How Much Basketball Slang Do You Know?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
How Much Basketball Slang Do You Know?
Image: Wikicommons by Keith Allison

About This Quiz

Every sport has its own kind of language once it has been played enough. You can't help but come up with terms to describe the game-specific play and the odd, colorful slang word for when you want to have some fun with what you're doing. When basketball was first invented, did anyone use the term slam dunk? Not a chance. Did those guys playing with peach baskets know an alley-oop when they saw one? No, because they never saw one. And they certainly had no idea what the Splash Brothers were. Ticky tack fouls, airballs, flops, fadeaways and free throws. If you live and breathe basketball, then these aren't slang words; they're part of who you are and what you do. If you're new to the game, they're jargon terms you're just getting used to. If you're not a basketball fan at all, then they may as well be an alien language. But you don't have to worry about that, right?

Whether you're just a casual basketball fan or you're Kawhi Leonard himself, it's time to show off what you know about the words and phrases that get tossed around on the court. Take the quiz and prove your basketball slang skills!

Question 22
Wikicommons by University of the Fraser Valley
What do you call a photo finish, last moment shot that pays off?
Breaker
Hallelujah
Longshot
Buzzer beater
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A buzzer beater does just what it says, it beats the buzzer. You take the shot before the clock runs out and, ideally, it goes in the basket after time has run out. Some people will call it the same thing if it goes in just before the buzzer, too.

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Question 12
Wikicommons by Australian Paralympic Committee
What's it called when you pass the ball to another player who takes it and scores right away?
Dime
Nickle
Quarter
Penny
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You could call it an assist, but it's more colorful to say you dropped a dime. Why do they call it a dime? It might be because phone calls used to cost a dime at a payphone, so you were doing someone a solid if you dropped them a dime.

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Question 31
ESPN
What are you calling Steph Curry and Klay Thompson?
Splash Brothers
Twin Towers
Double Dragons
Bucket Bros
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Technically speaking, any two players who are just killing it at jump shots could be called the Splash Brothers; but let's be honest, it's really meant just for Thompson and Curry and their incredible skills.

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Question 3
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
Your team is playing like they're blessed and players are hitting every shot they take. What's one way to describe that?
Hitting the hole
Flying
Making it rain
Breaking the boards
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You don't need to be a weatherman to make it rain. This is a bit of a showboat way to refer to a team's dominance on the court. If you're making every shot you're taking, you're making it rain, and that's a good thing.

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Question 28
Wikicommons by Carlos Delgado
You can dribble so good your defender loses his balance. What are you doing?
Breaking ankles
Breaking boards
Breaking bad
Breaking eggs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Breaking ankles is what happens when someone falls or stumbles trying to keep up with someone on offense dribbling, usually a crossover, in a way that sets them off balance. Allen Iverson was especially skilled at this.

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Question 11
Wikicommons by Botend
If you make yourself huge with a wide stance and arms all over the place to secure a better rebound position, what did you do to your opponent?
Reject
Box out
Hack
Slash
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You can box out your opponent by basically blocking them away from a potential rebound. Since no one sits still in basketball, you need to be on your toes to pull this off with arms and legs wide. The bigger the wingspan, the better the box out.

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Question 24
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
Someone is talking about the "rock." What do they mean?
The ball
Shoes
The net
3 pointers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When someone references the rock, they're talking about the ball. You can use it pretty much synonymously as in "toss me the rock, I would really like to score some points for a change of pace" or "protect the rock, we're down by two!"

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Question 25
Wikicommons by Brian Parker
What do you call the player who misses shots like it's their job?
Backyardigan
Rumrunner
Bricklayer
Buster
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It makes sense that if someone keeps throwing bricks, they have to be a bricklayer. Not to name names, but players like Andre Roberson and Iman Shumpert are kind of known for this habit.

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Question 23
Wikicommons by Tulane Public Relations
If you throw a bad shot, you throw one of these. What's it called?
Flop
Brick
Snack
Hat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Brick makes sense as a term for a massively failed shot because have you ever tried to throw a brick? They're not very aerodynamic at all. And they hit pretty hard. It's just a fun way to let people know you messed up pretty hard.

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Question 17
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
If you're a boss at rebounding, what might they call you?
Kid Flash
Basket hanger
Shifter
Glass cleaner
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A glass cleaner is anyone who has proven themselves to be a boss at rebounding. Why the name? Backboards are made of glass, so someone who excels at rebounds is constantly swiping the ball off the glass.

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Question 30
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
In football, you'd call it a "Hail Mary," but what's a basketball term for the same thing?
Slick
Wisher
Sky
Prayer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Both "Hail Mary" and "Prayer" evoke the same imagery of turning to a higher power for help. In basketball, you're throwing a prayer when you're chucking that ball from a truly unreasonable distance on the off chance it might work out for you.

