Air Ball in Basketball: Basic Information Explained

What is an air ball in basketball

An air ball consists of action that occurs when a offensive player in possession of the basketball, usually near the perimeter areas of the court, attempts a shot that does not hit the rim or the backboard.

In other words, the player does not put the ball in the basket ring via a swished shot that only hits the net, a non-swished shot that initially hits certain parts of the rim itself, or even a bank shot that hits the backboard first before falling into the rim.

Instead, the player does not hit anything at all with the shot or more comically, the player hits nothing but the air.

Furthermore, an air ball could happen during standard play such as a full court 5-on-5 basketball game or even during free throw action.

Basically, if a player has an opportunity to score points via a shot attempt, particularly by way of a mid-range or three-point jump shot, but that same player fails to hit any portion of the basketball rim or backboard during that same shot attempt, then that would be considered an air ball.

Moreover, an air ball could also occur as the result of a long distance shot that is near or beyond the half court line.

However, it should be stated that an air ball in those situations is usually not considered detrimental for the offensive player or the offensive team as a whole.

The main reasoning behind that is because long distance shots near or beyond the half court line are typically attempted during the last seconds of a quarter or even at the end of a basketball game.

Also, as a side note, if a defender gets credited with a blocked shot by deflecting an offensive player’s shot attempt, which does not touch the rim or backboard, then that would not be considered an air ball by the offensive player.

This is because an air ball could only happen when the offensive player has full control of the ball’s flight path, particularly towards the rim.

If a defender deflects the ball with one or both of their hands, then the offensive player would no longer have full control of that original flight path.

Therefore, the final result would not be an air ball but instead a blocked shot or possibly a goaltending violation if the ball was on a downward trajectory after the shot was already released by the offensive player.

What are general situations that could cause an air ball to occur

Player shoots the ball out of range

An offensive player would typically shoot the ball beyond their normal range near the perimeter areas of the court that are far away from the basket, which could then result in an air ball.

This could happen with perimeter players such as the point guard, shooting guard, or small forward, especially on shot attempts that are more than a few feet away from the three-point line.

This could also happen with post players such as certain types of power forwards or centers who would be considered non-shooters because those players did not develop a proper shooting ability or those players are simply not comfortable taking shots, especially outside of the lane.

Next, to provide an example of this basic concept, let’s say that an offensive player can consistently make jump shots outside of the lane about 12 to 17 feet away from the basket, which would effectively be mid-range shots.

However, let’s also say that same offensive player struggles to consistently make jump shots that are at least 19 feet and 9 inches away from the basket, which would essentially be three-point range shots.

As a result, this offensive player could be considered a decent mid-range shooter but inadequate three-point shooter.

Moreover, since this particular offensive player struggles to make three-pointers on a consistent basis, there would probably be at least a moderate chance that some (or most) of that player’s three-point shot attempts would result in air balls because it is outside of that player’s range.

Player does not use proper shooting technique

In certain instances, an offensive player could be in their respective range to make a jump shot, but then that same offensive player could fail to use the proper shooting techniques or shooting mechanics.

For example, if the offensive player does not bend their knees properly, then this could result in insufficient leg power behind the shot attempt. When that occurs, the shot could fall flat and possibly air ball before reaching the rim.

Furthermore, the offensive player might not follow through with proper hand and/or wrist action upon shooting the ball. When that happens, it could result in the ball not having proper backspin as well as simply being off-target away from the rim.

In addition to that, the offensive player may not have have gripped the ball properly, perhaps because of a bad pass from a teammate, which could also result in an air ball upon taking the shot attempt.

Player cannot see the basket

An offensive player is usually not able to see the basket because a defender successfully places a hand in the player’s face to mainly contest the shot attempt.

As a side effect though, this could block the player’s vision prior to the shot release, which could then result in an air ball.

Additionally, in certain cases, a player might shoot an air ball because of improper depth perception or some other ocular issue such as myopia (also known as nearsightedness).

In those types of circumstances, prescription basketball goggles or contact lenses could help the player see the basket clearly with better perception.

Player gets contacted by a defender but the referee does not call a foul

An offensive player could get contacted by a defender, particularly on the hand or wrist, while in the act of shooting. Most of the time when that happens, a referee will assess a shooting foul against the defensive player.

However, in certain rarer instances, a referee might not signal the defender for a shooting foul, mainly because the referee did not think a foul occurred. Also, it is possible that a referee made an error and simply missed the opportunity to signal a shooting foul.

In either situation, an offensive player could get contacted by the defender, legally or otherwise, which could lead to an air ball upon releasing the shot attempt.

What happens if a player catches their own air ball

In the NBA and WNBA, if an offensive player catches their own air ball, then it would result in a traveling violation for that same player.

Basically, in reference to Rule 10, Section XIII.f of the NBA and WNBA, a player cannot touch the ball immediately after releasing it on a shot attempt unless the ball hits the backboard, basket ring, or another player first.

However, those traveling rules do not necessarily apply to every other basketball league or level of competition.

For example, in the NFHS rules for high school basketball, there does not appear to be any associated penalty, especially in relation to a traveling violation, if an offensive player is the first to touch the ball after immediately shooting it.

Therefore, at the high school level, a player could apparently grab their own rebound after an air ball, provided the referee believes that the initial shot attempt was a legitimate try towards the basket.