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Basketball · FIBA 2024 v1.0a

A second dribble is illegal only after the first one has ended.

Published

Under FIBA Article 24, the first dribble ends when the player touches the ball with both hands at the same time or lets it come to rest in one or both hands. Carrying is the related act of putting part of a hand under the ball, carrying it or bringing it to a pause, and then continuing the dribble.

Quick ruling: in FIBA full-court 5-on-5 basketball, a player who ends a dribble cannot bounce the ball again unless control was lost because of a shot, an opponent touched the ball, or a pass or fumble touched another player. A high bounce, hesitation or hand on the side of the ball is not automatically illegal; the decisive facts are control, rest or pause, and what happens next.
Scope and date

The ruleset used on this page

This page applies the FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2024 v1.0a, valid from 1 October 2024, especially Articles 10, 15, 22, 24, 25, 29 and 47, together with the FIBA Official Basketball Rules Interpretations 2024 v1.0a. FIBA's resource hub still identifies the 2024 rules as the current edition on 26 August 2026.

FIBA has published Official Basketball Rules 2026 v1.1, but that edition is not valid until 1 October 2026. Its Article 24 preserves the dribble definition, end points and second-dribble exceptions explained here.

The primary scope is international FIBA full-court 5-on-5 basketball. The NBA comparison below uses its separate 2025-26 rulebook. WNBA, NCAA, NFHS, 3x3, wheelchair, youth and local competitions should be checked against their own appointed rules and competition regulations.

Start and end

First identify whether a dribble is still alive

FIBA Article 24.1 defines a dribble as movement of a live ball by a player in control who throws, taps, rolls or bounces it on the court. It starts when that player sends the ball to the court and touches it again before it touches another player.

The dribble ends at the first of two control events:

  • The player touches the ball with both hands simultaneously.
  • The ball comes to rest in one or both hands.

A pass, a shot, a loose ball and a dead ball can change control, but the two tests above answer the usual replay question: had the player already gathered the ball before the next bounce?

Carrying

A hand position is evidence, not the whole offence

Article 24.1.2 prohibits a dribbler from placing any part of a hand under the ball and carrying it from one point to another, or bringing it to a pause and then continuing to dribble. This is commonly called carrying or palming; FIBA's official signal calls it “carrying the ball.”

A palm briefly facing sideways or a bounce rising above the waist does not by itself satisfy that wording. Article 24 sets no maximum bounce height. Officials must judge whether the player controlled the underside of the ball and carried it, or whether the ball rested or paused before the dribble continued.

Carry versus ordinary pick-up: if the ball comes to rest and the player keeps holding it, the dribble has simply ended. The violation occurs when the player illegally continues: by carrying through the pause or by starting a second dribble.
Second-dribble rule

Three events can restore the right to dribble

FIBA Article 24.2 prohibits a second dribble after the first has ended unless the player loses control of the live ball because of one of these events:

  1. A shot for a goal. It must be a genuine attempt towards the opponents' basket, but FIBA does not require that shot to touch the ring or backboard before the shooter regains it.
  2. An opponent touches the ball. A defender's tap or deflection can therefore restore the player's right to dribble after recovery.
  3. A pass or fumble touches, or is touched by, another player. The other player may be a team-mate or opponent.

These are defined conditions, not a general “possession reset.” Merely dropping the ball after the dribble ended, or deliberately bouncing it off a stationary opponent to manufacture a touch, does not necessarily satisfy Article 24.2.

Fumbles

A bobble may be recovered, but it is not always a new dribble

Article 24.1.3 calls an accidental loss and recovery of control a fumble. Article 24.1.4 says fumbling at the start or end of a dribble is not itself a dribble. That is why several uncontrolled taps while trying to secure a loose ball should not be counted mechanically as multiple dribbles.

Recovery does not erase what happened before the fumble. If the first dribble had already ended, Article 24.2 permits a fresh dribble after a fumble only when the ball touched or was touched by another player. The player may still recover and hold, pass or shoot if the footwork remains legal; starting another dribble is the separate question.

Backboard plays

Throwing off the board is not automatically a reset

FIBA Article 24.1.4 says throwing the ball against either backboard and regaining control is not a dribble. The official interpretations then separate two situations:

  • No previous dribble: a stationary player may throw the ball against either backboard, catch it, and then shoot, pass or start a dribble.
  • Previous dribble already ended: the player may throw the ball against the backboard and regain it before anyone else touches it, but may then only shoot or pass. Starting a new dribble is a double-dribble violation.

The backboard is not a universal reset button. The prior dribble and the action after recovery still decide the ruling.

Continuous dribble

A long push ahead can remain the same dribble

During an active dribble, FIBA permits the player to throw the ball into the air provided it touches the court or another player before that player touches it again with a hand. The official interpretations confirm that throwing the ball over or several metres around an opponent, letting it hit the court, and continuing is legal.

FIBA also places no limit on the number of steps while the ball is not touching the player's hand. That does not legalise a late start after a gather: Article 25 separately requires the ball to leave the hand before the pivot foot is lifted when starting a dribble.

