In basketball, and other sports such as hockey and soccer, an assist is a pass that leads directly to a score. In Chapter 1, Wooden writes that “the assist in basketball epitomizes cooperation. The assist is valuable in all organizations, helping someone do his or her job better” (29).

A dunk, or slam dunk, is a type of shot in basketball in which a player forces the ball through the rim with their hands. Wooden refers to the dunk in Chapter 15 when discussing former legendary player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He explains that the dunk was an incredible weapon for Abdul-Jabbar because of his height but that the NCAA banned the shot during his first varsity season in 1967. Although the dunk was allowed again after only a few seasons, the ban forced Abdul-Jabbar to develop his famous “sky hook” shot, which Wooden describes as “possibly the greatest offensive weapon in the NBA” (226).

A fast break is an offensive style of play in basketball in which a team uses passes to push the ball to the other end of the court as quickly as it can after a defensive rebound. This up-tempo style of play requires stamina and great conditioning and typically leads to high-scoring games.