The Original Thirteen Rules of the NBA

When the sport of basketball was made, James Nasmith wrote thirteen rules to help construct the game. Here are the thirteen rules that were generated.

1. The basketball can be thrown any direction using one or two hands.

2. The ball may be batted or swatted but cannot be struck with a closed fist.

3. A player can't run with the ball. He must throw it from where he caught it. An advancement can be made if the player caught it when in motion.

4. The basketball must be held using only the arms or hands.

5. A foul constitutes as shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking another player on the other team. The first infraction counts as one foul. The second infraction will result in a disqualification until the next basket is scored. If there was intent to injure the player, he is disqualified for the entire game.

6. If you strike the ball with your fist, this is considered a foul.

7. If one team commits three consecutive fouls, this counts as an automatic basket for the team being fouled.

8. A basket is counted when the ball makes it into the basket, as long as the defenders do not touch the goal. If the ball is on the rim of the basket and a player interferes with it, an automatic basket is rewarded.

9. A ball is inbounded by the person who first touches the ball. He can hold it for up to five seconds. If he holds onto the basketball for longer than five seconds, the other team is rewarded the ball.

10. The referee will be the one responsible for calling fouls. The umpire will be responsible for notifying the referee when three consecutive fouls occur. The umpire is given the power to disqualify any player due to their conduct on the court.

11. The referee will decide when the ball is in play and when it is out of bounds. He will decide what side gets the ball and will keep track of time. He will decide when a basket counts due to interference.

12. The length of the game will be two fifteen minute halves. There will be a five minute rest in between these two halves.

13. The team that makes more baskets will win the game. If the game results in a tie, the team captains can agree to continue playing and the next team to score a basket will be declared the winner.

These thirteen rules were the first rules written. While they are very basic, they are the core fundamentals to the rules that are used today. The rules for the NBA today are lengthy and very detailed, but these are the rules that started the game many love today.

Wikipedia, Basketball