Blocks in basketball

A block, or blocked shot, is credited to a defender who touches the ball enough to change the flight of a shot, and the shot misses. The shot still counts as a field goal attempt for the shooter.

What counts

• A clear deflection or stop of a shot, whether the ball has left the shooter's hand or not.
• A block on a shot that goes out of bounds. The shooter still gets a missed attempt.

What does not count

• A touch on a shot that still goes in. The FIBA manual ignores the touch, because it did not change the result.
• A tip after the ball has hit the rim. A block cannot be recorded once the ball has touched the rim.
• A shot where the shooter was fouled. The FIBA manual records no field goal attempt for a fouled shooter who misses, and without an attempt there is no block.
• A strip below shoulder height before the ball is in the air. The FIBA manual treats that as a steal and a turnover, not a block.

Judgment calls

Was it a shot? For stats, a shot is an upward or forward motion toward the basket in an attempt to score. If the ball is knocked loose above shoulder height during that motion, the FIBA manual records a missed shot and a block.

A rebound follows. A blocked shot is a missed shot, so a rebound follows it, unless the period ends or the shot clock runs out.

How a statkeeper records it

Record the defender's block and the shooter's missed attempt, then watch for who gets the rebound. Recording all three keeps shooting stats and rebound stats correct.

Say it to HoopReads

“Isaiah block”

“Isaiah swats it”

“Carter block, Marcus defensive rebound”

Related stats

Blocks lower the opponent's field goal percentage and lead into rebounds. Back to the basketball stats guide.