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Question 16
Wikicommons by J.M. Rosenfeld
What do you call it when a coach swaps all his starters for other players?
Pump fake
Running the gamut
Emptying the bench
Full court press
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You're emptying the bench when you swap the entire team of starters for whoever else is on the bench. Why would you do that? When the game is winding up and you're either so far ahead that it doesn't matter or so far behind that it doesn't matter and you want to give your all-stars a rest.

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Question 8
Wikicommons by Bill Evans, United States Air Force Academy
When you lift the ball to take a shot and then oops, you didn't take the shot at all, what's that called?
Swisher
Pump fake
Rope-a-dope
Whirly
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They call it a pump fake when you're all geared up for the shot and then you don't actually take it. When it came to pros, few players could ever match Dwyane Wade when it came to pulling off an artfully crafted and utterly convincing pump fake.

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Question 14
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
If you take a shot by jumping up and back what's it called?
Fadeaway
Hook shot
Hops
Wrister
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A fadeaway isn't just a shot that looks cool, it's a shot that has a purpose. Well, all shots have a purpose, but the point of a fadeaway is to put distance between you and the person defending you so they have less chance of blocking the shot.

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Question 13
Wikicommons by B Wendell Jones
Also big in soccer, when someone fakes an injury or makes a small one seem like a big deal, what do you call it?
Hazard
Hack
Flop
Split
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Someone who flops is just the worst kind of person. In all of NBA history, there have been some terrible ones, but it's possible the worst ever was Vlade Divac who'd flop if someone looked at him funny. Of course, LeBron James also had the nickname LeFlop.

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Question 18
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
If you're losing, you might try intentionally fouling the worst player on the other team to gain an upper hand. What do you call that?
Pass fake
Whack-a-mole
Trip-flip
Hack-a-Shaq
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hack-a-Shaq is an insult directed at Shaquille O'Neal, who was pretty well known for being bad at free throws. When you foul the worst player, you're hoping they miss their free throws and your team has a better chance of getting the ball and turning the game around.

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Question 34
ESPN
Michael Jordan was known for this, but what do you call the duration a player can stay in the air after a jump?
Hang time
Flight time
Sky time
Run time
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Everyone wants a good hang time, but not every player can pull it off. While it seems like some players can absolutely fly, Michael Jordan's record hang time was actually only 0.92 seconds. Of course, the average person barely gets 0.5, so that's pretty good.

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Question 6
NBA
If you shoot the ball underhand, what are you doing?
Hopper
Stumper
Crudler
Granny shot
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This might be considered offensive to grandmothers, but the idea behind a granny shot is that you're shooting underhand rather than overhand. This happens pretty rarely in professional basketball, but every once in a while, it'll pop up in a desperation play to beat the clock.

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Question 5
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
Your opponent is coming at you with the ball. They jump for a shot but you're all over it, slamming it right out of their hands. How would you describe that?
Getting stuffed
Hitting bread
Posting up
Clapping back
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one dates back a few years, but it's still relevant in the game. When you smack that ball out of someone's hand to deny them they're getting stuffed. If you time it right, this can be incredibly dramatic and spectacular to watch.

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Question 19
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
What do you have if you have some great vertical leaping skills?
Jacks
Hops
Trips
Knuckles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You can say someone has hops if they have exceptionally good jumping skills. Michael Jordan was pretty much the king of hops, the man had a 48-inch vertical jump, which is pretty much the best in NBA history.

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Question 4
south_agency/ E+/ Getty Images
When you blow past your defender with such power you knock them backwards, what are you doing to them?
Setting 'em off
Breaking the bank
Throwing low bones
Putting 'em on skates
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You're putting 'em on skates if you cross your defender bad enough to knock them backwards. Why? Because they're stumbling back like an uncoordinated person on skates. It's impressive, but be careful of fouls!

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Question 27
Wikicommons by B Wendell Jones
Hey, what's a ticky tack foul?
A foul at the buzzer
An unnecessary foul
A blatant foul
A double foul
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This is in no way an official term, but a ticky tack foul is what happens when a ref calls a foul for light contact or for no contact at all that in no way disrupts play. It's a foul that no one else agrees with.

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Question 26
Compassionate Eye Foundation/Steve Coleman/OJO Images Ltd/ DigitalVision/ Getty Images
When you have the ball in your hand, you leap into the air and bring your arm full circle to the hoop. What are you doing?
Alley oop
Layup
Buzzer beater
Windmill dunk
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There isn't a lot of mystery behind the windmill dunk. As its name suggests, you need to spin your arm like a windmill to make it work. Dominique Wilkins is generally credited with rocking the first windmill dunk in 1984.

