How many players from one team are on the basketball court at any given time?

In basketball, each team has five players on the court at a time. A team can have up to 12 players in its squad, and substitutions can be made freely when play is stopped. The five positions are usually point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and centre.

Key rules of basketball:

• The aim is to throw the ball through the opponent's hoop (basket), which is 3.05 m (10 feet) above the floor.
• A basket from inside the three-point line scores 2 points, a basket from beyond the three-point line scores 3 points, and a free throw scores 1 point.
• Players must bounce (dribble) the ball while moving; walking or running with the ball without dribbling is called "travelling".
• A team must try a shot within 24 seconds of getting possession (the "shot clock").
• An attacking player cannot stay in the opponent's restricted area (the "key") for more than three seconds (the three-second rule).
• Under FIBA rules, a game has four quarters of 10 minutes each; in the NBA (USA), each quarter lasts 12 minutes.
• The FIBA court is 28 m long and 15 m wide.
• A player is disqualified after five personal fouls (six in the NBA).

History and organisation:

Basketball was invented in December 1891 by Dr James Naismith, a Canadian physical education teacher, at the YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. He first used peach baskets as goals.

The world governing body is FIBA (International Basketball Federation), founded in 1932, with its headquarters in Mies, Switzerland.

It became an Olympic sport in 1936 (Berlin).

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the top professional league.

The Basketball Federation of India was formed in 1950.

Why not the other options?

• ✗6 players per side are used in volleyball and ice hockey.
• ✗7 players per side are used in kabaddi and netball.
• ✗11 players per side are used in football, hockey and cricket.