Basketball bingo needs squares that turn up in any game, from a school gym to a final on television. These 96 come in four sets of 24: shots, whistles, hustle and the stands. No league, team or player is named.
Read the full guide
Fit the card to the game in front of you
All 96 squares deal by default. Ready-made list holds four lists of 24: Shots and plays, Whistles, fouls and the clock, Hustle, the bench and the coach and The stands, the crowd and the gym. One list fills a 5 × 5 card exactly, so every card holds the same squares in a different order. For a youth game, type other squares over Dunk, Alley-oop, Four-point play and Shot clock violation; many school games run no shot clock.
Deal before the opening jump ball
Hand out the cards before tip-off and mark a square when it happens on the court or in the seats. A row, column or diagonal wins, and the free center counts.
In the stands with no printer, everyone opens this page on a phone, picks a different card number and taps squares to mark them.
Pick 4 × 4 in Grid for a quicker game: 16 squares and no free center.
Press Enter after any square and type your own gym's: the scoreboard needs fixing, the halftime snack bar line, a little brother on the court.
Questions and answers
Does basketball bingo work for any league or level?
Yes. No square names a league, team, player or tournament, so one card fits a game on television, a college rivalry or a rec league night. To add your own side's names, press Enter after any square under More options and type.
What counts as an and-one or a charge?
The full list below gives a plain note beside each rule call, checked against a published glossary. An and-one is a free throw for a shooter fouled while scoring. A charge is the ball handler running into a defender who is not moving.
Which squares are hardest to get?
The glossary itself calls the four-point play rare, and a ball wedged behind the rim or a player fouling out may not happen at all. For a short game, type likelier squares over them; each card still draws 24 from the list.
Can I make numbered or blank cards instead?
Yes to both. For blank cards, press Empty the list, then the print button, and the squares print empty. Numbered cards come from the bingo card generator, which deals cards of 1 to 75.
All 96 squares
Shots and plays 24
Air ballAn unblocked shot that misses the rim and the backboard.
Alley-oopA pass thrown up near the basket that a teammate catches in mid-air and scores, often with a dunk.
And-oneA free throw for a shooter who was fouled while scoring. Made, it completes a three-point play.
Ball rolls around the rimIn or out, it counts.
Bank shotA shot played off the backboard.
Blocked shotA defender tips or deflects the shot so that it misses.
Brick off the rimA brick is a shot that bounces off the rim without going in.
Buzzer beaterA basket released just before the buzzer sounds. The end of any period counts.
Crossover dribbleA dribble switched from one hand to the other with a change of direction.
DunkScoring by putting the ball straight down through the basket, one-handed or two-handed.
Euro stepThe player picks up the dribble, steps one way, then quickly steps the other way.
Fadeaway jumperA jump shot taken while jumping backward, moving away from the basket yet facing it.
Show all 96 squares (84 more)
Shots and plays, continued
Fast-break layupA fast break pushes the ball up the court before the defense is set. A layup is the one-handed close shot off the backboard.
Finger rollA layup rolled off the fingertips so the ball rises in a high arc over the defender.
Four-point playRare: a player is fouled in the act of making a three-pointer and then makes the free throw.
Heave from beyond half courtCounts whether or not it goes in.
Hook shotA one-handed shot swung in an arc above the head or shoulder.
Outlet pass starts a breakAn outlet pass is thrown by the rebounder to start a fast break.
Pick and rollA player sets a screen for the ball handler, then slips behind the defender, the roll, to take a pass.
Pump fake gets a defender upThe shooter starts a shot with both feet on the floor and stops, so the defender jumps too soon.
Putback after a missA teammate grabs the missed shot and scores it straight away. A putback dunk counts.
StealTaking the ball from the other team by intercepting a pass or knocking away a dribble.
SwishA made shot that drops through the net without touching the rim.
Three-pointerA shot worth three points, taken from behind the three-point line with both feet.
Whistles, fouls and the clock 24
An obvious flopA flop is an exaggerated fall after little or no contact, meant to draw a foul call.
Backcourt violationAlso over-and-back: the offense touches the ball in the backcourt after bringing it across half court.
Both free throws madeTwo attempts, two makes, on the same trip to the line.
Carrying callAlso called palming: the dribbler holds the ball too long at the top of its bounce.
Charge takenAn offensive foul: the player with the ball runs into a defender who is not moving.
Clock reset by the officials
Double dribbleDribbling with two hands at once, or dribbling again after stopping. The other team gets the ball.
Foul on purpose to stop clockAn intentional foul stops the clock or wins the ball back after the free throws. Common late in a half or a game.
GoaltendingTouching a shot on its way down toward the basket while it is above the rim.
Held ball after a tie-upPlayers from both teams hold the ball at once with no foul. It leads to a jump ball or to the possession arrow, depending on the rulebook.
Loose ball foulA foul while neither team controls the ball, such as when two players chase it across the floor.
Missed free throwA free throw is an unopposed shot from the free-throw line, worth one point.
Moving screenA screener has to stand still. A moving screen counts as an offensive foul.
Officials go to the monitorAny video review counts. Delete this square where there is no replay.
