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Basketball — FIBA 2026 rules, the BFI nationals ladder & who pays

Governed by FIBA · Basketball Federation of India (BFI) ·Official rule books & government schemes only ·Last checked 16 Oct 2026

Education Margdarshan's basketball map for India: the court, ring and ball standards and the game rules in FIBA's Official Basketball Rules 2026, which came into force on 1 October 2026, the new disruptive and flagrant fouls, the BFI nationals from sub-junior to senior and 3x3, where SAI trains basketball players (and where it does not), who pays, and the awards and jobs after a medal.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) basketballfederationindia.org (opens in a new tab)
Ring height
3,050 mm (± 6 mm) to the top edge [2]
Game
4 × 10-minute quarters, 5-minute overtimes [1]
Shot clock
24 seconds · reset to 14 in the frontcourt [1]
Ball
Size 7 men · size 6 women [2]
01 Core rules & equipment standards

Court, ring, ball pressure and the 2026 game rules

FIBA publishes its rules in two documents — Basketball Rules and Basketball Equipment. The 2026 edition came into force worldwide on 1 October 2026. [3]

Court, backboard, ring and ball (FIBA 2026) [1][2]

Court, backboard, ring and ball (FIBA 2026)
ItemStandard
Court28 m × 15 m, with at least 2 m clear on every side (floor 32 m × 19 m)
3-point lineArc of radius 6.75 m from the point under the basket
Backboard1,800 mm × 1,050 mm
RingTop edge 3,050 mm (± 6 mm) above the floor; inside diameter 450–459 mm
Ball, menSize 7: 750–770 mm round, 580–620 g
Ball, womenSize 6: 715–730 mm round, 510–550 g
Ball pressureDropped from about 1,800 mm, it must bounce back to 1,035–1,085 mm (both measured to the underside of the ball); the recommended pressure is marked on the ball
  • 4 quarters of 10 minutes, 15-minute half-time, and as many 5-minute overtimes as needed.
  • A team in control must shoot within 24 seconds; the shot clock is reset to 14 seconds in many frontcourt situations.
  • No more than 3 seconds in the opponents' restricted area; 8 seconds to cross into the frontcourt.
  • A player with 5 fouls leaves the game; a team is in the penalty after 4 team fouls in a quarter; up to 12 team members may play. [1]
  • New in 2026: the unsportsmanlike foul is replaced by the disruptive foul and the flagrant foul. Two category-1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or one of each mean game disqualification.
  • Instant replay can now also review goaltending or interference after a foul. [3][1]
02 Institutional & global recognition

FIBA World Cup, Asia Cup — and India's national championships

  • Basketball medals count for the government cash award at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, and at the FIBA Asia Cup and FIBA World Cup (both every four years).
  • In team events each player — including bench and reserve players — gets 75% of the individual award. Outside the Olympics, Asian and Commonwealth Games a team gets the full amount only if at least 12 countries take part (half for 6–11). [8]

Individual cash award base (₹ lakh) — a team player gets 75% of this [8]

Individual cash award base (₹ lakh) — a team player gets 75% of this
EventGoldSilverBronze
Olympic Games755030
Asian Games / Commonwealth Games302010
FIBA World Cup (every 4 years)402515
FIBA Asia Cup (Asian Championship rate, every 4 years)15105

BFI's 75th Senior National Basketball Championship was held in Chennai from 4 to 11 January 2026 with the Tamil Nadu Basketball Association; the 76th Senior Nationals are listed for Indore, Madhya Pradesh, in December 2026–January 2027. [5][4]

03 Physical benchmarks & NADA clearance

Age groups, age tests and anti-doping

BFI national championships by age group [4]

BFI national championships by age group
ChampionshipAge groupLatest listed edition
Sub-Junior NationalsU13 / U1451st — Vijayawada, 27 Sep–4 Oct 2026
Youth NationalsU1641st — Pune, 27 Oct–3 Nov 2026
Junior NationalsU1876th — Puducherry, 22–29 May 2026
U23 Nationals (5x5 and 3x3)U232nd U23 Nationals — dates to be announced
Senior NationalsOpen76th — Indore, Dec 2026–Jan 2027
3x3 NationalsSenior5th — Delhi, 29–31 Jan 2026
  • SAI's Age Verification Test applies to boys up to 17 and girls up to 15: a doctor's examination, a dental examination and a TW3 X-ray; appeals go to the Medical Appellate Board at AIIMS New Delhi. [7]
  • Team-sport trainees can be taken provisionally for six months if they fall short of the motor-quality tests, and are formally inducted only after passing the motor-quality and skill tests. There is no direct admission. [11]
  • You must be available for testing in and out of competition and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; if no permitted treatment exists, apply to NADA for a TUE. [9]
04 Grassroots-to-elite residential pipeline

From the school court to the national team

  1. 1Grassroots & local entry 8–14 · 9–18
  2. 2State to national breakthrough U13–U18
  3. 3National camp & elite trials U23 · open
  4. 4International orbit FIBA events
The full Basketball roadmap has its own page

Every stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route, the age-by-age ladder and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap
05 Top elite academies & cities

Where basketball players train in the SAI system

None of SAI's 23 National Centres of Excellence lists basketball. Basketball training in the SAI system runs through SAI Training Centres, STC extension centres in schools and colleges, and SAI-adopted schools. [11]

SAI schemes that include basketball [11]

SAI schemes that include basketball
SchemeWho it is for
SAI Training Centre (STC)Ages 12–18, residential, in State-built infrastructure with SAI coaches
STC extension centreNon-residential training in schools and colleges with a record of national players
NSTC regular schoolsSchools SAI adopts so children can study and play in the same school
06 Equipment costs & who pays

Shoes, balls and who pays the bills

  • A player's own kit is mainly court shoes and training balls of the right size — size 7 for men, size 6 for women, size 5 for mini-basketball. Player equipment must not endanger other players; protective gear must be suitably padded. [2][1]

Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them.

