Basketball is one of the most favourite game of kids and teenagers. Basketball is a game in which two teams compete. Each team has five players who shoot a basketball through an elevated hoop located on either side of the basketball court.
The standard dimensions of basketball court is 94 feet by 50 feet. The key or paint is 16 feet wide, the distance from the basket to the three-point line is 23 feet 9 inches in the NBA and FIBA. The distance from the basket to the free-throw line is 15 feet.
Some basketball players don’t know about the basketball court dimensions and markings. So, here we explain it in detail. The dimensions and the marking play an important role in the basketball court. Different basketball court have different dimension and markings.
What do you mean by basketball court? The basketball court is the place where the basketball is played. The basketball court is actually the playing surface which has a rectangular shape, and its floor is built with highly polished wood. Basketball can be played in indoors or outdoors.
Basketball Court Dimensions
The dimensions of basketball differ between the professional court and school court. Here we will draw a helpful chart for you; we write the dimensions of the basketball hoop in different organizations before we dive into more detail: –
| Ground Type | Length | Width | Free throw | 3-point line |
| NBA | 94’ | 50’ | 15’ | 23.7’ |
| FIBA | 91.8’ | 49.2’ | 15.1’ | 22.1’ |
| NCAA | 94’ | 50’ | 15’ | 22.1 |
| High School | 84’ | 50’ | 15’ | 19.7’ |
This is a summary of all the dimensions of a basketball court. We will discuss all these dimensions in detail.
Check out that the dimension of the free throw is almost the same across the board. There is also a slight difference between 3 point line too, but the dimension of 3 point line in high school is approximately 10 feet smaller as compared to the others in high school court. We will discuss all these basketball courts below in detail, slowly but surely.
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Introduction
NBA is a National Basketball Association, which is a professional basketball league in North America. NBA was founded on June 6, 1946, in the United States. This league is composed of 30 teams. The national basketball association league is one of the most premier and top-notch men’s basketball leagues.
Dimensions of NBA Court
The length of the NBA court is 94 feet, and it is 50 feet in width. The center of the basketball court is about 47 feet from the edge. The dimension of the free-throw line from the front of the backboard is 15 feet, and from the edge, it is 19 feet. Moreover, the size of the three-point line from the center of the hoop is about 23.7 feet.
Additional information
Here’s some additional information about the dimensions of the court of NBA, which we will write in bullet points. However, if you want to know that, how long is the NBA season then click here.
- The fouls line in the court of the NBA is 15 feet away from the front of the backboard and 19 feet from the baseline (edge of the basketball court).
- The restricted arc is a half-circle with a radius of 4 feet. A limited arc is appointed where players cannot draw charging fouls.
- According to NBA rules and regulations, the size of the backboard must be 72” in width and 42” in height. And the diameter of the rim must be 18”, and its height from the ground is 10 feet.
International Amateur Basketball Federation (FIBA)
Introduction
FIBA is an association of national organizations which heads the basketball game all over the world. This federation was founded on June 18, 1932. The current president of FIBA is Hamane Niang.
Dimensions of FIBA court
The dimension of the FIBA court slightly change from the dimensions of the NBA. The FIBA court is 91.8 feet in length and 49.2 feet in width. If we talk about the size free through-line from the front of the backboard, it is 15.09 feet, and from the edge, its size is about 19 feet. The 3-point line is about 22.1 feet away from the centre of the hoop.
Additional information
Usually, the dimensions of the FIBA court is measured in meters instead of foot or inches. FIBA is an international association; that’s why the distance of the basketball court is measured in meters because the standard international unit for distance is meter (m). However, if we discuss the dimensions of the FIBA basketball court in meters then, it is about 28 meters in length and 15 meters in width.
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Introduction
An NCAA is also known as a college basketball association. NCAA governs college basketball in the United States. This association was founded in 1978. There are 68 teams in the league of the NCAA.
Dimensions of NCAA court
The NCAA basketball court is 94 feet in length, and its width is about 50 feet. If we measure the centre of the court from the baseline then, it is about 47 feet. The free-throw line is 19 feet away from the baseline and 15 feet away from the front of the backboard. The size of the 3-point line of the NCAA is slightly different from the size of the NBA. Its size is about 22.1 feet from the centre of the hoop.
Additional information
The dimensions of the NCAA basketball court is almost the same as the dimensions of NBA and FIBA. Whereas, the dimension of 3-point line is slightly different from the dimension of the NBA. There is a difference of about a foot and a half, which may create difficulty for new players if they get used to shooting in the NCAA basketball court and suddenly move to the NBA court. But it is not arduous for professional players.
