How To Draw a Basketball Player

Today, we're going to learn how to draw a basketball player, a basketball ring, a basketball, and a cheerleader on a basketball court!

Basketball is a common sport in the United States. Drawing the basketball game is a fun way to introduce this common sport to younger audiences and encourage creative thinking.

This activity will walk you through the steps, and it isn't difficult as it seems. Simply use basic shapes plus your imagination, and you'll have a cool piece of artwork!

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What is basketball?

Basketball is a sport where two teams, each with five players, compete on a rectangular court against each other.

The aim is to get the ball through a hoop placed high on a backboard on the opponent's side of the court while keeping the ball out of your team's ring.

It is a common sport played worldwide with a small, bouncy orange(orange-brown) ball.

Basketball players primarily use dribbling, shooting, running, and jumping skills. A basket made from outside the three-point line is worth three points, while a basket made from inside the three-point line is worth two points. If a player has too much physical contact, he or she might be awarded one-point free throws.

The game usually lasts four quarters, with the winning team being the one with the most points at the end of the four quarters. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, the game will go into overtime, which is extra time for one side to win the match.

How to draw a basketball game scene

We'll draw various characters and stuff to see in a basketball game scene in this fun activity, like basketball players, a basketball hoop, a basketball, and a cheerleader on the basketball court!

Be sure to check out the video tutorial below for instructions on how to draw these cool basketball characters.

Materials

1 White sheet of paper
Pencil
Colored Pencil
Pen
Eraser

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1. Basketball ring and hoop

First, draw the backboard, then a tiny, narrow oval a little lower from the middle of the backboard for the basketball hoop.
For the net, draw two straight lines on the side and diagonal lines in opposite directions.
Next, draw a small square at the back of the hoop. This is the shooter's square which helps the basketball players in aiming the ball inside the ring.
For the pole, draw a long, narrow rectangle in the middle.
Lastly, design your backboard in any way you like.

Step 2. Basketball

4. Draw a circle for basketball.

5. For the patterns, draw curves on each side of the ball and a small ‘t' in the middle.

6. Basketballs are usually orange, but you can color your ball any way you like.

Step 3. Basketball Players

First, let's draw a basketball player shooting.

Draw a circle for the head and a rectangle for the body.
For the legs, draw two rectangles that bend halfway and two small ovals for the feet.
For the arms, draw two slightly curved rectangles upward on the top of the body and curved lines to draw the hand.

You can either draw the hands like the player is wearing mittens (just like in our example) or add details by drawing the fingers.

For the hair, we used curls and curves in the example. But you can draw or design the hair any way you want.
Next, draw a face that is facing upward since our basketball player is aiming at the hoop. Then draw filled circles for the eyes, a slight curve for the nose, and a big smile.
Lastly, design your players' clothes/ uniform.

Basketball players wear uniforms or jerseys that have a number on them. I'd like to add the number '20' on my basketball player, so I drew a big '20' at the player's back. You can put any number that you like for your character.

If you don't want your basketball player to wear a uniform or jersey, you can use different patterns or designs on the shirt!

Next, draw a player that is in the defense part of the game.

Draw a circle for the head slightly tilted to one side and a rectangle for the body.
Draw curved rectangles for the legs, then two small ovals for the feet. The defense player usually jumps to stop the ball from reaching the basketball hoop.
For the arm, draw a rectangle upward and an opposite rectangle downward for the other arm.

At the end of the rectangles, use curved lines to draw the hand.

For the hair, we used a zigzag pattern in the example. But you can draw or design the hair any way you want!
Draw two filled circles for the eyes, a small triangle for the nose, and a curved shape for the mouth.
Lastly, design your players' clothes/ uniform.

Step 4. Basketball Cheerleader

Draw a circle for the head and a rectangle for the body.
Draw curved rectangles for the legs then two small ovals for the feet.
For the pom poms, draw two big circles that are shaped in zigzag patterns.
You can add any design or clothing patterns that you like for your cheerleader. In our example, I used a simple basketball in the middle of the shirt.
Cheerleaders are usually girls, so a ponytail hairstyle is good.
Lastly, draw filled circles for the eyes, a slight curve for the nose, and a big smile.

Tips for art-mazing success:

Color your drawings to make them lively.
Add other things to your drawing and make a good story out of it.
You can draw a whole basketball team on a huge basketball court!

Check out these cool drawings by our young artists at the Creativity School.

Creativity School Artworks by: Audrey Y. (top-left), Makenna B. (top-right), Paris W. (bottom-left), and Vedika A. (bottom-right)

Did you have fun drawing the different basketball characters? Share with us your fun experience in the comment section below.

Check out other sporty drawing activities below.

How to Draw Baseball Players

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Step 4. Add an ear and the hair

Draw a curved line on the left side of the head for the ear. Since our baseball player is side view, we cannot see the other ear.

Draw straight lines for the hair outline, then shade the inside.

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