Brick (basketball)

Brick is a slang term used in basketball to describe a shot attempt that hits the rim or backboard and misses badly. The term is pejorative, and a player who frequently misses shots may be called a "bricklayer".

Possible origins

The origin of the term is rather ambiguous and it is unclear where the term originally comes from. Some possible origins are:
#The basketball hits the rim of the hoop and bounces off. The rim has a color similar to that of an actual brick and thus the player has shot a brick because it hits the rim and misses.
#After the player shoots the basketball, the ball falls as fast as an actual brick and thus misses horribly.
#The sound made when a basketball hits the rim at a public basketball court is often a large 'clank' which was associated with the sound a brick makes when struck.