What does STL mean in basketball?

Q: What does STL mean in basketball?

STL stands for steals. Taking the ball off an opponent or out of a passing lane, with your team ending up in possession. An opponent throwing it out of bounds on their own is their turnover, not your steal.

抢断Steals

Taking the ball off an opponent or out of a passing lane, with your team ending up in possession. An opponent throwing it out of bounds on their own is their turnover, not your steal.

Also writtenST · S

Updated 20 Aug 2026

Worked through

You read the entry pass, jump the lane and take it: one steal for you, one turnover for them.

What it leaves out

Steals do not measure defense. They only record the gambles that worked; the ones that did not never reach the sheet.

One term down, the whole sheet to go

The numbers on a sheet lean on each other. How many free throws appear depends on the team foul count; how many rebounds exist depends on how both teams shot. Reading a whole game means reading them together.

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Worked through

What it leaves out

Related terms

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