Palming in basketball refers to the illegal act of holding the basketball in one hand with the palm facing upwards or outward while dribbling. This maneuver is considered a violation because it gives the player an unfair advantage by making it harder for defenders to steal the ball. When a player palms the ball, the ball momentarily rests in the palm of their hand instead of bouncing off the fingers, which is the correct way to dribble.
In the context of palming, the player typically has the ball held with their fingers too relaxed, allowing the ball to stay in their palm. This can lead to a situation where the ball doesn’t properly bounce or move, which violates the rules of how a dribble is supposed to be executed.
The rule is in place to ensure that dribbling remains a skillful and controlled action, and players are required to keep the ball under control with their fingers rather than resting it in their palm. If a player is caught palming the ball, the referee will call a “palming” violation, resulting in a turnover.