Decision path

How to judge the replay

  1. Name the ruleset. This path uses FIBA 2024 v1.0a, not a generic blend of basketball codes.
  2. Confirm live-ball control. Loose-ball taps and a fumble are not automatically dribbles.
  3. Find the end of the first dribble. Freeze the moment of simultaneous two-hand contact or rest in one or both hands.
  4. For a possible carry, track the hand and ball together. Look for control underneath plus movement from one point to another, or a pause followed by continuation.
  5. If the player dribbles again, test Article 24.2. Was there a shot, an opponent's touch, or another player's touch on a pass or fumble?
  6. Check footwork separately. A legal recovery can still be followed by travelling.
  7. Apply the violation restart. Do not turn an illegal dribble into a personal foul or free throws.
Worked case 1

The hesitation does not come to rest

Situation: under FIBA 2024 v1.0a, A1 slows down, moves a hand around the side of the ball and changes direction. The ball continues its natural bounce and never rests or pauses in the hand.

Ruling: legal dribble. Speed, bounce height and a hand moving to the side do not establish the Article 24.1.2 test without an under-ball carry or controlled pause.

Worked case 2

A defender knocks the gathered ball loose

Situation: under FIBA 2024 v1.0a, A1 ends a dribble with both hands. B1 then taps the ball loose; A1 recovers and starts another dribble.

Ruling: legal. The first dribble ended, but B1 touched the ball before the second dribble. That is an express Article 24.2 exception.

Worked case 3

A deliberate bounce off a defender does not manufacture a reset

Situation: under FIBA 2024 v1.0a, A1 ends a dribble, deliberately throws the ball against B1's stationary leg, catches it and dribbles again. B1 made no action on the ball.

Ruling: double dribble. FIBA interpretation 24-7 says the ball touched B1; B1 did not touch the ball, and A1's action was not a qualifying pass or fumble.

Worked case 4

A genuine airball can restore the dribble under FIBA

Situation: under FIBA 2024 v1.0a, A1 ends a dribble, makes a genuine shot for the opponents' basket, misses the ring and backboard, catches the ball and dribbles.

Ruling: legal under FIBA Article 24.2. The shot ended control and is itself an exception; FIBA does not add a ring-or-backboard contact requirement here. Whether an action was truly a shot is a judgment based on the movement of the ball towards the opponents' basket, not the player's label after the fact.

Outcome

The penalty is loss of possession, not a personal foul

Double dribbling and carrying are violations under FIBA Rule Five. Article 22.2 awards the opponents a throw-in from the place nearest the infraction, except directly behind the backboard. Because the team in control committed the violation, Article 29.2.3 resets the new offensive team's shot clock to 24 seconds for a backcourt throw-in or 14 seconds for a frontcourt throw-in.

The referee's whistle makes the ball dead under Article 10.3, so a new shot released after the whistle cannot count. These violations do not add a player foul or team foul and do not produce free throws by themselves.

Judgment and review

Officials judge control in real time

FIBA Article 47.3 directs referees to apply the spirit and intent of the rules consistently and to balance game control with flow. Its express advantage/disadvantage example concerns incidental personal contact; it does not create an Article 24 exception for a clear illegal dribble.

FIBA Appendix F.3 lists the situations available for Instant Replay System review, and an Article 24 dribble violation is not among them. A head coach's challenge is limited to the same listed situations. Under the baseline FIBA 2024 rules, a double-dribble or carrying judgment therefore cannot be challenged simply to re-officiate the hand position or gather on video.

NBA variation

The NBA uses similar tests but a narrower shot reset

The 2025-26 NBA Official Rules, Rule 4 Section II and Rule 10 Section II, also end the dribble on simultaneous two-hand contact, rest or a gather, and prohibit putting a hand under the ball to carry it or bring it to a pause before continuing.

The important difference is the second-dribble exception after a field-goal attempt: NBA Rule 10-II(e)(1) requires the attempt at the player's basket to touch the backboard or basket ring. The NBA also expressly allows a new dribble after a pass or fumble touches the player's own backboard, the ring or another player. Its penalty throw-in is on the sideline nearest the violation, but no nearer the baseline than the foul line extended. Do not apply the FIBA airball or restart wording to an NBA game.

Common mistakes

Six claims that lead to wrong calls

  • “A dribble above the shoulder is automatically illegal.” FIBA Article 24 sets no maximum bounce height.
  • “Any hand under the ball is instantly a carry.” The rule also requires the controlled carry or pause described in Article 24.1.2.
  • “Two hands is already a double dribble.” Two-hand contact ends the first dribble; a prohibited second dribble creates the violation.
  • “Every bobble gives the player a new dribble.” A fumble is not itself a dribble, but Article 24.2 still controls whether another dribble is permitted.
  • “The ball touching any defender always resets the dribble.” FIBA's interpretations reject a deliberately manufactured bounce off a stationary opponent.
  • “The shot must hit the rim in every ruleset.” That is required for the NBA's second-dribble shot exception, not for FIBA's current Article 24.2.
Official references

Governing-body sources and effective versions

Checked 26 August 2026 against the FIBA edition then in force, FIBA's current official interpretations, the separately published future FIBA edition and the 2025-26 NBA rulebook. Competition regulations and national federation adaptations may supplement the FIBA baseline; this page does not treat NBA, WNBA, NCAA, NFHS, 3x3 or local rules as interchangeable.