I am not an expert at basketball, but I have played lots of versions of it. Because a certain poster loves to complain to me, here is my ongoing lists of different kinds of basketball I have played. Some are just small rule changes. Some look like a different game. Anyways, let's get into it...
1. Netball. Let's start the list with something really different. I first played this game in Australia. Some girls played it on a team, so a bunch of us gave it a try. Some different rules about netball: strict rules on footing, defense, where players can move, and no dribbling.
2. Make it Take it. For some reason, this is more popular for half-court games. Full-court games change possessions. I never played a full-court game where it was make it take it. But, there is always a first for everything.
3. Call Your Own Fouls. This is popular in a lot of pickup games. It helps eliminate the ambiguity of when a play ends.
4. Play to X. Now this is a weird one. Common numbers are 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 21. I've also played 11 and 18 on rarer occasions. I'll go into more details about this later.
5. 1s and 2s and 2s and 3s. Pickup games tend to be 1s with/without 2s. Organized games tend to be 2s and 3s. I have no preference, but if you make me choose, I might go with 1s and 2s because those are the courts that I first started playing on.
6. 21. Hmm, this probably needs a thread onto itself. People play this game with so many variations.
7. Knockout. A fun game for people who like to chase their shots. I can usually get to the top 2 because I can shoot my way there. Eliminating that last guy is a challenge for me.
8. HORSE. CAT. DOG. PIG. ETC. Everyone has played this one at one point. People actually have different rules for this. Almost all games give a letter if you miss a shot following someone's made shot. Some games, 1 makes it, 2 makes, 1 gets the letter. In some games of 3 or more, 1 makes it, everyone else makes it, 1 gets a letter. In some games, 1 makes it, 2 makes it, 2 gets "possession." In some games, 1 keeps "possession" until he misses. In some games, dunks are not allowed, but layups are. In some games, dunks and layups are "not really" allowed; the shot is from the spot and not the moves you do in the air. In some games, you can't do the same shot twice. Some games you can't call how to shoot; you can't call granny shots, left hands, one-handed, etc. There are probably more variations, but those are ones that come off the top of my head.
More basketball games as the whining comes....