Drawing A 3 Point Line Distance In The World Of Basketball

What is 3 point line distance?

Defining the 3 point line distance in a very general sense, it is an arc-shaped line drawn at a distance from the center of the basket goal at a pre-decided distance. All the goals which are shot from beyond this line take up three points. The goals made from a point within this line score two points and all the other free throws secure only one point.

In NBA, this three-point line is a system that includes three components- an arc in the center and 2 straight lines. The lines are drawn at a distance of 3 ft inwards from the sidelines and extend close to the free-throw mark. The arc intersecting the two lines is 23 ft and 9 inches away from the goal. The shortest throw from this arc would still be a 22 feet goal.

Different 3 point line distance in other basketball competitions

You might think that the three-point line is similarly distanced from the ring in all the games, well they are not. The distance varies as per the level of the competitions. Some of them are:

The arc of the 3 point line system in College level games is 20 feet 9 inches (6.32 m) away from the goal. This distance is similar across the men and women category of the NAIA and NCAA divisions.

The basketball games of High School/Middle School have a 3 point line distance of 19 feet 9 inches (6.02 m) from the goal.

The WNBA and Europe (FIBA) matches include a distance of 22 feet 2 inches (6.75 m) between the arc and the goal. This is the same case across the men category.

History of 3 point line distance

The evolution of the three-point line system took a long time. It wasn’t adopted at once, the feature has to go through a series of tests and trials before it finally got adopted in 1979-80. Before it, the rules and tactics involved in the play were very different and the players focused much on the area near the basket.

The initial phase of gaming experiment

This new feature was first put to test at the college level game between Fordham and Columbia in 1945. The line was drawn at a distance of 21 feet from the goal and this entire set-up was not made a rule. A similar experiment was carried out between the teams of Siena and St. Francis (NY) in 1958 but with a 3 point line distance of 23 feet.

Institutionalization of the rule

The rule was officially institutionalized in 1961 by the American Basketball League under the guidance of Abe Saperstein. Everyone noticed how the three-pointer goals added to the thrill of the game. Saperstein decided to go on with this three-point experiment to get an upper hand over the NBA which hasn’t yet even considered this new feature.

They kept the distance of the line at 25 feet from the goal. However, the rule couldn’t continue for long as the ABL ceased to operate in 1963. The Eastern Professional Basketball League adopted it their 1963-64 session.

The American Basketball Association gave another great push to the rule in its opening season of 1967-68. The ABA aimed at innovation with blue-white basketballs, slam-dunk games, and the new 3 point line distance. This gave competition to the zeal of the NBA and they started introspecting the possibility of introducing it to their game.

NBA decided to give it a try

The merger of ABA and NBA in 1976 still couldn’t convince the NBA to include the three-point rule in their game. They were determined to retain the true core traditions with the least flexibility. It was only after three years in 1979 when NBA decided to adopt the rule on an experimental basis for their 1979-80 season.

That year onwards, a lot of experiments were carried over the adjusting of the NBA 3 point line distance. The other associations like the NCAA and FIBA also adopted the three-point goal system with varying distances. The NBA had originally decided to keep the distance of 23 feet and 9 in which was adhered to once again after an attempted change to make it 22 ft.

The NBA 3 point line distance became increasingly popular with many players making exciting goals and victories. The 3 pointers were now deployed by many teams as important winning moves. Their frequency kept on increasing after the 1990s and turned dramatic post-2015.

Impact of 3 point line distance on the game

The introduction of this concept wasn’t very well received by the coaches and players in the initial days. It required a lot of change in the set up of the game’s rules. Other than that, the two important things that needed to be renewed were- strategy of the team and the skills of the players.

The NBA took many steps to increase the popularity of the three-pointer. The All-Star Weekend was one such event that solely focused on contesting based on 3-point goals. They also experimented with the distance to adjust the new feature into the game.

After a lot of games in different seasons, the 3 point line distance adjusted well with the players. Their physical adaptability of the players grew with time and skill set improved with better training. They learned how to shoot from a farther range and when the three-point shot was actually required.

The introduction of the 3 point line distance changed the spirit of the game in a significant way. To adjust to the requirements of this new system, the players changed their mindset and started making more attempts in the court. They did so to improve the scores and the percentage of shots.

Thus, we see that despite the coaches hating it in the beginning, the 3 point line brought the game to its current stage in many direct and indirect ways. Initially, the players would only go for three-pointers in times of score deficiency. Later, it turned out to become an important part of the overall strategy and a team’s performance.

What is the purpose of 3 point line distance?

It’s very simple to understand, the line is named according to the points that a goal will be worth. The usual field goals carry two or three points variably. When the goal is shot beyond the 3 point line distance, the team gets three points.

One of the purposes of the 3 point line is to divide the players when free throws are made. The team going to make a free throw will place three players inside the line. One of them is the shooter and the rest stay near the block to attempt a re-bound of a missed free throw.

The opponent team stations four of its players near the block line. They also gawk at the chance of re-bounding any missed free throw by the first team. All the remaining players stand outside the three-point line.

What are the rules related to the 3 point line distance?

The official rule book of the National Basketball Association has well-laid guidelines related to the 3 point line distance. The rule number five, named Scoring and Timing has a section I with the title Scoring. The article three in the section states that:

An attempt at a field goal from any point beyond the 3 point line, if successful, will incur three points to the team.

The player must have both/one foot outside the 3 point line before the goal attempt.

It's not necessary for the player to be touching the area inside the 3 point line.

The player may be touching the 3 point line area or be in the 2 point line area once the ball is thrown.

To confirm the commencing of a three-point shot, the referee extends a three-finger signal. The referee would then raise another hand with all fingers extended to confirm a successful attempt. It is important that the goal is recognized and fully reviewed.

If the shooter misses a 3 point goal because of being fouled, he/she is given 3 free throws. If the goal is successfully shot by the player despite being fouled, one free throw is the reward for the shooter. In the same situation, if the foul gets ruled as a Flagrant 1 or 2, the shooter gets two free throws.

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