If you don’t watch a ton of basketball, you may tune into a game and be confused at an announcer’s descriptions of all of the different types of basketball shots.
Basketball has some of the best athletes in any sport, but the top players are also very skilled with touch and finesse and can make shots from a variety of spots on the basketball court.
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9 Types of Basketball Shots
Let’s take a look at the most popular basketball shots and break down exactly what they mean:
1. Free Throw
A Free throw is one of the most common shots in basketball that you will take place during a basketball game. A free throw is exactly what is described as, a free attempt to shoot a shot from the free throw line after a foul attempt.
The average NBA team shoots between 20-25 free throws per game.
Many players are skilled enough to draw fouls from a defensive player while in the process of taking the ball to the basket and draw fouls that gets them to the free throw line.
Here is a list of the best free throw percentage shooters in NBA History:
|
Player |
Free Throw Percentage |
|
Steph Curry |
.9087% |
|
Steve Nash |
.9043% |
|
Mark Price |
.9039% |
|
Rick Barry |
.8998% |
|
Peja Stojakovic |
.8948% |
|
Chauncey Billups |
.8940% |
|
Ray Allen |
.8939% |
2. Three-Point Shot
A three-point shot is a shot that is made from behind the three-point line that counts for 3 points. Any shot behind the three-point line counts as three points even if they are long-range shots from the other side of the basketball court.
If a player is fouled while in the process of shooting a three-pointer and also makes the shot, they will have a chance for one additional free throw to make it a rare four-point play.
Three-point shooting is becoming a more essential part of NBA games thanks to teams like the Golden State Warriors who have revolutionized the game with three-point shooting.
The three-point line was instituted in the NBA in 1967 and revolutionized the game as a result.
NBA three-point shooting has improved significantly in the last 10 years as a result of analytics and teams putting more emphasis on three-point shooting:
|
Year |
NBA Three-Point Attempts Per Game |
|
22-23 |
34.2 |
|
21-22 |
35.2 |
|
20-21 |
34.6 |
|
19-20 |
34.1 |
|
18-19 |
32.0 |
|
17-18 |
29.0 |
|
16-17 |
27.0 |
|
15-16 |
24.1 |
|
14-15 |
22.4 |
|
13-14 |
21.5 |
3. Layup
A layup is considered one of the easiest shots to make in basketball. A layup typically happens during a fast break or when an offensive player has blown past a defender and is running toward the basket for a short-range shot attempt.
Layups take some practice to master for youth players since you have you learn how to shoot the ball while running and jump off of the opposite leg of your shooting hand.
Occasionally you will see players lay the ball directly into the basket without using the backboard, but this is typically done by talented basketball players that can jump high enough to get close to the rim.
4. Slam Dunk
A slam dunk is one of the most spectacular shot types in basketball that involves a player jumping and throwing the ball through the net while grabbing onto the rim.
Because the NBA players are so tall you see many more dunks there than you would see in college or high school. Dunking was banned from the NCAA and high school basketball from 1967-1976.
Many believed this rule was instituted because of the dominance of Kareem Abdul Jabar (Lou Alcindor). Dunking typically requires exceptional jumping ability and athleticism.
Players like Shaquille O’Neal used the slam dunk frequently and occasionally broke backboards from time to time:
Spud Webb was only 5’7, but won the dunk contest in 1987 over one of the top dunkers in NBA history and his teammate, Dominique Wilkins. Here are some of the highlights from his dunks:
5. Jump Shot
A jump shot is the most common shot you will see throughout a basketball game. Jump shots are any shots that a player takes while jumping up off the floor to shoot.
The only shot’s that you won’t see players leave the floor to jump for is typically a free throw.
The only other situation where a player won’t jump while shooting is if they have a wide-open layup or shot where a defender is nowhere to be found. Jump shooting is a skill in itself that requires practice to be able to shoot accurately.
Guard Stephen Curry is one of the best long-range jump shooters we have ever seen and gets his shots off from anywhere on the court quickly.
The higher the level of competition you play at, the more you will need to perfect your jump shot. As defenders get more athletic, that leaves shooters with less time to get their shots off.
Players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant perfected the jump shot and incorporated a lethal ‘fadeaway jump shot”, and mid-range jumpers into their games toward the end of their careers.
6. Hook Shot
The hook shot is another shot you will see by mostly tall forwards and centers near the rim at the college and NBA levels. In the early NBA days, a different form of the hook shot was commonly used that took longer to get the shot off.
The most popular basketball player known for hook shots was Kareem Abdul Jabar. Kareem had a patented “Sky Hook” that was very difficult to defend during his era. Here is a look at some of Kareem’s sky hook:
Another top basketball player of all time, Julius Irving who went by Dr. J, also had a lethal hook shot:
In today’s game, players use what’s known as a “baby hook,” which is a hook shot with a much quicker release than old-school players used to use:
7. Bank Shot
A bank shot occurs when a shot banks off of the backboard and falls through the rim.
Bank shots are often seen close to the basket by centers and forwards that use the backboard angle to their advantage.
Shooting near the rim requires exceptional touch and shooting skills and the backboard can slow down the trajectory of the basketball and make it easier to fall into the rim.
Shooters will also get lucky by making bank shots from time to time accidentally during a long-range jump shot or free throw.
During pick-up basketball games, players will joke with one another if one of these shots goes in by accident by saying things like: “You didn’t call Bank!”.
8. Tip In
Tip in’s are basketball shots that are made when a player tips in a missed shot attempt near the basket.
You will see Tip-Ins mostly at the college and professional basketball levels where teams have tall centers and forwards that can jump near the rim and tip in a missed shot.
Tall players have to be careful not to be called with goal tending when a basketball is within the cylinder.
9. Alley-Oop
An alley-oop is another type of basketball shot that you will see typically only on the collegiate or professional levels.
An alley-oop takes an exceptional amount of athleticism from a basketball player that can time their jump and catch a pass and dunk it at the same time.
A big part of the success of the alley-oop is how good the pass from the player making the assist is. Chris Paul is one of the all-time great at setting up his teammates for alley-oop dunks
FAQ
What is the most used shot in basketball?
The jump shot is the most common basketball shot you will see during a basketball game.
Because almost every basketball shot is contested by a defender, a jump shot is the most common shot in basketball since jumping makes defending shots from an offensive player more difficult to defend.
What is the hardest basketball shot in the world?
The hardest basketball shot is a full-court shot from the other side of the court. Full-court basketball shots are rarely taken except at the ends of quarters, halves, and games.
Summary
One of the best things about basketball is the variety of shots you will see throughout a game from youth basketball up to the national basketball association.
Shooting skills take time to master due to the combination of athleticism and touch.
When you attend or watch a basketball game in the future and see an exceptional shooter, realize that that player has probably spent hundreds of hours perfecting their shot to help it become second nature.