"Basketball" in Spanish is el baloncesto, the word used in Spain. In much of Latin America people say el básquetbol or just el básquet. Like other sports, it takes the article: Me gusta el baloncesto.
Written by Isabella García, Language Content Manager at WordyUpdated October 4, 2026
Hear "baloncesto" in a real movie scene
One scene where someone says it. The video starts and stops on that line.
¿Sabe jugar baloncesto?
Do you know how to play basketball?
Saber plus an infinitive asks whether someone knows how to do something, and this speaker drops the al that Spain uses in jugar al baloncesto.
From Golpe bajo: el juego final · Spanish audio
Baloncesto, básquetbol or básquet?
The sport has a few names, plus two words you'll hear on every court.
Word
Where you'll hear it
Good to know
el baloncesto
Spain
The word Wordy teaches. People understand it everywhere.
el básquetbol
Mexico and much of Latin America
Borrowed from the English word.
el básquet
Argentina, Uruguay
The short form.
la canasta
Everywhere
The basket, and also a basket you score: ¡Canasta!
el balón
Everywhere
The ball. Baloncesto is built from balón and cesto, basket.
Tip: To play basketball is jugar al baloncesto in Spain and jugar básquetbol in Mexico.
Grammar: el baloncesto
Four points for talking about the sport.
It's masculine
el baloncesto. It's made of el balón (ball) and el cesto (basket), just like the English word.
Sports take el
English says "I like basketball" with no article. Spanish needs it: Me gusta el baloncesto.
To play: jugar al
In Spain: jugar al baloncesto (a + el = al). Many Latin Americans say jugar baloncesto or jugar básquetbol.
Gusta or gustan
One sport takes gusta: Me gusta el baloncesto. Two or more take gustan: Nos gustan el golf y el baloncesto.
Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Me gusta el baloncesto.
I like basketball.
El baloncesto es una pasión.
Basketball is a passion.
¿Por qué no estás jugando baloncesto?
Why aren't you playing basketball?
Nos gustan el golf, el baloncesto y el teatro.
We like golf, basketball and the theater.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Me gusta baloncesto
✓Me gusta el baloncesto
Spanish keeps the article when you talk about a sport in general.
✗Juego baloncesto (in Spain)
✓Juego al baloncesto
In Spain, jugar takes al before the name of a sport.
✗Me gustan el baloncesto
✓Me gusta el baloncesto
One sport is singular, so use gusta. Gustan is for two or more.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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How to remember it
Baloncesto is balón (ball) plus cesto (basket). Ball and basket, the same two pieces as the English word.
El baloncesto in Spain. In much of Latin America people say el básquetbol or el básquet.
How do you say "play basketball" in Spanish?
Jugar al baloncesto in Spain, or jugar básquetbol in much of Latin America: Juego al baloncesto los sábados.
Is baloncesto masculine or feminine?
Masculine: el baloncesto. It's built from el balón (ball) and el cesto (basket), and both are masculine.
How do you say "basketball player" in Spanish?
El jugador de baloncesto, or la jugadora de baloncesto for a woman. In Spain you'll also hear el baloncestista.
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