Timeouts

Also known as: Time-outs

How many breaks each team can call.

The rule

A team can stop the game for a short break to rest, talk tactics or stop the other team’s momentum. Timeouts are only granted when the ball is dead or, in some rulebooks, when your own team has the ball. Each team gets a set number.

The penalty

Asking for a timeout you don’t have is a technical foul.

Around the leagues

• 7 per game: NBA. At most 4 in the fourth quarter, plus 2 in each overtime.
• 5 per game: WNBA. Plus 2 in each overtime.
• 2 + 3: FIBA, Wheelchair. 2 in the first half and 3 in the second, with at most 2 in the last 2 minutes. 1 per overtime. Unused ones are lost.
• 4 per game: NCAA M. In TV games: one 60-second and three 30-second, plus media timeouts. 6 in games without TV. 1 extra per overtime.
• 4 per game: NCAA W. In TV games: one full and three 30-second, plus a media timeout each quarter. 5 in games without TV. 1 extra per overtime.
• 1 per game: 3x3. 30 seconds long. Official events add 2 TV timeouts. An unused timeout carries into overtime.

Related: Game Length, Coach’s Challenge

In the Dictionary: ATO