Basketball Statistics Blog

Coach's Digest: About Steals

In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally gains control of the ball from an offensive player. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting (to a teammate) a pass or dribble of an offensive player. A steal may happen while the offensive player is dribbling, holding the ball, or by intercepting a pass. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called.

Stealing the ball requires concentration, good anticipation, speed and fast reflexes and good hustle, all common traits of a good defender. However, like blocked shots, steals aren't always a perfect gauge of a player's defensive abilities. An unsuccessful steal can result in the defender being out of position and unable to recover in time. Therefore, a steal is a gamble. And a steal usually leads to a fast break, the most exciting play in the sport.
If an offensive player loses possession of the basketball due to a steal, he/she is recorded as making a turnover and the defender is recorded with a steal, forced or unforced depending upon the play development.

The eBA Basketball Statistics Analysis System registers, in addition to the traditional stats, the points made from the forced and unforced steals done during the game. This number is not always similar, as people usually thinks, to the opponent's points off turnovers.

There is no necessarily prototypical position from which a player may get many steals from. While smaller, quicker guards tend to accumulate the most steals, there are many exceptions. For example, forward Rick Barry led the NBA in steals in 1974-75, and for many years center Hakeem Olajuwon lead his team in the category, consistently ranking among the league's leaders. Therefore, the eBA System registers the area and the whole situation where the steal occurred.

Steals were first recorded in the NBA's 1973-74 season. Kendall Gill ( on December 26, 1976 ) and Larry Kenon ( on April 3, 1999 ) are tied for most steals in a regular season NBA game with eleven.
The most steals in an NBA season is 301 by Alvin Robertson in 1985-86.

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