What is Traveling in Basketball
With almost 2.5 billion fans, basketball is among the top three most popular sports globally. In the US alone, the estimated fanbase is around 40 million. The NBA is the most popular basketball league in the world, with almost the entire world watching it.
All these facts and stats are great, but did you know that basketball rules are not the same across the globe? There are many differences when the game is played in the US, Europe, and Asia. Although most of the world follows FIBA rules, some leagues and parts of the world still have slight differences.
One of the most notably different rules is the NBA traveling violation, which is different in Europe. This is why NBA players struggle in world championships and international competitions. Their players are used to something different, while European players know what to expect from the referees.
What is a traveling violation?
So, let’s see what is traveling in basketball. According to the rule, which is the same by definition worldwide, is when a player makes more than two steps without bouncing the ball off the floor. However, this rule seems to be seen differently depending on where you play.
The NBA tolerates their players to make an additional step, while in Europe, this is strictly forbidden. If a European player makes more than two steps without dribbling the ball, the referee will immediately call for traveling, but in the US, this rule is not taken so seriously.
Due to this fact, many players will cross the entire court with just two dribbles before they score a basket. No matter how big and athletic it is in Europe, this is not possible because it is physically impossible for it to happen without a referee calling traveling.
How many steps can you take in basketball?
As we mentioned, in theory, you can only take two steps before dribbling the ball. However, the NBA tolerates players taking that additional one, called the gather step. This is the step that players make when they gather the ball after a pass, and it doesn’t count. In reality, it looks like players take three steps before doing anything with the ball.
Additionally, there’s the rule in which players make the so-called euro step. In Europe, the two steps must end with a layup or a dunk, but in the NBA, players often take advantage of the relaxed rules and stop without doing anything. This is traveling in Europe, but it is allowed in the NBA.
One more case is the pivoting example. When a player pivots, holding the ball without dribbling, one foot must stay firmly on the ground. However, NBA players often move without being called out. This is how many power forwards, using their muscle strength, manage to make baskets inside the paint, although they’d be called for traveling in Europe. This is also moving the debate on who is the best power forward of all time, as these rules allow today’s players to make better stat lines while retired ones didn’t have this privilege.
Is 3 steps a travel?
Let’s dive a bit more into these rules we talked about above. Can you take three steps and not get called a travel? By definition, you can not take three steps. If you do it, you will get a traveling violation. However, there are the cases we explained above in which the NBA allows players to do it.
So, how many steps before you travel in basketball? It depends on where you play the game. If you’re in the US, you can practice the gather step and use the opportunity to not get called, but if you’re going overseas, be prepared for different rules.
If you’re playing in Europe, Asia, or outside the US, you will most likely not be tolerated. Learn about the rules precisely and be sure to follow them because referees won’t allow you to even think about breaking the two-step rule.
Can you take two steps and stop in basketball?
This is another big issue that European and US players are arguing over. In Europe, you can only take two steps and stop after receiving the ball from another player, but we see more and more cases in the NBA when you can dribble, make two steps and stop. This change of rules makes a difference in how you play the game in different parts of the world.
Although this is still illegal, the flexibility of the refs is shifting the game towards something unrecognizable and is a massive debate in the basketball world. The NBA rules on traveling are strict on paper, but, on the court, we see something else. However, accepting these changes and tolerating traveling in some cases make the game more exciting. You can say fans win either way.