Sports
Basketball: Referee Signals
There are a lot of different signals that basketball referees, also called officials, use in the game. It can get confusing. This is a list of the different basketball referee hand signals and what they mean. The specific rules below are described in more detail on other pages (see links at bottom of page).
Referee Basketball
Violations Signals
 Walking or traveling (not bouncing the ball while walking)  Illegal or double dribble  Carrying or Palming the ball  Over and back (half-court violation) |
 Five second violation  Ten seconds (taking more than 10 seconds to get the ball over half court)  Kicking (intentionally kicking the ball)  Three seconds (offensive player is in the lane or key for more than 3 seconds) |
Referee Basketball Foul Signals
 Hand check  Holding  Blocking  Pushing |
 Charging or player control foul  Intentional foul  Technical foul or "T" (generally for misconduct or unsportsmanlike behavior) |
Other Referee Signals
 Jump Ball  30 second time out  Three point attempt  Three point score |
 No Score  Start clock  Stop clock |
Note on Basketball Referees
Keep in mind that the referees are there to make the game better. Without officials the game would be no fun at all and they are doing the best they can. They WILL make mistakes. Basketball is a difficult game to referee. That's just how it is. Getting angry, yelling at the ref, and throwing a fit does no good and will not help you or your team. Just keep playing and listen to the refs regardless of whether you agree with the call or not. Move on to the next play. They are doing the best they can and are trying to make the game enjoyable for all.
* referee signal pictures from the NFHS
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