Handball vs. Basketball — What's the Difference?

A sport played with a small, round ball on a rectangular court.

A game where teams aim to shoot a ball through a raised hoop.

A sport where players can only touch the ball with their hands, aiming to score against a goalkeeper.

A sport with five players on each side, competing to score in an elevated net.

A game in which players avoid dribbling and focus on passing to advance the ball.

A team game with the objective of outscoring opponents by making field goals.

Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the other team. A standard match consists of two periods of 30 minutes, and the team that scores more goals wins.

A sport played with a large round ball on a rectangular court.

Touching of the ball with the hand or arm, constituting a foul

A game in which players dribble, pass, and shoot to score points.

A team game with the objective of outscoring opponents by throwing a ball into a net.

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately 9.4 inches (24 cm) in diameter) through the defender's hoop (a basket 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high to a backboard at each end of the court) while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three.

A game similar to fives, in which the ball is hit with the hand in a walled court.

A game played between two teams of five players each, the object being to throw a ball through an elevated basket on the opponent's side of a rectangular court. Players may move the ball by dribbling or passing with the hands.

A game that is played, often on a four-walled court, by two or more players who alternately hit a small rubber ball against the front wall with the hand, with play stopping if the ball bounces twice on the floor or does not reach the front wall.

The inflated, spherical ball used in this game.

The ball used in this game.

A sport in which two opposing teams of five players strive to put a ball through a hoop.

Team handball.

(countable) The particular kind of ball used in the sport of basketball. Basketball

Often hand ball A violation of the rules in soccer in which a player other than the goalie inside the penalty area carries, strikes, or propels the ball with the hand or arm. A hand ball is usually called when the hand or arm is away from the body and touches the ball.

To play basketball

(uncountable) A team sport where two teams of seven players each (six players and a goalkeeper) pass and bounce a ball trying to throw it in the goal of the opposing team.

To throw in a similar way to when shooting a basketball

(countable) The medium-sized inflated ball used in this sport.

A ball game, usually played indoors in an area called the basketball court, in which two opposing teams of five players each contest with each other to toss a large inflated ball (the basketball) into opposite goals (baskets) resembling baskets, each typically a cylindrical mesh suspended from a circular rim which is held ten feet above the court. A goal scored by passing the basketball through the basket may count from one to three points, depending on the situation in which it was thrown.

The offence of a player other than the goalkeeper touching the ball with the hand or arm on the field during play.

The inflatable ball used in the game of basketball.

A sport in which players alternately strike the ball against a wall with their hand. Irish and American variants have slightly different rules.

A game played on a court by two opposing teams of 5 players; points are scored by throwing the basketball through an elevated horizontal hoop

The small rubber ball used in this sport.

An inflated ball used in playing basketball

An act of passing a football by holding it with one hand and hitting it with the other.

A schoolyard game in which a tennis ball is struck with the hand, played on a improvised court on the asphalt or pavement.

To manually load or unload a container, trailer, or to otherwise manually move bulk goods (often on pallets) from one type of transport receptacle to another.

(soccer) To illegally touch the ball with the hand or arm.

(Australian rules football) To (legally) pass a football by holding it with one hand and hitting it with the other.

To insert a hand into someone's anus.

A small ball, usually made of rubber, thrown or struck with the hand in various games.

A game played with such a ball, as by players striking it to and fro between them with the hands, or, when played in a walled court or against a single wall, striking it in turns against a wall, until one side or the other fails to return the ball.

A small rubber ball used in the game of handball

A game played in a walled court or against a single wall by two or four players who strike a rubber ball with their hands

A game where players use hands to throw a ball into an opponent's goal.

No, in handball, players pass the ball to advance it, unlike basketball where dribbling is essential.

No, basketball players cannot use their feet to touch the ball.

The main objective of handball is to throw the ball into the opposing team's goal.

Yes, standard handball courts are larger than standard basketball courts.

A handball player can take a maximum of three steps.

No, handball doesn't have a three-point line, but basketball does.

No, basketballs are larger and bouncier, while handballs are smaller and firmer.

A basketball team has five players on the court at a time.

Handball players can bounce the ball, but it's not as prevalent as in basketball.

In handball, defenders aim to block shots and prevent passes to the goal area.

A basketball hoop is 10 feet (3.05 meters) high from the ground.

A professional basketball game, like in the NBA, has four 12-minute quarters.

Versions of handball date back centuries, while basketball was invented in 1891.

Yes, basketball players can shoot from anywhere, but points vary based on distance.

Yes, both handball and basketball have professional leagues around the world.