Basketball is a sport where every impossible happens. Many unbelievable dunks happen in one basketball game, which most fans think impossible to be executed.
When you watch basketball, you will see many alley-oop passes that lead to incredible dunks. The alley-oop pass may be made by the point guard to the center or vice versa. However, you see some players who alley-oop the ball to themselves. Is it legal to alley-oop to yourself? Let’s find out!
Can you alley-oop to yourself? Yes! According to the rule book, a basketball player who shoots or passes the ball should not be the first to touch the ball unless it touches the rim or backboard. In simple words, a player can pass the ball to himself but should hit the backboard or rim first.
There are many things you can learn from this topic! Let’s check out different questions related to our subject. I will also tell you various reasons why basketball players alley-oop the ball to themselves. If you are ready, let’s go!
Why Basketball Players Alley-Oop To Themselves?
Basketball players can alley-oop the ball to themselves, even in real basketball games. However, they should hit the backboard or rim first. They should pass the ball to themselves by throwing and hitting the ball to the backboard.
Now that you know that it is legal for a basketball player to alley-oop the ball himself/herself, let’s check the different reasons why basketball players do this. If there is an easy way to shoot the ball, why do basketball players alley-oop the ball to themselves, which is one of the most difficult moves to execute? Let’s find out!
To Show Off
The first reason why basketball players alley-oop the ball to themselves is to show off. They want to show every fan and other player that they can do hard things. I know it looks cool when you see a player passing the ball to himself off the backboard and dunks it. Because it looks cool, many basketball players started to execute this move.
Simple or professional basketball players, all basketball players alley-oop the ball to themselves to show off. Most basketball players want to look cool in front of the crowd, so why not make cool moves. Right?
To Hype Up
Simple dunks can hype up the fans and your teammates. If simple dunks can hype up the crowd, what if it’s a self alley-oop pass and a dunk? When this happens, the whole crowd will get crazy!
Basketball players alley-oop the ball to themselves to hype the fans and their teammates up. When the fans get hyped up, they will cheer more and louder. And if your teammates get hyped up, they will play better and will be more motivated!
To Get Score
Of course, the simple reason why basketball players alley-oop the ball to themselves is to get a score. A self alley-oop can lead to a dunk or layup. One dunk or layup is equivalent to two points. So when you do this, you get a score, and you hyped up your teammates and fans too!
Some basketball players alley-oop the ball to themselves if they hold the ball after a dribble and can’t take a shot. They do this to prevent traveling violations. Players like Kobe will throw the ball off the backboard and lay in the ball.
Check out the different self alley-oop of Kobe Bryant below!
To Revenge
Basketball games can be full of revenge. In the NBA, this is a trend. When a player from team A posterizes a player from team B, the player from team B who has been posterized will soon get his/her revenge. The revenge may happen next possession or next time they face off again.
One reason why basketball players alley-oop the ball to themselves is to revenge. The player who will execute a self alley-oop will embarrass the whole player from the opposing team when he/she executed it successfully. Self-alley-oop is a good move so that the revenge will be more painful.
Check out the different self alley-oop plays in the NBA below!
Can You Get Your Rebound Off The Backboard?
Yes! You can rebound your missed shots that hit the backboard. When you miss a shot, and it hit the backboard, you can get it. It will be counted as a rebound.
In some cases, throwing the ball of the backboard has become a way for basketball players to increase their rebound numbers. This happened many times in the NBA and other basketball leagues. Basketball players that are one rebound away from getting a triple-double or double-double will do this.
If it is a shot attempt and you missed, you can recover the ball by yourself. However, if the intention is to pass to yourself and the ball didn’t hit the backboard, it is illegal to get it. According to the NBA rule book, a player may not be the first one to touch his pass unless the ball touches the backboard, another player, or the rim.
Is It Legal To Rebound Your Airball?
In the NBA, it is illegal to rebound your airball and would be considered a traveling violation. However, in high school, NCAA, and FIBA, you may rebound your airball as long as it was a shot attempt. The officials are the ones who will decide if it is a travel or not.
How about if it is a self-pass? In all basketball leagues, a self-pass or self-alley-oop is illegal if it didn’t hit the backboard or the rim. If a basketball player throws the ball intending to pass it to himself/herself and the ball didn’t hit the rim or backboard, the refs will call it a traveling violation.
You can’t pass the ball to yourself without hitting the backboard. So if you are going to make a self alley-oop, make sure you hit the backboard first.
Does A Self Alley Oop Count As An Assist?
No! According to the NBA, an assist in basketball is when a player passes the ball to his/her teammates and leads to a field goal. Throwing the ball off the backboard to yourself is not an assist but a field goal if you sink in your self alley-oop dunk or layup.
Does A Self Alley Oop Count As A Rebound?
When a basketball player throws the ball, intending to shoot the ball, and it hits the backboard or rim, it is a rebound. However, if the basketball player throws the ball, intending to pass the ball to himself/herself, it is not a rebound nor an assist.
It is a self alley-oop, and when a self alley-oop happens, it will not count as a rebound or assist. If the player successfully dunks or lays his/her self alley-oop shot, it will be considered as a field goal only.
If the basketball player intentionally bounces the ball on the backboard to pass the ball to his/her teammates, the bounce is a pass. It is an assist for the player who bounces the ball off the backboard to his/her teammates. But only if his/her teammate scores.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, any basketball player can alley-oop the ball to themselves as long as the ball hits the backboard first. If the ball didn’t hit the backboard or rim and a player got it, it would be a traveling violation.
Self-alley-oop is also a way to show off and hyped up the fans and your teammates. It can help increase your confidence and the confidence of your teammates. So if you want to hype up your teammates or yourself, practice self alley-oop. If you can dunk, dunk it. And if not, lay it in.
Who has better self alley-oop dunks or layups, Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan? Comment your answers below!
