Goaltending is a violation of the rules in basketball that occurs when a player interferes with the ball while it is on its way to the basket). Here are some key points about goaltending in basketball:

• Goaltending is called when a shot is interfered with when it is on a downward trajectory, outside of the imaginary cylinder above the rim.
• It is goaltending if a player touches the ball while it is on the rim or directly above it, or if they touch the ball on its downward flight during a field goal attempt while the entire ball is above the basket ring level and before the ball has touched the basket ring or the attempt has ended.
• For goaltending to occur, the ball must have a chance to score.
• Goaltending is commonly confused with the related violation of basket interference (also called offensive goaltending) which occurs during an attempted field goal when a player touches the basket, the rim, or the ball when it is on the rim or directly above it).
• If goaltending is called for interference with a field goal, the shooting team is awarded the points for the field goal as if it had been made. The team who commits the violation then inbounds the ball at its baseline, the same as if it had conceded a basket).
• In high school and NCAA basketball, goaltending is also called when a player interferes with a free throw at any time in its flight towards the basket. If goaltending is called on a free throw, the shooting team is awarded one point and a technical foul is called against the offending player).

In summary, goaltending is a violation in basketball that occurs when a player interferes with a shot on a downward trajectory toward the basket. If goaltending is called, the shooting team is awarded the points for the field goal as if it had been made.