The NBA has the "gather step" rule which is often referred to as a "free step" but that's not 100% accurate. After the ball is gathered they start counting steps for each NEW ground contact. What this means is that if a foot is on the ground BEFORE the ball is gathered or simultaneously as the ball is gathered, it isn't a step by their definition of steps, and it was given the term "0 step" or "gather step". In high school there is no gather step, but if you watch closely, players often get away