How Long Is the NBA 3 Point Line?
Contents
- The NBA 3 point line has been in effect since the 1979-1980 season
- The line was originally 22 feet in the corners and 23 feet, 9 inches everywhere else
- The line was moved back to the current distance of 22 feet in the corners and 23 feet, 9 inches everywhere else in the 2008-2009 season
- The current distance of the NBA 3 point line is 22 feet in the corners and 23 feet, 9 inches everywhere else
The NBA 3 point line is 23 feet 9 inches from the basket at the corners and 22 feet in the middle of the court.
The NBA 3 point line has been in effect since the 1979-1980 season
The NBA 3 point line has been in effect since the 1979-1980 season. The length of the line has been 22 feet from the hoop in the corners, and 23 feet, 9 inches from the hoop at the top of the key.
In the 1996-1997 season, the NBA lengthened the 3 point line to a uniform distance of 22 feet all around the perimeter. This change was made in an effort to decrease the number of 3 point shots being taken, as well as to make for a more aesthetically pleasing game.
Despite these efforts, the number of 3 point shots attempted has only continued to increase, and currently stands at an all-time high. In the 2014-2015 season, teams averaged 20.4 3 point attempts per game, up from 18.3 in 2013-2014 and 17.3 in 2012-2013.
The line was originally 22 feet in the corners and 23 feet, 9 inches everywhere else
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the 3-point line is the line that separates the two-point area from the three-point area. The three-point line is marked at a distance of 23 feet, 9 inches (7.24 m) from the baselines in all corners of the court; in most games, it is also delineated at a distance of 21 feet (6.40 m) from each sideline.
The NBA first introduced the 3-point line in the 1979–80 season as a means to increase scoring; indeed, immediately after its introduction, league scoring jumped by over 5 points per game on average. It has since been used as a key tool to create more balanced and exciting gameplay, as well as providing more opportunities for player differentiation — particularly for shooting guards and small forwards, who tend to specialize in long-range shooting.
Today, shot selection in the NBA has evolved such that threes are often chosen over mid-range jumpers or layups; in fact, threes have become so prevalent that some analysts have derisively dubbed contemporary NBA play “3 Happy” basketball.
The line was moved back to the current distance of 22 feet in the corners and 23 feet, 9 inches everywhere else in the 2008-2009 season
The NBA 3 point line is located 23 feet, 9 inches away from the basketball hoop at all points on the court except for the corners. In the corners, the 3 point line sits 20 feet, 9 inches away from the hoop.
This distance has been in place since the 2008-2009 NBA season when it was moved back from the previous distance of 22 feet all around the court. The old distance was used from the 1994-1995 season until the 2007-2008 season.
The 3 point line was first introduced during the 1979-1980 NBA season when it was placed 22 feet away from the hoop at all points on the court. This distance was used until the 1984-1985 season when it was moved back to 23 feet, 9 inches everywhere except for in the corners where it remained 22 feet away. The current distance has been in place since then.
The current distance of the NBA 3 point line is 22 feet in the corners and 23 feet, 9 inches everywhere else
The 3-point line in the NBA has been moved back once before in history. From the 1994-1995 season to the 1997-1998 season, the NBA moved the 3-point line back one foot to a uniform distance of 22 feet all the way around the perimeter. This caused a significant decrease in the number of 3-pointers attempted and made scoring overall harder. After seeing that teams were shooting fewer threes and that scoring had become more difficult, they moved it back in before the start of the 1998-1999 season.
