Question

the lines on a basketball are meant to help blank grip the ball. players players ... (b) fill in the blank with the correct word.

Explanation:

We need to choose the correct possessive form to show that the grip is for the players (plural) in a possessive sense. "players'" is the plural possessive form, meaning belonging to the players. "player's" is singular possessive, and we need to refer to multiple players (since basketball is played by multiple players) having the grip help.

Answer:

players'