The basketball court is a flat, hard surface free from obstructions, 28 metres long and 15 metres wide. A basketball match consists of 4 quarters, each of which lasts 10 minutes. Each team has 5 players on the court. The goal of each team is to shoot the ball through the other team's hoop while preventing the other team from shooting through their own hoop. To win the game, players need to score as many field goals as possible by manoeuvring the ball and coordinating with their teammates.

In a basketball match, the infractions include fouls and violations. Violations describe breaches of basic rules such as traveling, double dribble, striking the ball with a fist, kicking the ball, returning the ball to the backcourt, and 3-second violation. Fouls include personal foul, technical foul and unsportsmanlike conduct. A player will be fouled out of the game after committing five fouls. The penalty is triggered when a team commits four fouls in a quarter. At the end of the fourth quarter, if the two teams are tied, they need to play one or multiple 5-minute overtime quarters until the winner is decided. Each team may have substitutes that can be interchanged for an unlimited number of times.

Basketball was first incorporated into the Olympic Games in 1936 and women's basketball in 1976.

The 5×5 basketball of the Hangzhou Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, Zhejiang University Zijingang Gymnasium and Shaoxing Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium from September 26 to October 6, and the final in Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, where the athletes will compete for 2 gold medals.