Basketball is a game that is played on a rectangular court. It can be played indoors or outdoors, and the court itself is often used for conditioning drills. And speaking of conditioning drills, if you want to be precise about running laps, it would also be best to know the exact measurements of the basketball court in yards or in other units of measurement. So, do you know how many yards is a basketball court?
Before we answer that question, let us see the standard basketball court dimensions used in high school and college competitions. In addition, let us see the professional leagues such as the NBA and WNBA.
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How Long is a Basketball Court?
The length and dimensions of a basketball court depend on the level of competition. For example, in high school basketball competitions, the basketball court’s standard dimensions are 84 feet by 50 feet. In junior high school, the basketball court measures 74 feet long and 42 feet wide.
The free-throw line, or the foul line, measures 15 feet from the front of the backboard, and 18 feet and 10 inches from the baseline. The key or the lane in a high school basketball court is typically 12 feet in width. The backboard may extend four feet over the baseline and into the key and an arc six feet in length that runs from the free-throw line, completing the lane.
The three-point line in high school also differs from college and the NBA. It is typically 19 feet and nine inches at its widest point. Junior high schools generally use the same dimensions.
How Long is an NCAA College Basketball?
In college, a basketball court measures 94 feet long and 50 feet wide. The free-throw line (or foul line) is the same as in high school and professional courts at 15 feet from the front of the backboard and 18 feet and 10 inches from the baseline.
The lane or the paint is also similar in dimensions to high school basketball. It has a width of 12 feet, with the backboard extending four feet over the baseline in the direction of the key. To complete the lane or key, a six-foot arc extends from the foul line.
It is the distance of the three-point arc that differs from high school basketball. That distance measures 20.75 feet or 20 feet and 9 inches, having a restricted area with a radius of three feet from the center of the basket. A restricted area is a place underneath the basket where a defensive player cannot draw charges. In order to draw a charge, the defensive player must establish his feet outside the restricted area.
What’s the Official Size of NBA Basketball Court?
An NBA basketball court (as well as the WNBA) has a dimension of 94 feet by 50 feet, the same as the standard NCAA basketball court. Similar to the other basketball court mentioned above, the free-throw line is 15 feet away from the front of the backboard and 18 feet and 10 inches from the baseline.
The differences are the measurements of the key, the distance of the arc or the three-point line, and the size of the restricted area. Instead of 12 feet, the key or paint in the NBA is 16 feet wide, with the backboard extending four feet over the baseline to the direction of the key. A six-foot arc (or semi-circle) runs away from the free-throw line from the basket to complete the lane.
There is a 22-foot three-point line, which is significantly longer than those used in high school and college basketball. The line that extends from the baseline to the end of the three-point arc is 16 feet and nine inches. The restricted area has a radius of four feet from the center of the basket instead of three feet in college basketball.
Regardless of the level of basketball play, the hoop’s standard distance from the floor is 10 feet. The backboard is also similar across all levels, 72 inches in width and 42 inches in length. The diameter of the hoop is 18 inches, and the inner backboard square measures 24 inches or 18 inches. The lines on the court are usually two inches wide, although there is no standard rule on the colors of the line.
To the three-point line, WNBA courts are very similar to NBA courts. The WNBA uses the FIBA measurement, which is at 22.15 feet or 22 feet and 2 inches.
How to Calculate the Basketball Court in Yards
In knowing how to calculate the basketball court in yards or in other units of measurement, the most important thing to know is how to convert between these units. Since “foot” is primarily used as the unit of measure in basketball courts, it is imperative to understand how to convert “foot” to “yards.”
In general, one foot is equal to ⅓ or 0.33333 yards. Since a high school basketball court is 84 feet by 50 feet, those numbers will simply be (84 x ⅓) by (50x ⅓) or 28 yards by 16.67 yards.
In calculating the dimensions of an NCAA and NBA basketball court in yards, convert 94 feet and 50 feet by multiplying each by ⅓. Hence, college and professional basketball courts measure 31.3 yards by 16.67 yards.
If you want to know the dimensions of a basketball court in inches, then use the conversion 1 foot is equal to 12 inches. That means you merely have to multiply the measurements in feet by 12 to find the basketball court measurements in inches. So, a high school basketball court that is 84 feet in length and 50 feet in width is 1,008 inches in length and 600 inches in width. An NCAA and NBA court measures 1,128 inches in length and 600 inches in width.
A Brief History of the 10-foot Hoop and the Three-Point Line
If you have previously wondered why the height of the basketball hoop is 10 feet, it’s not really rocket science. The answer is not about human anatomy and the game’s mechanics. Instead, it is merely because of what was there when Dr. James Naismith invented the game.
When Naismith thought about inventing a new game, the railings where he chose to hang the peach basketball were 10 feet off the ground. Therefore, there really was no forethought about the height of the hoop. The game of basketball has evolved so much since the day it was invented in Springfield, but the one thing that remained was the 10-foot hoop.
If there was absolutely no deliberation about the height of the hoop, that is not the case when it comes to the three-point line. The three-point line first appeared in 1961 by the American Basketball League. It was invented to increase excitement and scoring, but since the ABL folded in one and a half seasons, the idea never had the chance to take off.
The second professional basketball league that adopted the three-point line was the American Basketball Association. It was a success, but when the ABA merged with the NBA, the decision-makers did not support having a three-point line and stubbornly refused to implement it. It was not until three years later, in the 1979-80 season, that it was introduced in the NBA.
After the NBA, college basketball adopted it in 1986, and high school basketball followed suit in 1987. Interestingly, the NBA tried to move the three-point line from 23 feet and nine inches to a uniform 22 feet from 1994 to 1997. Obviously, that did not last, but a four-point line or spot was possibly considered, but right now, that pretty extreme idea is only implemented in the Big 3 league.
Wrapping Things Up: How Many Yards is a Basketball Court
A high basketball court has standard dimensions of 84 feet by 50 feet, while NCAA and NBA basketball courts measure 94 feet in length and 50 feet in width.
There are a few key differences between high school and college/professional basketball courts, such as the width of the lane, the length of the three-point line, and the size of the restricted area. Other than that, they are all pretty similar.
Basketball dimensions are usually measured in feet. So, what if you want to know how many yards is a basketball court? Just multiply feet by ⅓ or 0.33333 since one foot is equal to 0.33333 or ⅓ yard. Therefore, a high school basketball court measuring 84 feet by 50 feet is 28 yards by 16.67 yards. All it needs is basic mathematics that involves the conversion of units and basic arithmetic.