Jump balls, possession and playing the ball
FIBA · 2026The opening jump, possession arrow and legal ways to move the ball.
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Article 12 — Opening jump and held ballsArticle 12 — The possession arrowArticles 13–14 — Legal play and controlArticle 12 — Opening jump and held balls
The game opens with a centre-circle jump ball. Jumpers may tap the descending ball but cannot catch it or tap it more than twice before it touches another player or the court. The team that does not gain the first team control receives the first alternating-possession entitlement.
Article 12 — The possession arrow
Subsequent jump-ball situations use alternating-possession throw-ins. Examples include held balls, uncertainty about the last out-of-bounds touch and certain balls lodged between rim and backboard. The arrow also decides possession to begin later quarters and overtimes. It reverses when the alternating-possession throw-in ends. A violation during that throw-in loses the entitlement; a foul does not.
Articles 13–14 — Legal play and control
The ball is played with the hands. Intentionally using a leg to kick or block it, or striking it with a fist, is a violation; accidental leg contact is not. Team control starts when a player holds or dribbles a live ball or has it available, continues through passes, and ends when an opponent gains control, the ball becomes dead or a shot leaves the shooter’s hands.
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