Not many sports come as exciting as basketball. The spills and thrills involved in the game make basketball one of the most popular sports in the world. Such a pulse-pounding sport can be a good party theme. Ideally, a basketball party is an outdoor event, though you can also rent an indoor court for your party. Just tweak the court to create a compromise between the sports and party atmospheres.

Invitations: For the Love of Basketball

Creating a basketball-themed invitation is fun and easy. You can play safe and use the picture of a basketball as the invitation’s cover. You can also use the photos of world-renowned NBA stars. Here are several ideas for the invitation cover:

Party invitation


• Basketball Picture/Illustration – An invitation with a stylized picture or illustration of a basketball conveys a clear message for your theme. Draw or manipulate a basketball photo then add supporting designs like colorful streaks or stars to make the cover more elegant. Beneath the design, create a basketball jersey-inspired frame, which will hold the important information for your party.
• NBA Game Highlights – A true blue basketball fan can never forget the most spectacular plays and some of the most memorable NBA winning moments. Make every recipient a part of those moments by using them as designs for your invitation. Search for NBA photos on the Internet and select the most striking one. Insert the party information in a strategic location, then use the right font color, which makes your invitation look like a small NBA poster.
• Basketball Jersey – Using a basketball photo for the invitation is considered cliché, since it has been used time and time again for basketball-themed invitations. Break out of the norm and use another item that conveys a similar message to the basketball – the basketball jersey. Capture or illustrate a jersey’s back portion. Place the name of your event on the portion that usually holds the player’s surname. On the portion where the jersey number is normally situated, insert the important information about your party.

Attire: Be Like Mike

If you watch several NBA game from start to finish, you will see that the players wear sweat suits and different sets of jerseys. For the sake of realism, the most ideal attire for your event is the basketball sweat suit or the jersey – shorts – rubber shoes combo. Sports apparel boutiques sell broad selections of these items:

• Basketball uniforms
• NBA sweat suits
• Customized basketball jerseys
• Basketball shorts
• Socks
• Rubber shoes

Purchasing basketball apparel is not enough. Since the activities in basketball parties involve teams, you can advise the guests to buy basketball wear according to their respective factions. Show the teams all 30 NBA jerseys and ask them to select one. If purchasing an actual NBA jersey is too expensive, the guests can just follow the color of their team’s selected jersey.

Activities: Your Very Own All-Star Weekend

A basketball game alone will not constitute for the numerous activities required by parties. A good place to gather ideas is the NBA All-Star Weekend. The event showcases several games that you can apply on your basketball party.

Free throw shootout


• Free Throw Shootout – Not all people can shoot the ball from the 23-foot three point line, which eliminates the possibility of a three point shootout for the party. Instead, you can hold a free throw shootout for the teams. The winner is decided on the number of made free throws for two minutes. Each team will have two representatives for each turn. (Tips on how to free throw)
• Two Ball Shootout – You will need one half of the basketball court for this event. Indicate several spots from underneath the hoop to the three point line. Each spot will have a corresponding number of points depending on the difficulty of making a shot from those spots. The three point shot will give the largest number of points, while the spot nearest the hoop will generate the lowest. The team who scores the most points in two minutes wins.
• Three on Three – Each team will select three of their best players for this event. The teams of three will play basketball using only one half of the court for five to ten minutes. If there are more than two teams, you can set an elimination round, a semi-final round and a championship round.

Basketball game


• Horse – For creative basketball players, horse is the premier event for you. The game starts with one player shooting the ball unconventionally. If the player makes the basket, the other participants should imitate the exact shot made by the first player. Anyone who misses the shot is eliminated. After the first round, the next participant will set the shot to be followed and so on, until one player is declared the victor.
• Basketball Game – The basketball game is the mother of all events for the party. In the spirit of fairness, everyone must participate, even if some people aren’t good basketball players. The games will be shortened, since an actual game lasts for about an hour. The champions get the top prize because winning a basketball tournament is not easy.

Check out this video for 3-on-3 basketball game.

Food: Simple Meals for an Intricate Game

A basketball party, being an informal event, does not require fancy cuisines. Simple meals and catered food are your best choices. Remember, sweaty people and formal settings never mix. Here are some food suggestions for a basketball party:

• Burger steak – Hamburgers are the usual meals for hungry basketball players. You can take it up a notch in the taste department and prepare fried burgers with gravy. Partner your burger steak with rolls, a bun or a few cups of rice. Everyone will then know why juicy burgers go well with basketball games, regardless if you’re on or off the court.
• Hotdogs – The hotdog, being the universal food for sports fans, makes a fine meal for any sporting event. Participants who are tired from playing will want to wolf down their meals in an instant. The hotdog readily fits that category. All it takes is a few bites to finish off one piece, so better prepare a bundle.




Yummy burger steak

Delicious pizza

Gatorade for drinks

• Pizza – Pizza is another good example of a tasty, ready-to-eat meal. Order several boxes of large New York style pizzas. Everyone, including the people with the biggest appetites, will be stuffed after eating a few slices. Pizza is clearly your cost-effective option. (Learn how to make pasta pizza)
• Gatorade – A basketball game will never be complete without Michael Jordan’s signature sports drink – Gatorade. Purchase boxes of the energy drink for the whole party. Make sure that you purchase at least two for each participant, or else they won’t have enough energy for all the events.

Prizes: Hoop Dreams are Made of These

The prizes are rather inconsequential for the event. Just choose simple prizes for simple events like Horse and the Free Throw shootout. The biggest prizes are for the team who wins the basketball championship. Here some suggestions for the prizes:

• NBA Championship Trophy
• Signed NBA apparel
• basketballs
• NBA posters
• Basketball hoops
• Basketball video games

The basketball party promises fun for people of all ages. Anyone can participate in participate in all of the activities. Not only will you enjoy the entire event, but you will also become healthier right after. No wonder the game of basketball is a big hit worldwide.