What Is a Loose Ball in Basketball?

Loose balls in basketball are common and occur often in games throughout the different levels of basketball from school kids up to the professional ranks. Loose balls are not stated by announcers every time they occur, which may lead viewers who are new to the game to fail to understand what the term means.

  1. Possession

    • Understanding the definition of a loose ball requires an understanding of what constitutes possession of the basketball. When the ball is in play--meaning that the game is active on the court--a team can have possession of the basketball either a player having control of the ball through dribbling the ball by bouncing it off the floor or to have a held ball in which the player has his feet planted with both hands on the ball.

    On the Floor

    • The term "loose ball" is heard most often when the ball is bouncing or rolling freely on the floor after the previous player in possession failed to keep control of the ball. At this point no team is considered in control of the ball and players will often be seen ducking or diving to the floor in order to recover it. Whichever team gets to the ball first will then have possession of the basketball. If a player from each of the opposing teams grabs and holds the ball at the same time, play is stopped on a held ball call.

    In the Air

    • When a player shoots at the basket and does not score, the ball is then up for grabs for both teams to secure. At this point it is considered a loose ball. Securing this type of loose ball is called a rebound and whichever team recovers the ball is credited with beginning a new possession.

    Loose Ball Fouls

    • Fouls occur in loose ball scenarios when illegal contact is made on a player by an opponent in an attempt to recover the ball. This can include striking, pulling, or pushing an opponent. In the NBA this results in the player being given one personal foul. In international basketball, loose ball fouls do not exist and are instead just known as offensive fouls.

    Shot Clock

    • The team in possession of the ball has to make a shot or take a shot that hits the rim of the basket within the time allocated for a possession or incur a shot clock violation and turn the ball over to its opponent. In the case of a loose ball, until the opposing team takes control of the ball--in which case a new shot clock countdown would start--the clock will continue to tick down against the team last in possession. If the clock hits zero before the ball is recovered, the team previously in possession is forced to turn it over.