Basketball Coloring Sheets – 36 Pages to Print

Basketball is a game built on quick moves and bright colors, and this collection of coloring pages brings both to the page. Kids who dribble at recess, teens who follow their favorite team, and adults who just want a calm afternoon with markers will all find something here. Some pages keep it simple with one big ball or hoop, others fill the sheet with layup poses, streetball courts, and detailed patterns. Print one page or the whole set and start coloring today.

Our 36 Free Basketball Coloring Pages

Every basketball coloring page below is free and printable. Click the picture to open the PDF and print it at home on standard A4 paper. The 36 sheets range from very easy designs with thick, simple lines to detailed scenes built for older kids and adults who enjoy a slower, more focused coloring session.

On the Court

Girl Making a Layup in a Gym

A girl with a curly ponytail jumps toward the hoop for a layup as five friends watch from the bleachers, her jersey and the crowd ready for color.

Jump Shot Under Hanging Gym Banners

A girl with a curly ponytail leaves the floor and releases the ball toward the hoop, pennant banners hanging behind her above the wood court.

Two Kids Cheering as the Ball Drops Through the Hoop

A girl and a boy raise their arms as the ball falls through the net in an indoor gym with a wall clock and hanging lights overhead.

Curly-Haired Girl Dribbling a Big Basketball

A smiling girl with a curly bun dribbles an oversized basketball in front of a hoop with a net.

Defender Guarding a Dribbling Player

A ponytailed defender spreads her arms wide to block a curly-haired girl dribbling low, with teammates and a crowded stand behind them.

The Moves

Girl in a Headband Driving Toward the Basket

A girl with a headband and a curly ponytail dribbles low across the court, with a hoop, a bench, and gym walls in the background.

Boy Handing Off the Ball to a Curly-Haired Teammate

A smiling boy passes the ball to a girl with a curly ponytail on an indoor court, while two teammates wait in the background.

Ponytail Girl Dribbling Past a Surprised Boy

A smiling girl with a ponytail dribbles low past a wide-eyed, curly-haired boy, with the hoop and gym windows behind them.

Ponytail Girl Taking a Free Throw

A girl with a ponytail stands at the free throw line holding the ball, with two kids crouched and waiting on either side.

Girl With Curly Hair Shooting Beside a Gym Window

A smiling girl with a curly puff and headband lifts the ball toward a hoop, a cloudy sky showing through the window behind her.

Streetball and City

Street Court Shot Toward a Chain Net Hoop

A girl jumps and shoots on a cracked city court behind a chain-link fence, with brick buildings, a fire escape and a water tower behind her.

Night Game on a City Court Under the Moon

A curly-haired girl dribbles low around a defender on an outdoor court at night, under a crescent moon and a floodlight, with a hoodie lying on the ground.

Girl Leaning on a Chain-Link Fence at the Park Court

A smiling girl with a headband and curly hair leans on a chain-link fence with a basketball under her arm, a second ball resting among fallen leaves.

Park Tournament Jump Shot With City Skyline

A ponytailed girl jumps to shoot while three players reach for the ball on an outdoor court, fans behind the fence and backpacks, bottles and a towel up front.

Girl Shooting Hoops in the Rain

A curly-haired girl jumps to shoot a wet basketball as rain pours down over the outdoor court, with puddles, a chain net, and a fence behind her.

Training and Team

Coach Huddle With the Team Before the Game

A crouching coach talks to five kids in jerseys who lean in with their hands on their knees, a clipboard, a marker and a ball rack nearby.

Girl Loading Basketballs Onto a Rolling Rack

A smiling girl in a headband sets a ball onto a rolling rack of basketballs, with two more balls on the gym floor and a hoop overhead.

Dribbling Drill Through Training Cones

A curly-haired girl in a headband dribbles low around striped cones while her coach watches with a whistle around his neck.

Three Players Resting on the Bench at Halftime

Three teammates take a halftime break on a gym bench: one drinks from a bottle, one ties her sneaker and one leans back with her eyes closed.

Locker Room With Jerseys and Sneakers on a Bench

Open lockers hold jerseys, basketballs, and water bottles, while a gym bag and high-top sneakers sit on the bench in front.

