How it works
Pick a league and the board draws the court to scale, with lanes, circles, lines and rims, then lists every measurement in feet and inches and in metres. The choices are the NBA, NCAA (men and women), high school under NFHS rules, FIBA, and three youth courts from the USA Basketball and NBA Youth Guidelines.
Basketball court dimensions follow two conventions. Three-point distances are measured from the centre of the basket, not the front of the rim, and the 2 in (5 cm) lines count as part of the court. FIBA courts are defined in metres and converted, which is why the FIBA rim reads 10 ft 0 1/8 in: the same rim, with a rounded metric number.
Basketball court dimensions by league
| Measurement | NBA | NCAA | High school (NFHS) | FIBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 94 ft (28.65 m) | 94 ft (28.65 m) | 84 ft (25.60 m) | 28 m (91 ft 10 3/8 in) |
| Width | 50 ft (15.24 m) | 50 ft (15.24 m) | 50 ft (15.24 m) | 15 m (49 ft 2 1/2 in) |
| Rim height | 10 ft (3.05 m) | 10 ft | 10 ft | 3.05 m |
| Three-point line, top of the arc | 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m) | 22 ft 1 3/4 in (6.75 m) | 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) | 6.75 m |
| Three-point line, corners | 22 ft (6.71 m) | 21 ft 7 7/8 in (6.60 m) | Same as the arc | 6.60 m |
| Lane width | 16 ft (4.88 m) | 12 ft (3.66 m) | 12 ft (3.66 m) | 4.9 m (16 ft 0 7/8 in) |
| Free throw line to backboard | 15 ft (4.57 m) | 15 ft | 15 ft | 4.6 m (15 ft 1 1/8 in) |
The NBA and FIBA boards also draw the restricted area arc under each basket: 4 ft (1.22 m) and 1.25 m.
How long is a basketball court, and how big in metres?
NBA and NCAA courts are 94 × 50 ft, or 28.65 × 15.24 m. High school courts are 84 × 50 ft (25.60 × 15.24 m). A FIBA court is 28 × 15 m, which is 91 ft 10 3/8 in by 49 ft 2 1/2 in: a little over 2 ft shorter than an NBA floor and about 9 1/2 in narrower. By area that is 4,700 sq ft (about 437 m²) for the NBA, 4,200 sq ft (about 390 m²) for high school and exactly 420 m² for FIBA.
Youth courts shrink with the players: 84 × 50 ft (or 94 × 50 ft) for ages 12 to 14, 74 × 50 ft for 9 to 11, and 50 × 42 ft for 7 and 8, laid across a full-size floor.
Three-point line, lane, free throw line and rim
The NBA three-point line is 23 ft 9 in at the top of the arc and 22 ft in the corners. College basketball uses 22 ft 1 3/4 in and 21 ft 7 7/8 in, the same as FIBA's 6.75 m and 6.6 m (men since the 2019-20 season, women since 2021-22). The high school line is 19 ft 9 in all the way round.
The NBA lane is 16 ft wide and the FIBA lane 4.9 m, a hair over 16 ft. College and high school lanes are 12 ft, as the NBA's was until the mid-1960s.
The free throw line is 15 ft from the face of the backboard and 19 ft from the baseline. The centre of the basket sits 5 ft 3 in out from the baseline, so a free throw is 13 ft 9 in from the middle of the rim. FIBA puts the line 4.6 m from the backboard, and youth courts for ages 7 to 11 bring it in to 14 ft.
The rim is 10 ft (3.05 m) from age 12 up, 9 ft for ages 9 to 11 and 8 ft for 7 and 8. The basketball size by age tool matches each age to its rim and ball.
Worked example: why the NBA corner three is shorter
The court is 50 ft wide, so the basket sits 25 ft from each sideline. Carry the 23 ft 9 in arc all the way down and, because the basket is 5 ft 3 in in from the baseline, it would meet the baseline about 23 ft 2 in to the side. That leaves less than 2 ft to the sideline, too tight for a shooter to stand behind the line.
So near each baseline the line runs straight, parallel to the sideline, 22 ft from the centre of the basket and 3 ft inside the sideline, until it meets the arc about 14 ft up the floor. Every shot from that strip is 22 ft against 23 ft 9 in at the top: 1 ft 9 in, or 53 cm, shorter.
Switch the board to NCAA or FIBA and the squeeze is smaller. Their arc is shorter, so the corners only come in to 21 ft 7 7/8 in (6.6 m), a difference of 5 7/8 in (15 cm). The longest arc on the same 50 ft floor gives the NBA the biggest corner discount, and the corner three, explained shows what teams did with it.
How much space a backyard half court needs
A half court is half the length at full width: 47 × 50 ft on NBA or college lines, 42 × 50 ft on high school lines, 14 × 15 m under FIBA. Most home courts are smaller, and what matters most is depth from the baseline:
- Free throw line: 19 ft.
- High school three, top of the arc: 25 ft (5 ft 3 in to the basket plus 19 ft 9 in), and 39 ft 6 in from side to side.
- NBA three, top of the arc: 29 ft.
Leave a few feet of run-off on every side, and room behind the baseline for the hoop's post.
Limits
- The diagram leaves out lane space marks, hash marks, coaching boxes and bench areas.
- Real gyms vary. Many school floors are short, and older courts often carry several sets of lines.
- Rulebooks change. Check the current book for your level before you paint.
Sources
- NBA Official Rules: court dimensions.
- NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Rules.
- NFHS Basketball Rules Book.
- FIBA Official Basketball Rules: playing court.
- USA Basketball and NBA Youth Basketball Guidelines: youth courts.
FAQ
Is an NBA court bigger than a FIBA court?
Slightly. An NBA court is 94 × 50 ft (4,700 sq ft); a FIBA court is 28 × 15 m, about 4,520 sq ft.
What are high school basketball court dimensions?
84 × 50 ft under NFHS rules, with a 10 ft rim, a 12 ft lane, a free throw line 15 ft from the backboard and a 19 ft 9 in three-point line.
How far is the free throw line from the basket?
15 ft from the face of the backboard, or 13 ft 9 in from the centre of the rim. FIBA uses 4.6 m.
How wide is the lane?
16 ft (4.88 m) in the NBA, 4.9 m under FIBA rules and 12 ft (3.66 m) in college and high school. For what else to watch on TV, see how to read a basketball game.
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