Basketball Shot Clock

The shot clock was implemented in the 1950s to speed up the game and make it more exciting for the viewers. But what is the shot clock and what are the rules?

Basketball History

The clock was a clearly path breaking rule in basketball. In the 1950s a lot of teams, after assuming the lead would simply hold on to the ball or pass it to their players without making an attacking move. This led to the game hitting a standstill and very boring from the viewers point of view. And after quite a few games where the play was thus stifled the rule for the shot clock was invented.

Danny Biasone is largely credited with coming up with the idea for a shot clock. The idea was that a shot would need to be taken every 24 seconds in NBA. If the team has possession but fails to make an attacking move and take a shot at the basket, then they concede a foul. The rule thus made the play much faster and more attacking.

Shot Clock Rules

The basic rule is that there will be timer, set to 24 seconds. At the end of 24 seconds, if the team which has the possession doesn't take a shot, then the possession will be passed to the other team. If the team does take a shot, then the clock is reset.

The key element in the rule is the player control. It is important that the player of a team gain full control of the ball (as opposed to simply touching the ball) before the clock starts. The clock will start ticking once a player of a team is in control of the ball.

The Attempt
An attempt is a shot taken at the basket, which hits the rim. An attempt needs to be taken, i.e. the ball needs to leave the hands of the player before the alarm goes off on the scoreboard sounding the end of the 24 seconds. If the shot touches the rim of the basket or goes through the basket, the shot is said to be an attempt. If the ball flies off in a different direction altogether or misses the basket, then it is not an attempt and once the clock has counted down the time, it results in a foul.

Inbound Pass
Since it is a clock for the team rather than a player, even after a player of one team has made a pass to his own player, the shot clock does not reset. So the team can continue passing the ball only for 24 seconds, after which they have to take a shot or concede the foul. If the opposition player picks up a loose ball after a pass, then the shot clock is restarted.

Shot Clock Timings
The timings differ based on the organization governing the game.

Organization	Seconds
NBA	24 seconds
WNBA	24 seconds
NCAA Men	35 seconds
NCAA Women	30 seconds
FIBA	24 seconds

So these were the basic rules governing timers in the game of basketball. It has been really instrumental in speeding up the game and making it more exciting.