Jump ball

It is similar to a face-off in ice hockey and field lacrosse and a ball-up in Australian rules football.

The WNBA and Euroleague Basketball have adopted the NBA's jump ball rules, while other leagues have implemented alternating possession.

However, most competitions other than the NBA, WNBA, and Euroleague Basketball use the alternating possession rule to settle all jump ball situations after the opening tip.

James Naismith's original rules for basketball included a jump ball to begin every quarter, and after every basket scored.

The NBA mirrored the NCAA's jump ball rules in 1949, and add a further change in 1975, removing jump balls to begin the second, third and fourth quarters, automatically granting possession in the second and third quarters to the team losing the opening tip, and possession in the fourth to the team that won the first tip.

Uniquely, 3x3, a formalized version of halfcourt three-on-three basketball overseen by FIBA, does not use a jump ball at any time in a game.

In order to curb stealing, referees incorporate misdirection into their throwing styles to catch players off guard and unable to preempt the toss.

[1] The leniency in penalizing jump ball stealing is in part due to its position in the game: referees are reluctant to stop play immediately after it starts, and quarter-opening jump balls lend minimal advantage because the losing team will be granted possession in the following quarter.

More generally, throw styles that incorporate stepping away from the ball's destination, known as "pulling", are employed by referees as a way to mitigate the risk of being injured by players competing for the toss.