at three-point shots. Forwards are taller and stronger than guards. They usually play near the basket and are good rebounders. The centre is the most important player on a team. He is very tall and always watches out for balls that come off the backboard. He is a good scorer and can dominate a game.