How long is a basketball court – High school, college and NBA court size dimensions.
Basketball is a team sport, that is one of the most popular and widely discussed games around the world.
Before heading to know how long is a basketball court need to know a few things first-
What is a basketball court?
The basketball court is a wide rectangular playground, with baskets at each end.
Depending on the level of play, there are some differences between the size of the basketball court. The materials to make the courts are also different. For indoor court, it is usually made of polished woods, and for outdoor court, it is usually made of concrete. The court is a flat, hard surface that is free from obstacles, measuring 20 meters(94 feet) long and 15 meters(50 feet) wide, from the inner edge of the borderline. The backcourt is the part where the basketball hoop is placed. This part of the court is the team’s own basket, the inner part of the Backboard, and the playing court limited by their own line, sideline, and centerline.
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Basketball court dimensions
Based on the level of play basketball dimensions has variation.
Courts sizes:
- In the NBA, the court size is 28.7 by 15.2 meters (94 by 50 feet)
- In the FIBA, the court is a bit smaller than other courts, measuring 28 by 15 meters (91.9 by 49.2 feet)
- In high school basketball, the court sizes are wide, and the basket is 10 feet from the floor.
The three-point arc:
Both baskets have a three-point arc on the basketball court.
- In the NBA games, the three arcs are 22 ft.in the middle of the rim, extending 16 ft. 9 inches from the baseline and past these points extend 23 ft. 9 inches from the center of the rim.
- In the case of man and women basketball, the three-line arc is 22.9 inches.
- And in high school basketball 19.9 inches.
The Free throw line:
The free-throw line is 2 inches wide line where a foul shot is taken; it is located within a three-point arc 15 feet away from the Backboard.
The lane:
There is a difference between the NBA and college/high school lane:
- In NBA Basketball, the lane is 16 ft. wide
- In college/high school basketball the lane is 12 ft. wide
The frontcourt, Backboard and hoop
The whole court is divided by two half courts. Regulation frontcourt and backboards are 6 ft. Wide and 42 inches tall. Frontcourt and backcourt sizes are the same. One team’s backcourt is another team’s frontcourt. The inside of the Backboard is 24 inches wide by 18 inches tall.
All the basketball hoops are 18 inches in diameter and The basketball hoop height is 10 feet or 3.048 meters.
Points
The point distribution part is the most attraction of the play. If a shot is made from back of the three-point arc is worth three-point; if a foul is made it is worth one points if a player’s foot touches the line or a shot is made from one of these lines is worth two points while playing, a shot is made from the foul line, it is worth two points. Now let’s see the comparisons of how long is a basketball court in various dimensions:
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High school basketball court dimensions:
Generally, the basketball court for high school is the same as at the collegiate and professional levels. The court is a bit smaller though for high school. All high school basketball game leagues around the world use this dimension.
1. The court size of these basketball games is 84 ft. By 50ft. Wide.
2. Like most of the games, the High school basketball free-throw line is also 15 inches from the Backboard.
3. The free throw lane made for these games is also 12 inches wide.
4 But the basketball rim of the hoop for this game is 10 ft, high from the ground.
5. And the inner Backboard is 72 inches by 42 inches.
6. The rim is 6 inches from the Backboard and18 inches in the diameter.
7. And the other lines like the 3-point line, the center circle are also the same, of 19 ft. And 9 inches and 6 ft.
College basketball court dimensions
The college basketball court is similar to high school basketball in so many ways.
1. The size of a college basketball court is 94 ft. Long and 50 ft. Wide.
2. Same as the high school court, the lines like free throw line or the foul line are also 15 inches far from the Backboard.
3. The lane or key is also 12 ft. wide for a college basketball court.
4. The Backboard widens 4 ft inside the key or lane and over the baseline.
5. Then there’s a 6 ft—arc which runs from the foul line too far from the basket to complete the lane.
6. And the 3-point lane, it measures 20 ft. 9 inches.
7. These courts also have a restricted area of .091 m or 3 feet from the basket center.
NBA basketball court dimensions
NBA professional basketball games area little different from the high school and college basketball. But the overall court dimension is not that different-
1. For the professional NBA court, the size is 94 feet long and 50 feet wide.
2. Same as like the high school and the college basketball court, the foul or free throw line here is also 15 inches from the Backboard.
3. The key or lane for NBA basketball is rather different from the above two courts. It measures 16 feet wide.
4. The Backboard extends out up to 4 feet over baseline to the key.
5. The arc is 6 feet away from the basket to the foul line to complete the lane.
6. The 3-point line in this court is also different from other courts as it is to the hoop center 22 ft. Long and 16 ft. 9 inches from the baseline.
7. Past these points, the line runs from the center of the hoop to 23 ft. 9”.
8. The arc that is restricted has a four ft—radius from the basket center.
Basketball half-court dimensions
The basketball half-court games are played with only one hoop. Usually, it is played when there are a few players, and you don’t need any professional court to play.
1. In these games, full-length basketball courts are divided into half.
2. The width is the same, but the height is cuthalf from the original court.
3. For the youth games, the half-court is 37 ft. By 42 ft.
4. But for a high school game, the half-court is 42 ft. By 50 ft.
5. Half-court games played in college has a dimension of 47 ft by 50 ft.
6. If the game played in an international court has the dimension of 52 feet by 31 feet.
7. The half-court game has one hoop, one free throw line, and one three-point arc line.
8. The free-throw line is 15 feet.
9. The three-point arc is 19.75 feet from the center of the basket for high school and women’s college courts.
10. On the other hand, in men’s college courts, the three-point line is 20.75 feet from the middle of the basket.
Final words
Basketball is a wonderful game, and it has huge popularity around the world. This game has a few categories based on the level of play. And the court dimensions are also different in each category. So, the most asked question is how long is a basketball court, and we can see from the above details that it is a changeable game.