In basketball, a double team (also double-team, double teaming, or double-teaming) is a defensive alignment in which two defensive players are assigned to guard a single offensive player.
Double teaming is employed more frequently near the basket than away from it because a) offensive players' likelihood of making any given shot is greater and b) because players tend to congregate near the basket when the ball is in play there, a double-teaming defender can more easily break away if necessary (e.g., to recover a rebound or to block a shot from another player).
One common offensive strategy is to have a tall, physically imposing player (usually a center) "post up" to force a double team, such that he can then either shoot or pass to the unguarded player (often a strong long-distance ["outside"] shooter attempting to make a three-point shot).
In the NBA, players such as Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry have been double-teamed and triple-teamed on a regular basis due to their offensive prowess and scoring ability.
Stan Albeck, a basketball historian and coach, said that the technique originated in the 1980s around the time Jordan was competing in the NBA.