Ball and Gear

Big Basketball on an Empty Gym Floor

A large basketball sits on the wooden court floor, with the hoop, the padded wall and a bench behind it.

View From Under the Hoop With Reaching Hands

Seen from below, two open hands reach up toward a basketball hoop with a knotted net, a backboard, ceiling beams and four hanging gym lamps.

High-Top Sneakers in a Locker Room

A pair of high-top basketball sneakers sits on the locker room floor with a rolled-up sock, a gym bag and a basketball resting on the bench behind them.

Ball Pump Filling a Basketball in the Gym

A floor pump is hooked up to a big basketball, with a needle and a cap on the floor, a rack full of balls, folded jerseys on a bench and a hoop on the wall.

Boy Leaping Toward an Outdoor Hoop Under Clouds

A smiling boy jumps with one arm stretched high, pushing the ball toward a large backboard and net on a tall pole, two puffy clouds in the sky.

Animals, Fantasy, and Kawaii

Bear Slam Dunking in a Backyard Court

A grinning bear stands on its hind legs and dunks a basketball through a chain net hoop, with a wooden fence, leafy trees and clouds behind it.

Bunny Slam Dunk on an Outdoor Hoop

A smiling bunny leaps high to dunk a basketball, a second ball resting on the grass under a sunny sky.

Elephant Tossing a Basketball on the Savanna

An elephant curls its trunk to toss a basketball toward a hoop, with acacia trees, a rope fence and a water trough behind it.

Robot Dribbling a Basketball in a Workshop

A smiling robot with an antenna bounces a basketball in a workshop, surrounded by a tool wall, a stool, loose bolts and a coiled cable.

Astronaut Dunking a Basketball on the Moon

An astronaut in a spacesuit leaps off the cratered moon surface to dunk the ball, with a striped planet, a lunar lander and a flag behind.

Smiling Basketball Running Across an Outdoor Court

A cheerful cartoon basketball with arms and sneakers runs past a hoop and a chain-link fence, under clouds, hearts and stars.

Kitten Hanging From a Basketball Hoop

A happy kitten hangs from the rim of an outdoor hoop, with a sun, hearts, bushes, fallen leaves and a basketball on the ground.

Bunny and Bear Friends by the Basketball Hoop

A smiling bunny holds a basketball while a bear in a jersey waves hello, a hoop and two fluffy clouds behind them.

Patterns and Mandalas

Basketball Mandala With Hoops, Sneakers and Whistles

A big basketball sits at the center of a round mandala, circled by star-filled petals, hoops with backboards, whistles and high-top sneakers.

Patterned Basketball With Zentangle Panels

A single large basketball splits by its seams into six panels, each holding its own pattern: dots, waves, zigzags, crosshatching, spirals and a grid.

Backboard and Hoop Filled With Basketballs, Sneakers and Stars

A backboard and net packed with basketballs, sneakers, whistles, stars and hearts fill this tightly patterned design.

Fun Facts About Basketball

A Game Invented in a Gymnasium

James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He needed an indoor game to keep college students active during the cold months between football and baseball season. The first hoops were actual peach baskets nailed to the balcony of the gym, and since the baskets still had their bottoms, someone had to climb up and fetch the ball out after every score. Naismith wrote down thirteen basic rules and pinned them to a bulletin board, and the very first game ever played ended with a score of 1 to 0, since only one basket was made the entire game.

The name itself is just as simple as the rules: basket, for the peach basket, and ball. A student suggested naming the sport after its inventor, but Naismith turned the idea down, and the plain, descriptive name stuck.

Why the Hoop Hangs Exactly Ten Feet High

Basketball hoops today still hang ten feet off the ground, and that number goes straight back to 1891. Ten feet is simply how high the gymnasium balcony happened to be in Springfield, the same balcony where Naismith nailed up his peach baskets. What started as a random detail of one building became a fixed measurement used on courts everywhere.

The Colors and Rules That Make Basketball, Basketball

A basketball is orange brown with black seams, though that wasn’t always true. Until the 1950s, basketballs were dark brown, and the orange color was chosen later because it was much easier for players and fans to track during a fast game. The surface has a fine, pebbled texture too, not a smooth one, since a smooth ball would be nearly impossible to dribble or grip with one hand. Indoor courts are usually light maple wood with a painted key and white lines, while outdoor streetball courts tend to be gray asphalt with white or faded yellow lines and sometimes a chain net instead of a cloth one.

