What Is a Turnover in Basketball?

A turnover is a charge against a player who loses possession of the ball to the opposing player before attempting a shot. It can occur as a result of a violation or due to an error in a player’s play. 

Such actions that lead to a turnover include the opponent stealing the ball, bad passing, the player stepping out of bounds or throwing the ball out of bounds, a three-second violation, a five-second violation, a shot clock violation, double-dribbling, committing an offensive foul…

According to Boston Globe sportswriter Bob Ryan, Jack Barry created the turnover as a concept. 

Turnovers were first officially recorded during the 1967/68 season. Tracking of them began actively during the 1973/74 season for team turnovers and 1977/78 for player turnovers.

Jason Kidd and John Drew hold the record for the most turnovers in the NBA, committing 14 turnovers each in one game.

LeBron James holds the record for the most career turnovers — 5,126 in the regular season. Russell Westbrook holds the record for the highest average number of turnovers — 4,1 for one game.

In the WNBA, the record for most team turnovers is 33, and the record for most turnovers in one season is held by Ticha Penicheiro, who committed 135.

Read next: What Does Bonus Mean In Basketball?