BASKETBALL

  

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is played by two teams of five players on a rectangular, wooden court. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 46 cm in diameter and 3 meters high. Each basket scored is worth 2 points, unless the shot is made from behind the three-point line, which is a semi-circle 6.75m away from the basket. Free throws, shot after a foul is committed, are each worth one point.
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) and Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)

 

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is considered to be the most popular league as well as the highest level of professional basketball in the world. Athletes in the NBA are some of the highest paid athletes in the world. The current NBA champions are the Golden State Warriors, from San Francisco, California. The current league MVP(Most Valuable Player) is Stephen Curry. 

College, or NCAA, basketball is also very popular in the USA. Every March, the championship tournament (commonly known as March Madness) is held, and watched by millions. People will fill in brackets and try to predict who will win each game, and ultimately the entire tournament. If you have a perfect bracket at the end of the tournament, you can win a cash prize. Duke University (North Carolina) won the 2015 National Championship. 

Most NBA players, especially Americans, first played basketball in college, and were then selected to play by the teams in the NBA draft. In each round of the draft, each team selects one player. There are 2 rounds of the draft, and 30 teams. 

In high schools basketball is one of the most popular sports to play, along with football. Many people play on their school's team, or just for fun with their friends. Games among friends are commonly called "pickup games."

QUESTIONS:

1. How far away from the basket is the three-point line? How much is a free throw worth?

2. Who are the current champions of the NBA? Of the NCAA? 

3. Who is the current MVP of the NBA?

4. How many players from each team play at a time?

5. How many teams are in the NBA?