Dribble

Dribble is the act of bouncing the ball on the floor repeatedly in order to move on the basketball court. If a player has the ball and wants to move, they must dribble the ball.

Dribbling is an essential skill in basketball since every player must be able to do it. The guards are usually better ball handlers than the front court players, but even the centers and forwards must be able to dribble every once in a while. When dribbling the ball, the player may only use one hand at a time and must keep their hand on top of the ball. If their hand moves to the side or under the ball, a carrying violation is called and the ball is given to the other team. If a player is moving with the ball (dribbling), they may take what the NBA calls a “two-count rhythm” without dribbling before releasing the ball.

Basically, the player can take 2 steps before releasing the ball. If they take more than two, they will be called for a travel. A player may also hold onto the ball without dribbling if they keep one foot on the ground. This is known as the pivot foot and once a player pivots, they may not change their pivot foot.

Examples of how Dribble is used in commentary: Paul dribbles up court and dishes a perfect alley-oop to Griffin for the dunk.