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| Air Ball |
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Sarcastic term to describe a shot that doesn't touch the rim.
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| Airball |
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A shot that entirely misses the backboard, rim, and net.
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| Alive |
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A ball is alive when it is released by a shooter or thrower, or legally tapped by a jumper during a jump ball; the game clock starts only when the ball becomes alive; compare with live.
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| Alley-Oop |
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When a player lobs a pass above the basket and a teammate catches it in midair and puts it in the basket on the way down.
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| Alley-Oop Pass |
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A pass thrown to a player who is running toward the basket. The second player leaps, catches the ball in midair, and dunks it or lays it in before he lands.
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| Alternating-Possession Rule |
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In high school and college basketball, most jump balls have been eliminated in favor of a rule that the teams take turns gaining possession for a throw-in after a held ball and similar stoppages of play when possession is in question. The possession arrow indicates which team gets the ball on the next such occasion.
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| Assist |
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The last pass to a teammate that leads directly to a field goal; the scorer must move immediately toward the basket for the passer to be credited with an assist; only 1 assist can be credited per field goal.
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