• The NBA sets the professional rules and standards for the sport.basketball #5 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
  
  The rules of basketball have changed since the invention of the game but the foundations and fundamentals of the game have remained the same. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the professional association that rules and governs the game and sport of basketball in the United States. College and high school basketball teams follow the same rules with a few modifications.
  
  

Basketball Court

• Basketball courts for high school, college and professional are required to have specific dimensions to be deemed official. The court is 94 feet long and 50 feet wide, with two hoops on each end. The hoop or rim is 10 feet from the ground. The ball should be an official NBA or college-size ball.
  
  

Court Markings

• According to the NBA, the free-throw line is 15 feet from the backboard and the three-point line is 23 feet 9 inches from the hoop on all sides. For college and high school games the free-throw line is at the top of the key and is 19 feet from the hoop on all sides. The center court circle is where the jump ball takes place.
  
  

Scoring

• A dunk is worth two points.basketball image by Kit Wai Chan from Fotolia.com
  
  In basketball a shot from behind the three-point line is worth three, a shot from inside the three-point line is worth two and free throws are one point each. If a player is fouled while taking a shot the player is awarded the points from the made shot and one free throw. If the shot is missed the player is awarded two free throws, or three free throws in the case of being fouled behind the three-point line.
  
  

Fouls

• There are many fouls in the game of basketball. Common fouls include defensive fouls such as reaching in for the ball, blocking foul, shooting foul and contact fouls. Offensive fouls include charging fouls and contact fouls. A shooting foul occurs when a player is shooting and is fouled. A flagrant foul is when a player commits a hard foul on another player. Technical fouls are given for unsportsmanlike behavior or because a team or player has multiple rule violations.
  
  

Violations

• A goaltend is when a player blocks a shot that's already in decline toward the hoop.basketball hand rebounding ball white background image by patrimonio designs from Fotolia.com
  
  Common offensive violations include three seconds in the key, backcourt violations, out of bounds, double dribble, traveling and shot clock violations. Common defensive violations include goaltending, kicked ball and illegal defense.
  
  

Time

• Basketball is a game of inches and seconds.take the shot image by Keith Frith from Fotolia.com
  
  Four 12-minute quarters are played in the NBA. The college game features two 20- minute halves and high school plays four 8-minute quarters.The clock stops when a player is shooting free throws. The clock does not start until a player touches the ball from out of bounds. Each team has six timeouts per game. The goal is to outscore the opponent to win before time expires.