A few rules set basketball apart from similar sports. Players must bounce the ball while moving, since carrying it is a violation, and the goal is a horizontal hoop with no goalkeeper rather than a vertical net. Scoring also comes in three values: one point for a free throw, two for a basket from the floor, and three for a shot from behind the arc, a rule that wasn’t even added until roughly eighty years after the game began.

Printing and Coloring Tips

Each coloring page on this list opens as a print ready PDF sized for standard A4 paper, so there’s no cropping or resizing to worry about. For the best results, print at 100 percent scale, sometimes labeled “actual size” in the print dialog, rather than “fit to page,” which can shrink fine details. Plain printer paper works fine for a quick coloring session, but if a page will be colored with markers or displayed afterward, a slightly heavier cardstock holds up better and prevents bleed through.

Not every sheet suits every colorer. The simplest designs, a single large ball or a big, rounded hoop with thick outlines, are the right pick for toddlers and preschoolers who are still working on staying inside the lines. Sheets with a full court scene, a player mid layup, or a streetball setting suit early elementary kids who want more to look at without getting overwhelmed. The most detailed sheets, tight patterns, mandalas, and busy team scenes, are better suited to older kids, teens, and adults who enjoy a slower, more focused project.

What to Do With Finished Pages

A finished coloring page doesn’t have to just sit in a folder. Here are a few ways to put it to use.

• Tape a few pages to a bedroom door or locker to mark it as a young player’s own space.
• String several sheets together with ribbon to make a simple banner for a game day party or birthday.
• Pick a favorite page, add a short note, and turn it into a homemade card for a coach or teammate.
• Pin a set of pages to a classroom or gym bulletin board to display everyone’s work together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these basketball coloring pages really free?

Yes. All 36 sheets in this collection are free to download and print, with no sign up required. Just click on the picture of the page you want.

What age are these coloring pages for?

The collection covers a wide range, from very easy pages with big shapes and thick lines that suit toddlers and preschoolers, up through detailed scenes and patterns that older kids, teens, and adults will enjoy coloring.

What are the correct colors for a basketball?

A real basketball is orange brown with black seams dividing it into panels, usually eight of them, and it has a slightly bumpy, pebbled surface rather than a smooth one. Basketballs weren’t always orange either. They were dark brown until the 1950s, when the color was changed to make the ball easier to see during play. Everything else, from jerseys to shoes to backgrounds, can be colored however feels right.

Can these pages be used in a classroom?

Yes. Teachers and after school program leaders are welcome to print and use these pages for classroom activities, indoor recess, or gym unit lessons, at no cost.

What paper should I use to print them?

Standard printer paper works for most pages. If a sheet will be colored with markers or paint, or is going to be displayed or framed, a heavier cardstock will hold up better and keep colors from bleeding through to the other side.

Do I need any special software to open the pages?

No. Each page downloads as a standard PDF, which opens in any free PDF reader or most web browsers, so there’s nothing extra to install before printing.

Matthew Matthysen( Drawing and Painting Artist )

Matthew Matthysen is an educated multidisciplinary artist and illustrator. He successfully completed his art degree at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, majoring in art history and contemporary drawing. The focus of his thesis was to explore the philosophical implications of the macro and micro-universe on the human experience. Matthew uses diverse media, such as written and hands-on components, to explore various approaches that are on the border between philosophy and science.

Matthew organized various exhibitions before and during his years as a student and is still passionate about doing so today. He currently works as a freelance artist and writer in various fields. He also has a permanent position at a renowned online gallery (ArtGazette) where he produces various works on commission. As a freelance artist, he creates several series and successfully sells them to galleries and collectors. He loves to use his work and skills in various fields of interest.

Matthew has been creating drawing and painting tutorials since the relaunch in 2020. Through his involvement with artincontext.org, he has been able to deepen his knowledge of various painting mediums. For example, watercolor techniques, calligraphy and lately digital drawing, which is becoming more and more popular.

Learn more about Matthew Matthysen and the Art in Context Team.