Air ball

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In basketball, an air ball is any shot that misses the basket completely and does not hit either the net, rim, or backboard.

Particularly embarrassing to the shooter, an air ball by an opposing player during a competitive game will usually prompt fans in attendance to chant "Air ball" repeatedly in a continuous drone to humiliate the shooter.

Perhaps the most famous and fortuitous air ball in history was a buzzer shot attempted by NC State's Dereck Whittenburg during the 1983 NCAA Championship Game. Whittenburg's teammate Lorenzo Charles was positioned under the basket and dunked the ball as time expired to beat the heavily favored Houston team.