Is this legal?

[Hawks Coach]

Originally posted by DrakeM
Ok.
I'm dribbling the ball. I momentarily lose control of the ball, i then stumble out of bounds WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BALL. The ball is bouncing around on the court.
So what you're saying is that once I step out of bounds, even if I haven't touched the ball while out of bounds, you would kill the play, and call a violation on me?
Yes, it's a violation for the dribbler to step out of bounds, but you can't call a violation until he comes back in and is the first to touch the ball.

Where do I start? First, what you describe is a momentary loss of control, therefore an interrupted dribble, and therefore no violation. So no, the whistle doesn't blow, not when you step out, and not when you step back in and retrieve the ball.

Second, as others have stated, the violation occurs when the foot hits the line, not when you step back in, if you retain control and are a dribbler at the moment you step on the line.

The classic version of this violation is you push the ball to the floor, your right foot touches the sideline, you step to your left foot which is inbounds, and the ball comes back to your hands. the violation occurred at the spot where you stepped out, not where the ball touched your hand. The violation was you stepping on the line while you were dribbling, not you touching the ball after stepping on the line.