El baloncesto, basquetbol o básquetbol (del inglés basketball; de basket, 'canasta', y ball, 'pelota'), o simplemente básquet, es un deporte de equipo que se puede desarrollar tanto en pista cubierta como en descubierta, en el que dos conjuntos de cinco jugadores cada uno, intentan anotar puntos, también llamados canastas o dobles y/o triples introduciendo un balón en un aro colocado a 3,05 metros del suelo del que cuelga una red, lo que le da un aspecto de cesta o canasta. Las federaciones nacionales de los países hispanohablantes del Caribe y Centroamérica, Guatemala, y Guinea Ecuatorial, lo denominan baloncesto. Las federaciones nacionales de los demás países de América del Sur/sudamericanos de habla hispana lo denominan básquetbol. La Asociación panamericana (FIBA) utiliza en español la denominación baloncesto, mientras que la Asociación sudamericana (ABASU) utiliza la denominación básquetbol. También es llamado basquetbol o básquet, sobre todo en Guatemala, Argentina y Perú, por la castellanización de su nombre original en inglés: basketball. Fue inventado por James Naismith, un profesor canadiense de educación física, en diciembre de 1891 en la YMCA de Springfield, Massachusetts, Estados Unidos. Se juega con dos equipos de cinco personas, durante 4 períodos o cuartos de 10 (FIBA), o 12 minutos cada uno.(NBA) Al finalizar el segundo cuarto, se realiza un descanso, normalmente de 15 a 20 minutos según la reglamentación propia del campeonato al cual el partido pertenezca. También existe una modalidad, fundamentalmente para discapacitados, en la que se juega en silla de ruedas (baloncesto en silla de ruedas), prácticamente con las mismas normas que el baloncesto habitual.

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Basketball is a sport, generally played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court. The objective is to a ball through a hoop 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and mounted at a height of 10 feet (3.048 m) to backboards at each end of the court. A team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the shooting team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line, and two points if shot from in front of the line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, after the other team is assessed with certain fouls. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time (overtime) is issued when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by throwing it to a teammate, or by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling). It is a violation to lift, or drag, one's pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. There are many techniques for ball-handling—shooting, passing, dribbling, and rebounding. Basketball teams generally have player positions, the tallest and strongest members of a team are called a center or power forward, while slightly shorter and more agile players are called small forward, and the shortest players or those who possess the best ball handling skills are called a point guard or shooting guard. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coach's game plan, and managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays (player positioning). Basketball is one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most popular and widely considered to be the highest level of professional basketball in the world and NBA players are the world's best paid sportsmen, by average annual salary per player. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague and FIBA Americas League. The FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for national teams, like EuroBasket and FIBA Americas Championship. The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup features the top national women's basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Women's Basketball Premier League.

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