Jump ball after Wedgie NBA: Why and when do NBA referees call jump balls?

Akash Murty | 17/11/2021
Jump ball after Wedgie NBA: Why and when do NBA referees call jump balls?

What is the “Jump Ball” rule of basketball and when are they called in the NBA.

Most of us who have played basketball anywhere know the “jump ball” to be the tip-off of a game. Generally, the two tallest players from both teams battle it out at the center circle of the court to kick things off. The team that gets the first possession after their no.5 tips it to one of his teammates, who starts things off.

The rest of the quarters start simply from each team’s respective end lines. The team which wins the jump ball doesn’t get to start the 2nd and 3rd quarters, the second team does. The first team starts the 4th and final quarter.

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And when the teams end up with the same score after the final whistle, they get overtime. Which again starts with a jump ball. There can be multiple OTs, all of them start with a Jump Ball.

Yikes! Be thankful it changed for good.

Other occasions when a Jump Ball is called apart from tip-off and OTs

In these scenarios, the two players involved in the play before the stoppage will be involved in the jump ball, not the tallest guys of each team. Now let’s start,

Any kind of double foul, meaning fouls from both teams at the same time leads to a jump ball. It can be a double free-throw violation where both teams foul during a free throw, a double foul during a loose ball, a double foul that occurs as a result of a difference in opinion between officials.

A jump ball is also called when the ball becomes dead. For example, when neither team is in control and no field goal or infraction occurs. Also, when the ball comes to rest on the basket flange or becomes lodged between the basket ring and the backboard, these are usually called a “wedgie”.

During the loose ball scenarios, like when the suspension of play occurs during a loose ball or when a fighting foul occurs during a loose ball, a jump ball is called.

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Lastly, a jump ball is called when a held ball occurs or a ball goes out of bounds caused by both teams which have the least probability of happening, or when official/s is in doubt as to who last touched the ball. The ball shall be put into play by a jump ball at the circle which is closest to the spot where these stoppages occur.

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Jump Ball NBA

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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