Basketball is an exciting fast-moving sport where two teams attempt to throw a ball through a hoop more often than their opposition.

Basketball includes such excellent terms as "slam dunk", "alley-oop" and of course the perennial favourite, "dribbling". All of these skills are greatly aspired to by basketball wannabees and are often performed in spectacular fashion by the professionals.

Basketball is a popular spectator sport, particularly in the USA. Professional basketball these days is played by giants, many of the forwards being around 7' (2.13m) tall.

Basketball is also popular amongst the masses. It's relatively easy to pick up as a sport: you'll be dribbling with the best of them in no time. It is also very good aerobic exercise, involving a lot of running, jumping and high-fiving.