Who pays — basketball ladder [11][14]

Who pays — basketball ladder
StagePaid byWhat you get
NSTC school / extension-centre traineeSports Authority of IndiaCoaching while you study
SAI Training Centre traineeSports Authority of IndiaCoaching, boarding, sports science, diet
Khelo India athleteMinistry of Youth Affairs & Sports₹6.28 lakh a year incl. ₹1.20 lakh cash
Athlete in hardshipPDU National Welfare FundUp to ₹2.50 lakh
  • No supplement is 100% safe and strict liability applies — food first, with a certified nutritionist. [10]
07 Earning channels & central job quotas

Awards, pension and sports-quota jobs

  • Basketball is one of the 65 sports in the central sports quota for Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST).
  • Team sports count too: State medallists (up to 3rd) at Senior or Junior Nationals or the National Games are in the second order of preference after those who represented India.
  • These central instructions do not apply to Railways Services, the Department of Atomic Energy, the Department of Space and some DRDO technical services. [15][16]
  • Medals at the Khelo India Youth Games (above-18 category), Junior Nationals and SGFI school games now count for central sports-quota jobs. [16]
  • Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons: ₹12,000–20,000 a month after retirement. [14]
08 Disqualification traps

Mistakes that cost a player the game

  • Playing to the old rules — since 1 October 2026 there is no unsportsmanlike foul; two flagrant fouls, two category-1 technicals or one of each end your game.
  • Five personal fouls — you are out of the game. [3][1]
  • Expecting an NCOE seat — basketball has none; aim for an STC or a SAI-adopted school instead.
  • Age fraud or misconduct — grounds for weeding a player out of SAI centres. [11]
09 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 16 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.

  1. FIBA — Official Basketball Rules 2026 (v1.1, valid from 1 Oct 2026) (opens in a new tab) Court, 3-point line, quarters, overtime, shot clock, 3 and 8 seconds, foul limits, team fouls, disqualification · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  2. FIBA — Official Basketball Rules 2026: Basketball Equipment (v1.0) (opens in a new tab) Backboard, ring height and diameter, ball sizes, weights and bounce test · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  3. FIBA — Official Basketball Rules Changes 2026 (summary v1.1, July 2026) (opens in a new tab) In force 1 Oct 2026; disruptive and flagrant fouls; technical-foul categories; instant replay · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  4. Basketball Federation of India — National Calendar (opens in a new tab) Sub-Junior, Youth, Junior, U23, Senior and 3x3 Nationals with dates and venues · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  5. Basketball Federation of India — 75th Senior National Basketball Championship 2026 (opens in a new tab) Chennai, 4–11 Jan 2026, with the Tamil Nadu Basketball Association · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  6. All India Radio News — Three Indian girls selected for FIBA 3x3 U18 Basketball World Cup (22 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup 2024 selection · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  7. SAI Khelo India Talent Identification Division — Circular on Age Verification Test (24 Aug 2022; copy on the IWLF website) (opens in a new tab) AVT ages, clinical/dental/TW3 X-ray method, AIIMS appeal · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  8. MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Award amounts, FIBA Asia Cup and World Cup listing, team 75% rule incl. bench players · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  9. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  10. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  11. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) NCOE list (no basketball), STC team-sport entry, extension centres, NSTC schools · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  12. Khelo India — How to become a Khelo India Athlete (opens in a new tab) Scouting, assessment camps, NSRS registration · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  13. PIB — India's Sporting Transformation (10 June 2025) (opens in a new tab) KIRTI, ages 9–18, 174 Talent Assessment Centres · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  14. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  15. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Basketball in the 65-sport list, Group C, Railways exclusion · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  16. DoPT Office Memorandum, 4 March 2024 — Incentive for Sportspersons (opens in a new tab) Order of preference, Khelo India Games, Junior Nationals and SGFI medallists added · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  17. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Six Week Certificate Course in Sports Coaching (opens in a new tab) 6 weeks (4 online, 2 offline), ₹14,800, Class 12 + district-level top 3 or state / inter-university / SGFI / national participation · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  18. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Diploma in Sports Coaching (course page, 2026-27) (opens in a new tab) 1 year, ₹63,800, 785 + 104 seats in 26 disciplines at Patiala, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram; Category A (Class 12 + international record), B (graduation + national record) · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  19. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Age 18–25 on 1 Jan 2027, Level 5/4, 3/2 and 1 sports norms, MoYAS-recognition rule, fees · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  20. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 521 posts, age 18–23 on 1 Aug 2026 with sportsperson relaxation (+5 UR, +8 OBC, +10 SC/ST), qualifications, fee, ₹1 lakh bond · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  21. Khelo India Youth Games 2026 (Telangana) — Sports (opens in a new tab) The 25 disciplines listed for KIYG 2026 · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  22. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026

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