ball handler
noun
: a player who controls the ball in any of various games
especially
: a player who is skilled at handling the ball (as in basketball)
Examples of ball handler in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That trio joined Trae Young and Luke Kennard on the sidelines, meaning Atlanta was without its top-two ball handlers in Young and Johnson, and five of its top seven players overall.
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Law Murray, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Last season, albeit in a small sample, provided glimpses of James’ willingness to let Doncic and Reaves run the show as ball handlers while James filled in the gaps in other areas and picked his spots as a ball handler.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
Instead, Peterson backpedaled to get back on defense and directed his teammates to pay attention to the Green Bay ball handler.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
Thompson is a four-time NBA champion earning a total of $50 million across three years who can provide the exact type of shooting threat that has proven lethal alongside Doncic as the primary ball handler.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
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Law Murray, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Last season, albeit in a small sample, provided glimpses of James’ willingness to let Doncic and Reaves run the show as ball handlers while James filled in the gaps in other areas and picked his spots as a ball handler.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
Instead, Peterson backpedaled to get back on defense and directed his teammates to pay attention to the Green Bay ball handler.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
Thompson is a four-time NBA champion earning a total of $50 million across three years who can provide the exact type of shooting threat that has proven lethal alongside Doncic as the primary ball handler.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ball handler
Cite this Entry
“Ball handler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ball%20handler. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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