Basketball Stars Controls: Steals, Blocks and the Supershot

Basketball Stars is a browser basketball game in which a match lasts 60 seconds. Basketball Stars on Poki holds a 4.2 rating from 2,562,236 votes, and its developer, Madpuffers, which also made Moto X3M, released the game in May 2019.

What a match looks like

Matches are one-on-one or two-on-two, and the goal is to score the most field goals in one minute. Possession changes quickly, so players switch between offense and defense throughout the game. The game lists six core actions: steal, block, shoot, dash, pump and the Supershot.

Moving, jumping and shooting

On desktop, the left and right arrow keys move the player, and the up arrow jumps and shoots. Double-tapping a direction triggers a dash. Mobile players use touch controls instead.

Steals and blocks

The down arrow handles both the pump on offense and the block on defense, while X steals the ball. According to the game page, shots taken closer to the basket are harder to block, and rushed shots are easier to block or steal.

Dunking with the Supershot

Z triggers the Supershot, the game's special move, used to pull off a dunk once the Supershot bar is full.

How it compares with other basketball games

Eurobasket's 2026 roundup of basketball games describes NBA Jam as a two-on-two game with short matches and exaggerated dunks. Basketball Stars shares the two-on-two format and the short matches, though it runs in a browser and uses cartoon-style graphics.

Two-player controls

Two people can share one keyboard. Player 1 uses the arrow keys to move, the up arrow to jump and shoot, the down arrow to pump and block, L to steal and K for the Supershot. Player 2 uses A and D to move, W to jump and shoot, S to pump and block, B to steal and V for the Supershot.

Game modes

Quick Match offers instant rematches after a loss, and Tournament Mode ends the run after a single defeat. Training Mode is meant for practising steals and timing. For two players, the game has a 1v1 mode, a 2v2 mode in which each player gets a computer-controlled teammate, and a co-op 2v2 mode against two computer-controlled opponents.

The game runs free in a browser on desktop, phone and tablet, with no download. That makes Training Mode an easy place to practise steals and timing before a Tournament run.