OK, so we all know what a slam dunk is, and we know a little about the alley-oop, too. But these are really basic basketball slang terms. Some of the more original slang terms that are used in basketball circles carry more interesting stories, and are worth looking at a bit more closely.

A few examples follow.

If you perform a move that leaves your opponent standing around like an idiot – perhaps you have managed to complete a slam dunk over his head, then you are said to have “posterized” him. This term comes from the usual shots used on posters of star basketball players in full flow with an opponent trying, but failing, to stop them. The implication is that this person will be on a poster, but as the poor mark standing and watching as you do something awesome.


“Hack-A-Shaq” is a tactical move which is pretty much indistinguishable from fouling your opponent. This is because it is fouling your opponent. It is only applicable, though, when playing against someon e you know can’t make free throws. Shaquille O’Neal, for all his ability with a basketball, is a terrible free-throw shooter – to the extent where teams feel confident fouling him. It stops him dunking the ball and he’s likely to miss the shots.
Finally, two terms which are entirely literal: “All Ball” and “Nothing But Net”. The first is shouted at a referee who has blown for a foul when you have blocked an opponent’s shot – the implication being that you haven’t touched your opponent, just slammed the ball away. The second applies to a jump shot you have hit which caught none of the rim on the way in. With that lovely “swish noise”, all it hit was net.

Hitting A Triple-Double


One of the things that marks out the best basketball players is versatility. With only five players on the court, it is fair to say that players are expected to be able to bring something on both offense and defense. The players who are most successful in doing this will often end up with a “triple double”. What’s one of those? Well, it is the name given to an achievement where a player manages a double-digit total in three of the following five categories.


(Opponent’s)

Most good attacking players will hit double figures for points in any game, often by the halfway mark in the game. The other two parts of the triple-double will depend on the player’s strengths. For instance, taller and larger players may get a fair share of blocked shots, because they are so hard to deliver a shot over. An alert, unselfish player can easily get ten assists in a game where their team has the upper hand.

Players with great hustle will get their share of steals and often of rebounds too – offensive and defensive rebounds count.

The tricky thing about getting a triple double is that often a player who is trying for it will find it harder to get, as there is little point trying to manufacture rebounds, and you should really be playing your game rather than waiting for the opportunity to pick up stats.

However, if you play your game to the best of your ability, a triple-double is within your reach (depending on which rules you are playing under, anyway).