Basketball doesn’t have “own goals” as a separate statistical event, but the situation itself is possible: the ball can end up in your basket after a rebound scramble, a deflection, an awkward touch, or even because someone momentarily loses track of direction.
The scoreboard will add points for the opponent — your team, of course, won’t get “minus points.” In most rulebooks, this is treated as an accidentally scored basket in your own hoop and counts as a normal (though quirky) way for the opponent to score.
Who gets credited with those points depends on the league
Under FIBA rules
If a player accidentally scores the ball in their own basket, then:
- the opposing team is awarded 2 points;
- on the scoresheet, those points are credited to the opposing team’s captain who is on the court at that moment.
In other words, the points will show up in the personal stats of one specific player (the captain), even if he had nothing to do with the play.
In the NBA
The NBA logic is similar (points go to the opponent), but the way they are recorded is different:
- if the ball accidentally goes into the “wrong” basket, the made field goal is awarded to the opponent;
- and in the individual stats, it is credited to the opposing player who was closest to the player whose actions caused the ball to go into the basket.
In other words, in the box score it will look as if someone on the other team “scored from point-blank range,” even though in reality he may not have touched the ball at all.
What if you score in your own basket on purpose
This is where the rules become stricter — otherwise, teams could manipulate end-of-game situations.
FIBA
If a player intentionally scores in their own basket:
- it is a violation;
- the points do not count;
- the ball is awarded to the opponent for a throw-in (the rules explicitly specify the spot — the free-throw line extended).
NBA
In the NBA, an attempt to shoot at the “wrong” basket is also ruled a violation, and the ball goes to the opponent (with wording that also points to a throw-in at the free-throw line extended).
The one-sentence takeaway
If it goes into your own basket, the opponent gets the points; who is credited with the “made basket” on the scoresheet is decided by the league rules: under FIBA it’s the opponent’s captain, in the NBA it’s the nearest opposing player.
