FIBA STATISTICS · BOX SCORE
Basketball statistics explained: rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and turnovers
A practical guide to the box-score statistics used in FIBA basketball and what must happen on the court for each one to be recorded.
Rebounds: offensive and defensive
A rebound is the controlled recovery of a live ball after a missed field-goal attempt or the last free throw. It is offensive when the shooting team keeps possession and defensive when the other team gains possession. In some situations the rebound is credited to the team rather than an individual player.
When is an assist recorded?
An assist is a pass that leads directly to a team-mate scoring. Only one assist can be awarded for a score, and only the last pass before the shot can qualify. A pass can still be an assist when the scorer uses a dribble, provided the scorer did not need to create a new one-on-one scoring play.
Steals and turnovers are related, but not identical
A turnover is an offensive mistake that gives possession to the defence, such as a bad pass, ball-handling error, violation or offensive foul. A steal is credited when a defender’s action on the ball causes that turnover. Every recorded steal has a corresponding turnover, but many turnovers occur without any steal.
What counts as a blocked shot?
A block is credited when a defender makes appreciable contact with a field-goal attempt, changes its flight and the shot is missed. A touch that still results in a made basket is not a block. When a valid blocked shot is recorded, the missed attempt is normally followed by a rebound unless the play ends for a rule-based exception.