Inbound Pass
How to understand an “inbounds pass”?
What does the basketball term “inbounds pass” mean?
What does an “inbounds pass” describe?
An inbounds pass in basketball is when the team who is granted possession of the ball must “throw in” the ball from out of bounds to begin the play. The game has several rules to make that play fair for both sides.
Inbounding the ball
An offensive player can inbound the ball to a teammate as they step over the out-of-bounds line. The in-bounder can jump, move their feet, and even back up as long as they stay in a 3-foot wide spot on either side of them. It’s a turnover if they move out of that space. The in-bounder is free to run along the baseline if the other team just scored. That’s most likely to happen when the defensive team is pressing at the end of a close game.
Five seconds
Once the referee hands the in-bounder the basketball, that player has five seconds to throw the ball into play. If the ball is being put back in play due to a violation, the game clock won’t start until the ball is touched by a player on the floor. The five-second count is still on, and it’s a turnover if the player doesn’t beat the count.
Defensive rules
The defensive player can’t reach across the out-of-bounds line to touch the ball or interfere with the in-bounding player. The player gets a warning the first time, and a technical foul the second time.
Example of how Inbound Pass is used in commentary: Love throws the inbounds pass to James across the length of the court, which gives him more than enough time to make the game-winning shot.