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Question 32
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
You just blocked someone so bad their momma felt it. What's a good thing to yell?
Nope!
Snubbed!
Rejected!
Ended!
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This might be one of the most old-school slang terms in all of sports that has moved well beyond basketball. When you block someone, especially when you do it in a dramatic fashion, they just got rejected.

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Question 9
Wikicommons by flickr user Dave Hogg
Let's say you toss the ball up and your buddy grabs it mid-air and makes a dunk. What just happened?
Hookshot
Layup
Alley oop
Windmill dunk
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An alley oop is a pretty classic maneuver in basketball that dates back to around the 1950s or so. K.C. Jones and Bill Russell were famous for pulling off the maneuver, and Wilt Chamberlain had his fair share of good ones, even when he was in college.

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Question 29
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
What are you likely to yell if the other team just can't stop scoring with no response from your team?
D up
Kick it out
Full court
Press
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your team needs to D up if there's no D, and that means defense. It's usually something said in frustration when it seems like you have no D and the other team is just making you look like amateurs.

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Question 7
NBA
What do you call it when you take a shot, the ball hits the rim, then just get stuck at the edge of the rim against the backboard?
Floater
Wedgie
Crabbed
Sticker
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mot of us know a wedgie as an old school high school-style prank involving the uncomfortable yanking of underpants, but it's also what you call a wedged ball. You could just say "wedged ball" but how is that funny? Also, if you're wondering, it becomes a jump ball after it gets stuck.

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Question 15
Wikicommons by JMRosenfeld
First, you make a move in one direction and then, boom! You head off in a totally different direction. What did you just do?
Hang time
Double tap
Spin
Euro step
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Euro step is a fake-out move. You dribble, step one way, then step in the opposite direction to off balance your opponent. It's not considered traveling provided you only take those two steps. This makes a good set-up for a layup.

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Question 33
Wikicommons by Keith Allison
Hack doesn't refer to a saw or a tip to make life easier in basketball. What does it mean?
An ugly shot
A foul
A bad player
A ref who makes bad calls
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A hack in basketball is a foul. The use of the term is pretty organic and intuitive. You could say something like "I was about to take the shot, when this guy just hacked me right in the throat." No one wants t be hacked, but at least you get some free throws out of the deal.

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Question 1
Wikicommons by Pkantz
You shoot, and you don't just miss; you hit nothing at all. What did you just throw?
All ball
Airball
Runner
Brick
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An airball is a ball that is well-acquainted with the air. It's when you miss everything, not just the net but the rim and the backboard as well. Essentially, it's about the worst kind of miss you can make. You want to avoid this at all costs.

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Question 2
Wikicommons by Nathan Rhoades
If the ref calls a foul on you but you didn't touch the other player, what might you tell the ref in defense?
Rock
Flop
Hack
All ball
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

All ball is a pretty generic defense to a foul. What you're saying is that you never touched the person you're accused of fouling, all you did was smack the ball out of their hands. So you got all ball but none of the other player. This may work but probably not.

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Question 21
Wikicommons by 1st Lt. Amanda Westlund
If you overhand the ball to another player, you might call it what?
Long bomb
Hook shot
Baseball pass
Windmill dunk
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You know how you throw a baseball? Do that but with a basketball, and it's a baseball pass. It's a full power sort of pass that usually has to cover a good distance. You'd only do it in a pinch when you're running low on time?

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Question 35
Corey Jenkins/ Image Source/ Getty Images
So what the heck is a rimshot?
When the ball misses the rim
When the ball hits the rim
When the ball gets stuck behind the rim
When you shoot from right under the basket
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A rimshot is more than just a drumming term. When the ball hits the rim, that's a rimshot. No matter what else happens, it goes in, or it misses, doesn't matter. You just need that contact to call it a rimshot. Pretty simple!

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Question 10
Wikicommons by Carlos Delgado
A player on the offensive who can just move in and out of defenders like a breeze can do what?
Stutter
Twitch
Wonk
Wiggle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You have some wiggle if you can weave in and out of defenders. There's a player who's known as "Mr. Wiggle," but you may not have heard of him. It's Khoa Tran of the VBA, the Vietnam Basketball Association.

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Question 20
Wikicommons by x97kruszka
Mix man-to-man and zone defense to get which of these?
Amoeba defense
2-3 zone defense
Draw in the defense
Beat the defender
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Amoeba defense is meant to wear down the offense, and it was developed in the 1970s by Fran Webster of the Pittsburgh Panthers. It's supposed to be set up like a diamond with the fastest defenders at the top of the key and your biggest defender under the basket.

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You Got:
/35
Wikicommons by Keith Allison