In basketball, a stretch four (sometimes called a stretch big) is a player at the power forward position that can shoot farther from the basket than a conventional power forward. "Stretch" describes the effect that such a player has on the opposition's defense, and the power forward position is also known as the "four"; hence "stretch four". The stretch four is a fairly recent innovation in the NBA (with an "explosion"[1] of players coming through since the 1999–2000 season),[2] but is still becoming increasingly common in today's game, as many NBA coaches now use the "small-ball" line-up/tactical play.[3]