I know this is probably a fairly obvious question but a friend and I were arguing after a Kobe highlight last night. I thought you could not pass the ball to yourself period unless a defender deflects it back to you. My friend claims that if you have not started to dribble you can throw it ahead of yourself and as long as you let the ball hit the ground you can catch it and start to dribble. In the play in question Kobe was guarded in backcourt, threw the ball over the defender, ran around the defender, and after the ball hit the ground began to dribble down the court to throw the ally oop to Butler. Thanks for any help

The play you describe is legal in both the NBA and NCAA/NFHS play. Just a picky detail though. You cannot CATCH the ball after the initial throwing of the ball. The dribble must be continued after it hits the floor and the player reaches it, not ended and then started again.

All Kobe did was start a dribble. He released the ball and it then hit the floor, before he touched it again. That's a dribble.