If a player bats the ball to the floor and catches it to start a dribble, is it legal?

In basketball, the rules specify how a player may initiate a dribble. A dribble must start with the player either dribbling the ball directly from their hand or receiving the ball from a pass or another legal situation. If a player bats the ball to the floor and then catches it, they have not initiated a legal dribble. Instead, this action is classified as an illegal dribble because the player has already gained possession of the ball before attempting to dribble, violating the requirement that the dribble must start from the action of the ball being released from their hand. Thus, even though the player may catch the ball after contacting it with their hand, the sequence does not comply with the established dribbling rules, making it illegal.