Basket ball is played between two teams of five players each. The objective of each team is to score points by throwing the ball into the opponent's basket and to prevent the other side from securing the ball or scoring. The ball may be passed, thrown, tapped, rolled or dribbled in any direction, subject to the restrictions laid down in the rules. It is purely a handling game.

The origin of the game of basket ball dates back to 1891 in America. The game was first played in the Y.M.C.A College of Physical Education, Springfield, U.S.A and the first Rule Book of the game was published by James Naismith in 1895. The game was first practiced on suspended peach baskets and it was those baskets which gave the game its name and later peach baskets were replaced by hoops fixed on a pole or board 10 feet above the ground. The game of basket ball was first included in the Olympics in 1936, which was held in Berlin.

In India this game was played for the first time in 1930. The first Indian National Championship for men was conducted in 1934 in New Delhi. The Basket ball Federation of India which controls the game in India was formed in 1950. It is a popular game and is considered to be a game of the masses. Its popularity stems from the fact that it is a fast scoring game in which there is intense activity from the beginning till the end.