The eight-second rule prohibits a backcourt possession lasting longer than eight seconds to prevent teams from camping with the ball on defense or playing keep-away. The rule forces teams to attempt offensive possessions in a reasonable amount of time.

In other words, an offensive team cannot have continuous possession of the ball within their backcourt for more than eight consecutive seconds. If the ball remains in the offensive team’s for more than eight seconds and does not receive frontcourt status at that time, then the result would be an eight-second violation for that same offensive team.

An 8-second violation in basketball refers to the rule where the offensive team must advance the ball from their backcourt, the half of the court containing their defensive basket, to the frontcourt, the half containing their offensive basket, within 8 seconds. Failure to do so results in a turnover, with possession awarded to the opposing team.

Once the team inbounds the ball, they have no more than eight seconds to advance the ball past mid-court. If the team is charged with an 8-second violation, they then give possession to their opponent and are charged with a turnover.