League Rules

WKND Basketball League plays under FIBA's rules as its foundation. What's below isn't the FIBA rulebook copy-pasted — it's our own plain-language rundown of how a game actually runs here, including the house rules layered on top.

Games are 4 quarters of 12 minutes.

Pasarella (1st half only): at the 6-minute mark of both Q1 and Q2, every team must swap out all 5 players on the court for a full lineup change — not a spot substitution. Once that lineup is locked in, no further subs are allowed for the rest of that segment, with one exception: an injury. A player subbed out for injury is done for the rest of the game — they can't check back in later, even if they recover.

The 2nd half (Q3 and Q4) reverts to normal, unrestricted substitutions.

A tied game goes to a single 5-minute overtime period, decided by whoever's ahead when the clock hits zero. Pasarella does not apply in overtime — substitutions are free the whole period.

Standard 2 and 3-point scoring applies everywhere. On courts with a 4-point line marked, a shot from beyond it is worth 4 — we use the same distance the PBA introduced for its Governors' Cup, 27 feet (about 8.2m) from the rim. Courts without that line marked simply play with a 3-point max, no 4-point shot available that game.

FIBA's foul rules apply: 5 personal fouls disqualifies a player for the rest of the game. On team fouls, the bonus kicks in starting on a team's 5th foul of the quarter — every non-shooting foul after that sends the other team to the line for 2 free throws.

Technical and flagrant fouls carry their standard FIBA on-court consequences (free throws, possession, and ejection for a Flagrant 2). For the monetary penalty that comes with them, see the League Fines page.

FIBA's standard allotment: 2 timeouts in the first half, 3 in the second (only 2 of those 3 can be used in the final 2 minutes of the 4th quarter), and 1 per overtime period.

24 seconds per possession, resetting to 14 after an offensive rebound — FIBA standard.

WKND Basketball League is exclusive to its members, not an open registration league — it's capped at exactly 4 teams by design, built to stay a tight community where people actually know each other rather than an anonymous open league.

A team roster can carry 12-15 players, but only 12 may be dressed and eligible to play in any single game.

The top 4 teams by regular-season record make the bracket, seeded by wins — ties broken by head-to-head record first (when it's exactly two teams tied), then point-differential.

Semifinals are twice to beat: the higher seed only needs one win to advance, while the lower seed needs two. The Championship Finals are best-of-3, first to 2 wins.

Anything not covered here, or a call you want clarified? Reach us at pao@wkndbasketball.com.