Instead, the three-point line runs in a straight line from the baseline out 16 feet, nine inches, at which point the line begins to curve. The arc isn’t a perfect circle because it would run out of bounds on the sides of the court. Outside the key, the three-point line forms an imperfect arc stretching one side of the baseline to the other.
Basketball court free#
Along both sides of the key, lines are drawn three feet apart to create the standing positions for other players during a free throw attempt, starting with a box that is seven feet from the baseline and one foot wide. If a defender is inside this semicircle, he cannot draw a charging foul.
![basketball court basketball court](https://www.sportcourtnortherncalifornia.com/wp-content/uploads/Residential-Backyard-Sport-Court-Basketball-Sacramento-California-1.jpg)
Inside the key, a four-foot arc is aligned with the center of the basket to designate the restricted arc. The backboard itself measures six feet wide and 42 inches high. It’s a misconception that the foul line is 15 feet from the center of the basket. Subtracting the four feet overhang from the 19-foot length of the key, we get the familiar 15-foot distance from the foul line to the front of the backboard. The backboard protrudes four feet out from the baseline, and the rim of the basket hangs 10 feet off the ground.
![basketball court basketball court](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a3/3f/3d/a33f3d28bb265a28fa954bc064d8d83c--google-images.jpg)
Some courts have the other side of the half-circle drawn in a dotted line inside the key to complete the circle and create a clear boundary for any jump balls. A semicircle with a six-foot radius extends from the foul line.
![basketball court basketball court](https://www.courtsoftheworld.com/upload/courts/10539/0/COTW-City-Wall-Rooftop-Court-1304417857.jpg)
The key is 16 feet wide and 19 feet from the baseline to the foul line.