In the game of

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, carrying is a ball-handling violation. Like other violations, the penalty is that possession of the ball is given to the opposing team. Statistically, this counts as a turnover of the ball. Basketball players can advance the ball by passing it to a teammate, but the ball handler cannot move except while

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. As ...

(bouncing) the ball. Dribbling is subject to several rules that limit the ball handler's advantage. The

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Rule No. 10 (Section II (d)) states, "A player who is dribbling may not put any part of his hand under the ball and (1) carry it from one point to another or (2) bring it to a pause and then continue to dribble again." Carrying is also known as palming. Some spectators misunderstand this rule and see examples of carries that are not called. For example, redirecting the basketball during a dribble is not carrying, provided the ball does not come to a pause. Carrying occurs only during a dribble; it is legal to have a hand underneath the ball when passing or shooting. Comparable violations occur in other sports. For example, in

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, carrying occurs when the momentary contact with the ball is prolonged or used to steer or redirect the ball.

References

See also