above the rim

Prepositional phrase

1. [handing the ball] higher than the rim of the basket (such as during a slam dunk or alley oop)
   • Basketball went from a game of set shots and long jumpers to a game played above the rim, characterized by earth-shattering dunks.2003, Walter M. Kimbrough, Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, →ISBN, page 111
   • The same male-centric phenomenon takes place in basketball, where the “standard” version of the game is played above the rim while the “watered-down” female version is played below the rim (and with a smaller ball).2017, Rick Eckstein, How College Athletics Are Hurting Girls' Sports: The Pay-to-Play Pipeline, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 149
2. (Canada, US, figuratively) at a high level of excellence
   • I believe in playing above the rim on the court, and in my career.1995 June, Lloyd Ward, quoted in Lloyd Gite, "Playing Above the Rim" Black Enterprise p. 214
   • Who can tell the fabric of state government stories better? Who can tell those fabric stories first? And who can do what I call playing above the rim, which is you're in such close contact with legislators and state officials that you can stay ahead of the news.2004 Eileen N. Gilligan, Competing for News: Reporter's Use of Competition and Cooperation in the Production of News (Thesis, University of Wisconsin–Madison) p. 122