Over-the-back callA rebounder pushes or climbs on the back of a player who already had position.
Overtime periodA tied game gets an extra period, normally five minutes, four under United States high school rules.
Player fouls outFive personal fouls end a player's game in most forms of basketball, six where a game lasts 48 minutes.
Possession arrow changesAn arrow at the scorer's table that hands the ball to each team in turn in jump ball situations, under the alternating possession rule.
Shot clock violationThe shot must leave the hand before the timer ends and must touch the rim. Many school games in the United States play with no shot clock: delete this square there.
Team in the bonusOnce a team passes the foul limit for the period, the other side shoots free throws on non-shooting fouls too.
Technical foulA foul for unsportsmanlike behavior without contact, or for a procedural slip such as too many players on the court.
Three-second callAn offensive player may not stay in the key for more than three seconds in a row while the team has the ball in the frontcourt.
Timeout in the last minute
Traveling callMoving the pivot foot illegally or taking three or more steps without dribbling. The exact rule varies by rulebook.
Hustle, the bench and the coach 24
A shoe comes off mid-play
All five players subbed outFive players a side became the standard in the late 1890s.
Assistant holds the coach back
Bench celebrates a three
Chest bump
Coach draws up a playA clipboard or a small whiteboard in the huddle counts.
Coach pleads with a referee
Defender slaps the floor
Dive for a loose ball
Dribble routine at the lineThe shooter's habit before a free throw: a set number of bounces, a spin, a breath.
Flex after a tough basket
Floor wiped after a fall
Full-court pressDefense that pressures the ball the whole length of the court.
Hand slaps at the foul lineTeammates slap hands with the shooter between free throws, make or miss.
Helping hand for an opponentA player pulls someone from the other team back up off the floor.
Huddle breaks with a shout
Leaping save at the sidelineCounts when a player leaps over the line to keep the ball in play.
Player lands in the front row
Player points to the passerA scorer's thank-you for the assist, the pass that led straight to the basket.
Team switches to a zoneIn a zone each defender guards an area of the court, not one opponent.
Teammates pull a player up
Textbook box-outBoxing out: holding rebounding position with a wide stance, body between the opponent and the ball.
Timeout to stop a scoring runA run is a stretch when one team scores far more than the other.
Whole bench jumps up
The stands, the crowd and the gym 24
Announcer stretches out a name
Ball bounces into the seats
Ball wedges behind the rimCounts when play stops to get the ball down from between the rim and the backboard.
Buzzer makes someone jump
Cheer squad on the baselineThe baseline is also called the end line.
Crowd chants "defense"
Crowd counts down the clock
Crowd distracts a free throwWaving arms or noise behind the basket while a visitor shoots.
Dance cam on the big screen
Fan shoots for a prizeA contest shot from half court or the free-throw line during a break.
Gym hushes for a free throw
Handshake line at the end
Lead changeThe trailing team goes ahead. A tie alone does not count.
Mascot dances at a timeout
Pep band plays in a timeout
Replay on the big screen
Sneaker squeaks you can hear
Someone asks what a travel is
T-shirts tossed to the crowd
Ten-point lead disappears
Tie gameCounts any time after the first basket.
Warm-up layup lines
Whole crowd on its feet
Within five points at the half
How this list was compiled: Own work, written for this site on 2026-09-19: 96 moments to mark while watching any basketball game, in four contiguous blocks of 24 (shots and plays, whistles fouls and the clock, hustle the bench and the coach, the stands the crowd and the gym). Nothing was copied from another bingo card. No league, team, player, tournament, arena, brand or broadcaster is named in a square or in a line beside one. The basketball terms and the rule notes beside them were checked on 2026-09-19 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_basketball_terms (three-point field goal, dunk, alley-oop, fast break, layup, swish, bank shot, brick, buzzer beater, and-one, three-point play, four-point play, block, steal, putback dunk, outlet pass, pick and roll, crossover, Euro step, pump fake, fadeaway, hook shot, finger roll, air ball, travel, double dribble, carrying, charge, screen, over the back, loose ball foul, technical foul, intentional foul, flop, bonus, free throw, held ball, possession arrow, alternating possession, shot clock, backcourt violation, three seconds rule, overtime, goaltending, assist, block out, zone defense, run, baseline, full-court press) and against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_of_basketball (disqualification on the fifth personal foul in most forms of the game and on the sixth where a game lasts 48 minutes). Five a side: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball, read 2026-09-20, says 'By 1897–98, teams of five became standard'; the Rules of basketball article gives 1900 with a citation-needed mark, so the square says 'the late 1890s'. The glossary gives shot clock lengths by ruleset and says most United States high school play has none, which is the basis of the delete-this-square note; rule numbers differ between rulebooks, so the lines give only what the glossary states in common. 63 of the 96 squares carry a line; the lines on crowd, bench and scoreboard squares are our what-counts rules, not facts. No square repeats a square of football bingo, bowling bingo or any other list on this site (checked on 2026-09-19, case-insensitive). The win rule (a row, column or diagonal, with the free center counted as filled) was checked against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingo_%28American_version%29 on 2026-09-19. Licence: own work