Basketball players come in all sizes, and so do the courts they play on. Have you ever wondered how much of a difference there was between the dimensions of your old junior high school court and the court used for the NCAA Finals?
Or what is the difference between NBA courts and the ones used for international basketball competitions like the Olympics?
We’re going to give you the answers to those questions and others. Read on for a look at the world of basketball court dimensions
What are the Court Dimensions in the NBA?
If an NBA basketball court seems far larger than the one at your old high school, it’s not your imagination. An official NBA court measures a whopping 94 feet in length. The half court line is, of course, at 47 feet. From side to side, the court is 50 feet.
The 3-point line isn’t a consistent distance from the hoop. At the top of its arc, it is 23 feet and 9 inches away from the center of the basket. However, near the sideline, it’s only 22 feet. It’s interesting to note that the 3-point line isn’t measured from the front of the hoop but from its center.
The free throw line is 15 feet from the backboard. Notice that we said backboard. Most people mistakenly think that the foul line is measured from the front of the rim.
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The key is 14 feet wide. The free-throw line intersects a 12-foot-diameter circle that extends six feet into the key and forms the outer edge, extending six feet outside the free-throw lane to form the top. The NBA has a restricted area underneath the basket defined by a four-foot half circle or arc.
There are three complete circles marked on the court. There’s one at halfcourt and one at the top of either key. All three have a diameter of 12 feet.
Where do you place the backboard? An often-overlooked aspect of basketball court dimensions is the location of the backboard. It has to be four feet from the baseline.
Standardized Basketball Court Dimensions Beyond the NBA
The backboard itself is three and a half feet tall and six feet wide. Its sweet spot target for bank shots is a foot and a half tall by two feet wide. These are the accepted standard measurements for a regulated-sized backboard.
Other basketball measurements are also universal. They’re used by the NBA, WNBA, FIBA, NCAA, high schools, and junior high schools.
These standardized dimensions include the height of the basketball rim from the floor: 10 feet. The diameter of the hoop is also standardized: 18 inches at all levels of play.
What are the Court Dimensions in WNBA?
The WNBA competes on courts with the same basic dimensions as the NBA. The exception is the 3-point line. While the distance from the corners is the same as that in the NBA at 22 feet, the straightaway distance is different. Instead of the NBA’s 23.75 feet, the WNBA chose 22.15 feet.
What are the Court Dimensions in College Basketball?
In college basketball, the men shoot 3-pointers from a shorter distance than their professional counterparts in the United States. They shoot from the international line, 21.65 feet from the corners and 22.65 feet at its farthest.
College men’s teams also fight for rebounds in a tighter key. The college key is only 12 feet wide compared to the NBA’s 16 feet wide.
NCAA Women
Women’s college teams have a 3-point line that’s a consistent 20.75 feet from the center of the hoop. Their key is the same size as that of collegiate men at 12 feet.
What are the Court Dimensions in FIBA?
The court dimensions for international basketball (FIBA) are nearly identical to those of the NBA. The slight discrepancies lie in the international use of the metric system. The international dimensions are set closer to logical percentages of the meter, so they will tend to be slightly shorter or longer than the NBA standard.
For example, the international court’s length is 28 meters, which is 91.86 feet short of the NBA’s 94 feet. Its width is 15 meters (91.86 feet).
The key is also larger than the NBA version, but only barely. It’s 4.9 meters (16.08 feet), while the NBA key is an even 16 feet.
The restricted arc beneath the basket is just a hair larger on the international court. It measures 1.25 meters (4.10 feet) compared to the NBA’s four feet.
The 3-point line internationally is 6.60 meters (21.65 feet) from the side and 6.75 meters (22.15 feet) at its farthest. Meanwhile, the free-throw line is 4.6 meters (15.09) from the backboard.
What are the Court Dimensions in High School?
High school basketball courts are smaller than those in college and the pros. They’re only 84 feet long. However, they’re the same width as NBA courts at 50 feet.
The high school 3-point line isn’t much closer than the NCAA 3-point line. The high school line is 19.75 feet away, while the college line is set at 20.75 feet.
High school players shoot free throws from the same distance as pros: 15 feet. But the key is only 12 feet wide. That’s four feet narrower than the NBA standard but identical to the NCAA model.
What are the Court Dimensions in Junior High School?
In Junior High School, basketball courts are notably smaller than professional courts. Junior high players compete on a surface that’s only 74 feet long and narrower than most other competitive courts, measuring only 42 feet.
Although the basketball court is smaller than high school courts, the 3-point lines are identical. Both are 19.75 feet from the center of the basketball hoop. That means that junior high schoolers are hitting 3-pointers that are only one foot shorter than their collegiate counterparts.
The junior high school free-throw line is set at 15 feet, the same distance as the college level and the pros.
The key in junior high school is 12 feet wide, which is the same as that in high school and the NCAA.
All basketball courts aren’t created equal. They vary depending on the level of play.
Now you can understand why it’s impressive for a high school graduate to skip the NCAA, go straight to the NBA, and be competitive. You can also now see why players in the NBA and FIBA have little trouble playing on each other’s courts.
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