What are the dimensions of a basketball court?

The first thing that strikes about the basketball court layout is the sheer amount of lines on their! There are circles, semicircles and some very questionable little dashes. Also, the distances can be complicated in themselves! This is confusing to the best of us so I hope to simplify things in this article:

General facts

For starters, there are two different types of basketball court; indoor and outdoor. The indoor basketball courts are made of wood generally and outdoor basketball floors tend to be concrete or asphalt. Size of a basketball court:
Around the world there are different measurements for basketball courts. For example the NBA courts are a slightly different size to the FIBA (basketball’s world governing body) courts. How big is a basketball court?
NBA courts are 94 ft long and 50 ft wide (28.65 metres x 15.24 metres) and FIBA courts are 91.86 ft long and 49.21 ft wide (28 metres x 15 metres). So, the length of a basketball court varies but has the same rough basketball court dimensions.

The specifics

So, what are the more specific basketball dimensions? The centre circle for a basketball court is around 12 feet (7.35 metres) in diameter with the semi-circle at either end of the court nearly 21 feet in diameter, normally known as the three point line as shots made from beyond it are awarded three points. In terms of the basket itself, the basketball hoop height is around 10 feet from the ground (just over 3 metres). Next to the basket lies an area known as “the paint” this is similar to the penalty box in football however, unlike football, there is a rule saying that players are only allowed to spend three seconds in there. This paint is shaped like a trapeze, with a length of 16 feet (4.88 metres), between free throw and end line, and 8 feet (2.44 metres) wide at the base. A key measurement of the basketball court is how far the free throw line is away from the basketball board. Players take shots from the free throw line after they have been fouled in the act of taking a shot. The free throw line stands at a distance of 15 feet (4.6 metres) from the basket. This is a tough distance when you’re not allowed to jump to take the shot! Your feet have to planted squarely on the ground when shooting the ball. So, basketball court dimensions are complicated but once broken down, you can get your head round them even without a basketball court diagram.