However, there’s a lot of rules in basketball and if you are not 100% sure about a move, you could end up accidentally committing a foul and throwing the point away for your team.
Here, we are going to be going over pump fakes in basketball to find out what you can and can’t do after trying this maneuver. This way, you can avoid committing fouls and understand just how you can use this move to your advantage!
What Is A Fake Pump?
A fake pump in basketball is a move that a player who has possession of the ball can make when near the basket.
It is basically a fake shot attempt that is used to throw the defending team off balance so the offensive player can out maneuver them and have a better chance of scoring a better shot.
You can try a fake pump anywhere on the court but it is way more believable and likely to trick the opposing team when done closer to the basket, especially when used in the shooter’s range.
To perform a fake pump, you need to bend your knees and lift the ball up to your eyes. This will (hopefully) trick the defenders blocking your shot into thinking that you are in the middle of a jump shot maneuver.
Instead, you stop the shooting motion and make another move from there.
What you can do next depends on the situation. You can quickly pass the ball to another player who is nearby so they will have a better angle on the basket, or pivot into a different kind of shot.
Sometimes, you can also dribble the ball and move away from your original position – but only in certain situations.
Can You Dribble After A Pump Fake In Basketball?
Yes, it is possible to dribble the ball and travel to a new position on the court after doing a fake pump but not always.
This is because you are only allowed to dribble in basketball once after you first gain possession of the ball. You cannot dribble and travel, stop, then start dribbling and traveling again.
Once you stop after dribbling, you are not allowed to move from that spot apart from pivoting on one foot so you can get a better angle to pass the ball to a teammate.
If you do move and dribble the ball twice, then you will be committing a foul and could end up handing points over to the opposing team.
This rule still applies if you stop dribbling to perform a pump fake. You cannot gain possession of the ball, dribble to a position, pump fake, and then dribble to a different spot.
Once you have stopped dribbling the first time, you are fixed to that position in the court. Other than pivoting, you cannot move from the spot where you performed the pump fake.
However, you can do a pump fake – you just are limited to passing, shooting or pivoting afterwards.
It’s not impossible for you to ever be able to dribble after a pump fake. An instance in which you can dribble after trying a pump fake in basketball is if you perform the pump fake right after gaining possession of the ball.
If a teammate passes you the ball and you immediately pump fake, then start dribbling to move to a different spot – that move is completely legal because you have not started dribbling, stopped, then started dribbling again.
In this instance, you can also take two steps because you have not had a chance to dribble after gaining possession of the ball. This means you can gather the ball, pump fake, and then step for a better shot. This move is known as an up-and-under.
Another way you can dribble after a pump fake is if you have lost possession of the ball. This is because once you have lost possession of the ball, your dribbling ‘privileges’ are restored once you regain possession of the ball again.
So, if you took possession of the ball, dribbled to a position, performed the pump fake but lost possession of the ball because it was knocked from your hands, then quickly regained possession of the ball – you can now dribble again!
This is because for a brief moment, you lost possession of the ball but regained it. This allows you to dribble again even though you just dribbled and performed a pump fake.
You can also travel by stepping here too because you are allowed to take two steps after dribbling to come to a stop – so once you regain possession of the ball, you can step into a better position to fake pump but then, you cannot move position again.
Conclusion
So, it is possible to dribble after a pump fake in basketball – but not always.
To be able to dribble, you need to have just gained possession of the ball for the first time. Then, you can pump fake and then start dribbling to travel to a different position on the court.
However, if you have already dribbled to get to the position where you perform the pump fake, then you cannot dribble again.
This is because one of the key rules of basketball is that you can only dribble and travel once after gaining possession of the ball.
Once you come to a stop, you can only pivot to either pass or shoot the ball.
The same rule applies to when you perform a pump fake. You can dribble up to your position, pump fake, and then pass or shoot – but you cannot start dribbling again. This is known as the double dribble foul and the referee will call it out.
However, if the ball is knocked out of your hand and you lose possession, you can recover the ball and start dribbling again.
So, keep this in mind next time you want to try a pump fake move in your play! Good luck!
Hi, my name is Steven Anderson and I am passionate about all sports - from soccer to ice hockey, basketball to baseball.
Since I was a young child, I would always spend time with my father watching any sports match that we could find about town. We didn’t have the sports channels, so we would just drive around until we found something!
