NBA ยท RULE 10, SECTION II

Double dribble
in basketball

What happens when a player stops a dribble and starts again.

One dribble, then a decision.

After voluntarily ending a dribble, a player cannot simply begin another. The usual penalty is loss of possession. An opponent touching the ball can change the ruling; a pause is not automatically a new possession.

Watch the hands.

In this teaching example, a guard dribbles, catches the ball with both hands and looks for a teammate. The guard now needs a legal pass or shot. Bouncing the ball again to escape a defender is the problem.

Double dribble or traveling?

Ask two separate questions: did the player restart a completed dribble, or move illegally while holding the ball? A replay can show both the hands and the feet, but the labels describe different actions.