Games · Basketball

Basketball: free online shooting game

Drag the ball upwards and let go to shoot. It hits the rim, the backboard, and sometimes drops in anyway. Beat the clock, a three-point contest, the Daily Shot and duels against the computer. Free, no account needed.

How to play

• Put your finger on the ball, drag it upwards and let go. The length of the flick sets the power: from further away you need a longer flick. A crooked flick sends the ball sideways. On a computer you can also hold the space bar to charge and use the arrow keys to aim.
• A basket is worth 2 points, or 3 from beyond the three-point line. If the ball goes in without touching the rim or the backboard, you get 1 extra point.
• Beat the clock: 60 seconds, your spot changes every 5 baskets and after 3 baskets in a row the ball catches fire and points count double until you miss.
• Three-point contest: just like the real thing, 5 racks of 5 balls around the line. Each basket is worth 1 and the last ball on each rack is worth 2.
• The Daily Shot changes at midnight Lisbon time and only your first try counts for the leaderboard. Against the computer, each side shoots 10 times from the same spots.

Where this game comes from

Basketball was invented in December 1891 by James Naismith, a Canadian physical education teacher, at a YMCA school in Springfield in the United States. He needed a game his students could play indoors during the winter.

He hung two peach baskets from the gym balcony, 10 feet off the floor (3.05 metres), the same height the rim is today. The first rules numbered 13 and the game was played with a football. The baskets still had bottoms, so the ball had to be taken out after every basket.

Free game, no betting and no prizes. Your progress is saved on this device.