In German
Basketball
Meaning: basketball
Example sentences
WirspielenjedenFreitagBasketball.
We play basketball every Friday.
EristProfiimBasketball.
He's a professional basketball player.
Grammar note
“Der Basketball” is masculine, a direct loanword spelled identically to English. Like other sports, “to play basketball” drops the article: “Basketball spielen”.
Common mistake
Don't confuse “Basketball” with “Fußball” (soccer, see the [soccer](/german/vocabulary/soccer) page) — different sports, different German words, despite both ending in “-ball”.
Quick check
Which German word means “basketball”?
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Practise it in a lesson →Frequently asked questions
How do you say “to play basketball”?
“Basketball spielen” — no article, same pattern as other sports.
Is “Basketball” the same as “Fußball”?
No — “Fußball” means soccer; “Basketball” is its own, separate loanword.