In basketball, an assist is a statistic credited to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal. The National Basketball Association (NBA), the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) all track and record assists in their official game and season statistics. But how many dribbles count as an assist?
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The Definition of an Assist
Assists are credited to players who pass the ball to a teammate so that the teammate can score a field goal without dribbling again. This means that a player can have an assist without ever dribbling the ball. However, in order for a player to be credited with an assist, the ball must have been thrown in the direction of the basket and the teammate must have made the shot without further dribbling.
In the NBA, an assist is credited to a passer when a successful field goal is made by a teammate, and the passer had “the last touch” on the ball before the field goal was made. This means that if a player passes the ball and then touches it again before the field goal is made, they will not be credited with an assist.
The Number of Dribbles
In the NBA, the number of dribbles a player takes before passing the ball to a teammate does not matter. Whether a player takes one dribble or 20 dribbles before passing the ball, they will still be credited with an assist as long as they had the last touch on the ball before the field goal was made.
In the WNBA, the number of dribbles taken before passing the ball to a teammate does matter. A player must have taken three or fewer dribbles for an assist to be credited. If a player takes more than three dribbles before passing the ball, they will not be credited with an assist.
In the NCAA, the number of dribbles taken before passing the ball to a teammate does matter. A player must have taken two or fewer dribbles for an assist to be credited. If a player takes more than two dribbles before passing the ball, they will not be credited with an assist.
Other Factors that Affect Assists
In addition to the number of dribbles taken, there are other factors that influence whether an assist is credited. In the NBA, the passer must have had the last touch on the ball before the field goal was made. If a teammate touches the ball after the passer but before the field goal is made, then the passer will not be credited with an assist.
In the WNBA and NCAA, the passer must have had the last touch on the ball and the ball must have been thrown in the direction of the basket for an assist to be credited. If the ball was thrown away from the basket or if the passer had not had the last touch on the ball, then they will not be credited with an assist.
Conclusion
In the NBA, the number of dribbles taken before passing the ball to a teammate does not matter for an assist to be credited. In the WNBA and NCAA, the number of dribbles taken does matter; a player must have taken three or fewer dribbles for an assist to be credited in the WNBA and two or fewer dribbles for an assist to be credited in the NCAA. In addition to the number of dribbles taken, there are other factors that affect whether an assist is credited, such as whether the passer had the last touch on the ball and whether the ball was thrown in the direction of the basket.