Guides

The 14-Second Reset Explained

By Chen Gazit, professional league table official and creator of ShotClock Pro · Published October 25, 2026

The 14-second reset is the shot clock decision that separates experienced operators from beginners. It happens fast, it depends on two separate facts, and getting it wrong changes the game. Here is how it works under the 2026 FIBA Official Basketball Rules, and how to make the call reliably.

What the 14-second reset is

A normal possession gets 24 seconds. In certain situations, though, the offensive team keeps the ball but has not really started a new possession — it is already in the frontcourt, usually close to the basket. In those situations the rules give it 14 seconds instead of a full 24. FIBA introduced the 14-second reset after an offensive rebound in 2014, and the NBA adopted the same value from the 2018–19 season after testing it in its development league.

When the clock goes to 14

1. Offensive rebound after the ball touches the ring

When a shot or a last free throw touches the ring and the offensive team regains control, the shot clock is set to 14. It does not matter whether the shot was taken from the corner or at the rim, or whether the rebound bounces out to the three-point line. Two facts decide it: the ball touched the ring, and the same team got it back.

2. Defensive foul or violation with a frontcourt throw-in

When the defence commits a foul or a violation such as a kicked ball, and the offence is awarded a throw-in in its frontcourt, look at the shot clock. With 14 or more seconds showing, it simply continues. With 13 or fewer, it is reset to 14. The rule guarantees the offence a fair amount of time without handing it a bonus.

3. Late-game time-out with a frontcourt throw-in

In the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, a team entitled to a backcourt throw-in that takes a time-out may choose to inbound from the frontcourt throw-in line. If the game had stopped because the ball went out of bounds, the shot clock is set to 14 when 14 or more seconds remain, and continues when 13 or fewer remain. If it had stopped for a foul or violation by the defence, or the team had just gained possession, the shot clock is set to 14.

4. Ball lodged on the ring support

A ball that lodges between the ring and the backboard creates a jump-ball situation decided by the alternating possession arrow. If the offence is awarded the throw-in, it receives 14 seconds.

5. A new possession that starts with a frontcourt throw-in

The 14 is not only for the team that already had the ball. When the opponents are awarded a throw-in in their own frontcourt because of a foul or violation by the team in control — for example, after an illegal return to the backcourt — the shot clock is set to 14, not 24.

6. Disruptive, flagrant, or disqualifying fouls

When the penalty for one of these fouls includes a throw-in from the frontcourt throw-in line opposite the scorer's table, the shot clock is set to 14.

When it does not apply

Just as important is knowing when not to press the 14 button:

• The ball hits only the backboard. No ring contact means no shot for shot clock purposes. The clock keeps running.
• An airball or a blocked shot. If the offence recovers a blocked shot that never reached the ring, the clock keeps running from where it was.
• The defence gains control. After the ball touches the ring, a defensive rebound means a new possession: 24 seconds.
• The defence knocks the ball out of bounds. The offence keeps the ball, but the clock continues from the time shown — even in the frontcourt and even with only a few seconds left.
• Less than 14 seconds on the game clock. When the ball is dead, the game clock is stopped, and there is a new control of the ball with less than 14 seconds left in the period, switch the shot clock off instead.

Why the rule exists

Before the 14-second reset, an offensive rebound earned a full 24 seconds, exactly like a team bringing the ball up from its own baseline. That was generous: the rebounding team was already set up in its frontcourt and usually needed only a few seconds to get a good shot. The shorter reset keeps rewarding offensive rebounding while removing the dead time that followed it. It also shortens late-game sequences in which a team could rebound a deliberate miss and run down a fresh 24 seconds.

Making the call at the scorer's table

The reset depends on two facts that happen at different moments, so the decision has to be made in two steps:

1. Watch the ring as the shot arrives. Decide whether the ball touched it. This is the moment most operators are looking at the wrong thing — the shooter or the display.
2. Watch the rebound until a team has control. Only then set the value: 14 for the offence, 24 for the defence. A tipped ball or a scramble on the floor is not control yet.

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Resetting on a bank shot that hit only the glass.
• Pressing 24 out of habit when the offence rebounds its own miss.
• Resetting to 14 when the defence knocks the ball out of bounds in the frontcourt.
• Setting the value during a scramble, before either team has control.