[BillyMac]

Technically, the rule prevents a player "grasping" the "basket" except to avoid injuries. Nothing about hanging from the rim, although that's what actually happens in reality.

Determining the legality of a basket grasp is very subjective. I actually had a problem viewing this video from the lead because I'm almost always deciding on the legality of this situation from trail (with the exception of a breakaway off a midcourt steal).

I only get a few dozen dunks each season. The way I view it, a player could grasp the basket in a number of ways.

1) Immediately release after the dunk. Obviously, completely legal.

2) Grasp the basket, and hold on for a few moments, to get his balance to avoid injury to himself. Also, obviously completely legal.

3) Grasp the basket, and hold on for a long time, to avoid falling on and injuring players below him (and/or himself), with some players possibly being on the floor. Also, obviously completely legal

4) Grasp the basket, and hold on for a few moments, taking a few pendulum swings back and forth, to get his balance to avoid injury to himself, or to avoid injury to others who may be beneath him. Also, obviously completely legal.

5) Grasp the basket, and hold on for a few extra moments to showboat, “Hey everybody, look at me”. Illegal.

6) Grasp the basket, and hold on for a few extra moments, and take a few pendulum swings back and forth, to showboat, “Hey everybody, look at me”. Illegal.

7) Grasp the basket, hold on for a few extra moments, and do a few pull-ups. Also showboating, “Hey everybody, look at me”, and also illegal.

8) Grasp the basket, hold on for a few extra moments, and perform some "extracurricular" activities, like slapping the backboard. Also showboating, “Hey everybody, look at me”, and also illegal.

Of course, this list doesn't include all the possibilities that could occur.

It's very difficult to subjectively determine the legality, or the illegality, of the plays in the middle of the list above. Plays at the beginning and end of this list may be be easier to rule upon.

Plays where the player is both showboating and avoiding injuries are the hardest to rule upon, but since the player is avoiding injures, officials should (hopefully) rule these plays legal.

I'm not a mind reader. I have to react to what I observe in front of me.

Let's also remember that one intent of this rule is to prevent equipment damage, a distorted basket could delay a game for hours, even days.

The paragraph below is in regard to dunking, but it may shed some light on why the NFHS discourages players from grasping the basket.

When Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) (UCLA 1966-1969, NBA 1969-1989) started playing basketball for UCLA Bruins, NCAA officials felt that the seven foot, two inch All-American center, being especially tall and athletic, could place the ball over the rim and throw it through the hoop with ease. This feat of athleticism which we all know as the dunk and seems so routine was not so routine back in the mid-1960’s. It was considered unfair that he could do it so easily. So the NCAA banned dunking in 1967. This was called the “Alcindor Rule”. Another reason dunking was outlawed was to prevent injury and equipment damage. A distorted rim could delay a game. As a result of the rule, Alcindor developed a great hook shot, the “Sky Hook”, which he used effectively during his playing days in college, and in the NBA. After multiple issues with the new rule and the invention of the breakaway rim the NCAA allowed the dunk to be legal again during 1976-1977 season which was shortly after UCLA Coach John Wooden's retirement. The “Alcindor Rule” eventually trickled down to NFHS rules. In 1967, the NFHS banned dunking in high school basketball games. In 1970, the NFHS also prohibited dunking during pregame warmups. Like the NCAA, the NFHS reversed itself in 1976 and a rule change allowed dunking during the game but not during pregame warmups, nor during intermissions, and with a later rule change in 1978 outlawing dunking a dead ball.