High School Basketball Court
Introduction
The high school basketball court is a training centre for newbies and junior basketball players. The dimensions of high school basketball court is different from the dimension of NBA, FIBA, and NCAA basketball courts.
Dimensions of High School Basketball Court
The length of the high school basketball court is about 84 feet, and its width is about 50 feet. The size from the centre of the court to the baseline is about 42 feet.
The free-throw line is about 15 feet away from the front of the backboard and 19 feet away from the edge of the court. The 3 point shooting line is about 19.7 feet away from the centre of the rim.
Additional information
The biggest difference is that the size of the high school basketball court is about 10 feet smaller as compared to the other basketball courts. However, the free-throw line is the same in all the basketball courts, about 15 feet.
If we talk about the 3-point shooting line of the high school basketball court, then it is about 19.7 feet which is too much shorter as compared to the other courts.
The three-point line is significantly closer to the hoop because of the small length of a basketball court. But it allows the beginner players to make shots from the 3-point line with much ease.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Q 1. What is a basketball court?
Answer: – Basketball court is a rectangular place where players play a basketball game. The basketball court is usually made up of highly polished wood.
Q 2. What are the sizes of basketball courts in meters?
Answer: – The size of the basketball courts of the NBA and NCAA are almost the same. Both of them are 94 feet long and 50 feet wide which means that the length of the basketball court is 28.65 meters, and its width is about 15.2 meters.
Q 3. What is the height of a basketball hoop in Basketball leagues?
Answer: – According to NBA, NCAA, FIBA, and High school basketball court, the height of the rim is about 10 feet from the ground. However, the diameter of the rim is about 18 inches. The basketball rim is also referred to as a hoop or basket.
Q 4. What is the size of the backboard?
Answer: – The backboard, which is overtly used in NBA, NCAA, FIBA, and High school basketball courts, has a size of 72 inches in length and 42 inches in width.
However, many types of backboards come in different sizes are available in the market. The most common size is 44, 48, 52, 54, and 60 inches.
Q 5. What type of business is the NBA?
Answer: – National Basketball Association (NBA) is a league of 30 teams that deals with the basketball game
Q 6. How long is a free throw?
Answer: – According to the rules and regulations of the NBA, the player must release a basketball within 10 seconds after receiving the ball from the referee.
Q 7. Can you dunk a free throw?
Answer: – Absolutely NO, you cannot dunk a free throw. There are some rules in NBA that you cannot cross the free-throw line until basketball hits the rim.
Q 8. Do NBA players play in FIBA?
Answer: – Yes, NBA players can play in the FIBA league.
Q 9. What is the NCAA eligibility centre?
Answer: – The NCAA eligibility centre allows college athletes to play sports at NCAA Division I or II institutions.
Q 10: – what is the difference between frontcourt and backcourt?
Answer: – The complete basketball court is divided into two parts which are frontcourt and backcourt. The frontcourt is considered the one half of the whole basketball court, which starts from the baseline to the midpoint of a basketball court. However, the backcourt is another half of the basketball court. This thing signifies that one’s team frontcourt is the backcourt for another
Q11. What are the markings on a basketball court?
Answer: Basketball is a game that is played on a court, and the court has many markings. There are two lines that run parallel to each other, and they are called the end lines. The end line closest to where the players enter is called the baseline.
The other end line is called the free throw line. Between these two lines is an area known as the key. The key is bounded by two semicircles drawn from each corner of the court.
Q12. What are the standard dimensions of a basketball court?
Answer: The standard dimensions of a basketball court are 94 feet by 50 feet.
Q13. How wide is the key on a basketball court?
Answer: The key, also known as the paint or the lane, is 16 feet wide.
Q14. How far is the three-point line from the basket?
Answer: The distance from the basket to the three-point line varies depending on the level of play. In the NBA and FIBA, the distance is 23 feet 9 inches from the center of the basket. In college and high school, the distance is typically shorter, at 20 feet 9 inches.
Q15. What is the distance from the basket to the free-throw line?
Answer: The distance from the basket to the free-throw line is 15 feet.
Q16. Are there any other markings on a basketball court?
Answer: Yes, there are several other markings on a basketball court, including the sideline and baseline, the half-court line, and the circle around the free-throw line. Additionally, there may be markings for the team benches, coaching boxes, and the media area.
Q17. Is the court always the same color?
Answer: No, the color of the court can vary, but it is usually a light color such as a light beige or light gray.
CONCLUSION
Most people do not understand the basketball lines and markings. That’s why we write a complete article on basketball court dimensions and markings, which makes it easier for those who confused about it and for those who want to make their own basketball court. We hope that you will find much to learn in this article.