Steal (basketball)
In
basketball, a
steal occurs when a defensive player legally gains control of the ball from an offensive player. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting (to a teammate) a pass or dribble of an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a
foul is called.
Stealing the ball requires good anticipation, speed and fast reflexes, all common traits of a good defender. However, like
blocked shots, steals aren't always a perfect gauge of a player's defensive abilities. An unsuccessful steal can result in the defender being out of position and unable to recover in time. Therefore, a steal is a gamble.
If an offensive player loses possession of the basketball due to a steal, he/she is recorded as making a
turnover.
There is no necessarily prototypical position from which a player may get many steals from. While smaller, quicker
guards tend to accumulate the most steals, there are many exceptions. For example, forward
Rick Barry led the
NBA in steals in 1974-75, and for many years
center Hakeem Olajuwon lead his team in the category, consistently ranking among the league's leaders.
Steals were first recorded in the NBA's 1973-74 season.
Kendall Gill and
Larry Kenon are tied for most steals in a regular season NBA game with eleven. Kenon's was recorded on
December 26,
1976 while Gill recorded his on
April 3,
1999.
The most steals in an NBA season is 301 by
Alvin Robertson in 1985-86.
#3265 -
John Stockton#2514 -
Michael Jordan#2402 -
Gary Payton[The player is still active as of July 2006]#2310 -
Maurice Cheeks#2307 -
Scottie Pippen#2207 -
Clyde Drexler#2162 -
Hakeem Olajuwon#2112 -
Alvin Robertson#2085 -
Karl Malone#2075 -
Mookie Blaylock#1957 -
Derek Harper#1861 -
Isiah Thomas#1775 -
Jason Kidd[The player is still active as of July 2006]#1724 -
Magic Johnson#1716 -
Ron Harper#1666 -
Fat Lever#1648 -
Charles Barkley#1638 -
Gus Williams#1622 -
Hersey Hawkins#1616 -
Rod Strickland#1608 -
Mark Jackson#1593 -
Allen Iverson[The player is still active as of July 2006]#1583 -
Terry Porter#1563 -
Doc Rivers#1556 -
Larry Bird#1552 -
Doug Christie#1544 -
Nate McMillan#1536 -
Jeff Hornacek#1530 -
Chris Mullin#1526 -
Eddie Jones[The player is still active as of July 2006]*
Michael Ray Richardson (556 games, 2.71 spg)
*
Slick Watts (437 games, 2.20 spg)
*
Ron Artest (408 games, 2.10 spg)
[The player is still active as of July 2006]*
Rick Barry (794 games, 1.99 spg)
*
Shawn Marion[The player is still active as of July 2006]*
Walt Frazier*
Brevin Knight[The player is still active as of July 2006]*
Baron Davis[The player is still active as of July 2006]Notes
