Development of movement competence has been identified as an important outcome of quality physical education programs (Darst & Pangrazi, 2002; NASPE, 2004). One assumption is that individuals will participate in physical activities more if they are competent in the motor skills of the activities. However, we still do not know what level of skill is needed for continuous participation in an activity, and the professionals have called for more research on the levels of skills among the regular participants (Rink & Stewart, 2003). Thus, the purpose of this study was to describe performance patterns of basketball game play among regular basketball pick-up game participants. One hundred and twelve adults who played pick-up basketball games during leisure time were initially recruited to participate in the study. By using a survey, 65 players including three females were identified as regular players who played pick-up games at least once and had a cumulative time of no fewer than 40 minutes per week at least for one year. Forty-eight percent of the participants have played pick-up games for more than ten years. The participants were recruited from basketball courts located in two parks, two universities, one church, and one large enterprise in three different cities in central California. All participants were required to play a 4 on 4 game or a 5 on 5 game for 15 minutes. The data were collected at different periods of daytime during weekdays and weekends. Participants' performances in the game were videotaped and coded. The reliability of the data was examined and the interrater agreement of the performance indicators in the basic skills and the offensive and defensive tactics ranged from 87.8% to 96.5%. Results indicated that the basic skills that the participants mostly used in the games included chest pass (84.6%), overhead pass (61.5%), bounce pass (56.9%), forward dribble (91.6%), change-of-pace dribble (41.5%), crossover dribble (36.9%), jump shot (70.8%), set shot (61.5%), and layup (41.5%). Additionally, the offensive tactics that the participants largely used were straight cut (63.1%), straight drive and layup (50.8%), and setting screen (38.5%). The most used defensive tactics included pressuring the players with the ball (81.5%), intended steals (83.1%), and intended blocks (70.8%). The findings of the study may help physical educators understand the minimum level of skills necessary to maintain participation in playing pick-up basketball games, and thus better develop the curriculum and set appropriate expectations for teaching basketball skills and tactics.Keyword(s): adult physical activity/fitness, curriculum, motor skills