How to play Basketball
- Orange against Purple. Orange (Pip) starts on the left and shoots at the hoop on the right. Purple (Gus) starts on the right and shoots at the hoop on the left. Each hoop has a square on its board and a patch of floor under it in the colour of the player who shoots at it.
- Jump ball. A match starts with the ball hanging over the middle of the court. At "Go!" it drops, and both players race for it.
- Rock and jump. Both players rock back and forth all the time. On the floor, a tap makes you jump the way you're leaning: far forwards, far backwards or straight up. A swinging line of dots in front of your player shows where a jump would take you.
- Catch the ball. Touch a loose ball with any part of your player and you're holding it. If both players reach it at once, the one closer to it gets it.
- Shoot in the air. Holding the ball, tap once to jump, then tap again while you're in the air to shoot. The shot flies truest from the very top of your jump, when the ball glows yellow: tap too early and it flies long, too late and it falls short.
- Swipe and steal. Without the ball, a tap in the air swings an arm for it, which reaches a little further than your body. Jump into the ball while your rival is holding it and you knock it loose.
- Score. The first player to 5 baskets wins. Choose 3 or 7 on the page for a shorter or longer match.
Scoring
Every basket counts one, however it goes in.
| Basket | How it happens |
|---|---|
| Swish | The ball drops through the hoop without touching the rim or the board |
| In off the rim | It hits the rim and still drops in |
| Off the glass | It bounces off the board and into the hoop |
| Slam dunk | You carry the ball down through the hoop from above, without letting go |
After every basket, both players go back to their spots and the player who was just scored on gets the ball. A ball that drops into a hoop always counts for the player who shoots at that hoop, so if you knock the ball into your own hoop, your rival scores.
Two rules keep a match moving:
- Hold it for 5 seconds at most. A ring runs out round the ball in your last two seconds. When it's gone, the ball slips out of your hands.
- No jumping up through the hoop. If you jump right under the hoop with the ball, it knocks against the rim from below and drops ("Clank!"). To dunk, jump at the hoop from a little way out so you come down over the rim.
Controls
| Playing | Orange | Purple |
|---|---|---|
| Two players, touch screen | Tap anywhere on the left half of the screen | Tap anywhere on the right half |
| Two players, keyboard | A or Space | L or Enter |
| Against the computer | Tap anywhere, or press Space (or A, L or Enter) | The computer |
With the phone held upright, the court sits at the top of the screen with a big button for each player below it: Orange on the left, Purple on the right. Turn the phone sideways and the court sits in the middle, with the buttons at its sides. Either way, the left half of the screen belongs to Orange and the right half to Purple, so two people can share one phone and press at the same time.
One button does everything:
- On the floor: tap to jump the way you're leaning.
- In the air with the ball: tap to shoot.
- In the air without it: tap to swipe.
Computer levels
The computer plays by the same rules and sees the same court you do. Its timing is never perfect: every level is a little early or late, and the easier ones a lot.
| Level | How the computer plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Looks at the court about twice a second and is slow to react. It jumps when it happens to lean the right way, often dawdles, shoots from anywhere at a rough guess of the top of its jump, and hardly ever defends. |
| Medium | Looks about five times a second. It carries the ball to within about half the court of the hoop before it shoots, times its shots close to the top of its jump, steps out from under the hoop, and often jumps at you when you go up to shoot. |
| Hard | Tries out, in its head, every moment it could jump in the next rock of its body and every moment it could shoot along each jump, and picks the best. It catches loose balls in the air, dunks when it can, waits for a good chance before shooting and jumps to block your shots. |
| Expert | Plans the same way, looks about ten times a second and has the steadiest timing. It also guards its hoop by standing in your way, jumps to steal the ball, and won't shoot where you could reach the ball. |
Tips to win
- Shoot at the top. The moment your player stops rising, and the ball glows, is the moment to tap. A shot from the top of your jump goes where you meant it to.
- Get closer. From close to the hoop, a shot from the top of your jump nearly always goes in. From the middle of the court about two in three drop, and from right back by your own hoop about one in four.
- Watch the dots. The line of dots swings as your player rocks. Tap when it points where you want to go: towards the ball, the hoop or your rival.
- Dunk from the side. Jump at the hoop from a little way out, holding the ball, and come down through the rim for a dunk that can't miss. Just don't start right under it.
- Defend your hoop. Stay between your rival and your hoop. When they jump to shoot, jump into the ball to knock it loose or catch the shot.
- Don't wait too long. Five seconds goes quickly. If your rival is in the way, a quick shot from further out is better than losing the ball.
About Basketball
One-button basketball duels, usually with floppy players, are among the best-known two player basketball games on game websites. This one is our own version: Pip and Gus, a court in the site's colours, and physics written for it, with a ball that bounces off the floor, the walls, the rims and the boards. The real game was invented in 1891 by James Naismith, a teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts, who nailed two peach baskets to the balcony of a gym. His first set of rules had thirteen of them; this game gets by with about six.
Questions
Can two people play basketball on one phone?
Yes. With 2 Players, the left half of the screen is Orange's button and the right half is Purple's, so you can both tap at once. On a keyboard, Orange uses A or Space and Purple uses L or Enter.
Which hoop do I shoot at?
Orange shoots at the hoop on the right and Purple at the hoop on the left. The square on each board, and the floor under it, are in the colour of the player who shoots there.
How do I shoot?
Get the ball, tap to jump, then tap again while you're in the air. The shot is aimed at the hoop for you: what decides whether it goes in is your timing, so tap right at the top of your jump, and how far away you are.
How do I dunk?
Hold the ball and jump at the hoop from a little way out, so that you come down through the rim from above. You don't need to tap again: the dunk happens by itself. Jumping straight up from right under the hoop doesn't work, because the ball hits the rim from below.
What happens if I hold the ball too long?
After 5 seconds the ball slips out of your hands and your rival gets a chance at it. A red ring round the ball shows your last two seconds.
Is Basketball free?
Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game. It works on phones, tablets and computers.
Updated 10 November 2026