The requirements for the marking of the basketball court are approved by FIBA standard. The court must be flat with a hard surface, without bends, cracks and other interferences. Accepted dimensions of the field: length 28 m and width 16 m. By NBA standards, the field is slightly larger: 28.7 m (94′ feet) long and 15.3 m (50′ feet) wide.
Full basketball field markings.
Non-international competition courts may differ from accepted standards (for general use, in schools or universities, etc.) and usually range from 20 to 28 m long and 12 to 16 m wide.
Basketball court marking standards
Basketball court markings are divided into 5 components:
- Boundary lines . Located around the perimeter of the court and set its size. Lines that run along the court are called sideline lines and those behind the baskets are face lines.
- Center Line . Divides the court in half parallel to the face lines.
- Center Zone . There is a circle and is placed in the middle of the center line, and therefore in the center of the entire field.
- Three-point line . Is a semi-ellipse and is placed around the boards on both sides of the field. It restricts the close shooting range.
- Free throw line . Is located in front of the boards parallel to the front line and is bordered on the sides by the paint lines.
- The standard width of the lines is 5 cm. All contours and lines must be the same color (usually white) and be clearly visible from any point on the court.
Common Lines
General lines are used to limit the playing area of the court. According to FIBA standards, the lateral lines (along the pitch) must be 28 m long and the front lines must be 16 m long. Deviations from these standards are permitted for general use courts. Usually basketball courts in schools or gyms are 20m long and 12m wide.
Center lines
The center line is parallel to the front lines and divides the field exactly in half. By standards, it should extend beyond the lines on both sides by 15cm.
In the middle of the center line there is a circle with a diameter of 3.6 m, which limits the central area of the pitch. This is the area where the ball is played at the beginning of the game.
Three-point line
The three-point line is placed around the boards on both sides of the field and consists of two straight lines, 2.99 m long, and a semi-circle. The straight lines are perpendicular to the baseline at a distance of 0.9 m from the side lines. Despite the fact that the visual distance from the ring to the side of the three-point line appears to be less than to the center, the distance from the backboard to any point is 6.75 m.
Penalty Lines
The penalty lines limit the immediate area near the board. They are made up of a trapezoid and a free throw zone.
Despite its name, the “trapezoid” is a rectangle (until 2009 it was really a trapezoid), which is placed under the backboard. Its dimensions are 5.8 m long and 4.9 m wide. The shield is placed at a distance of 1575 m from the front strip in the middle of the court. In front of the shield at a distance of 1.25 m is a semicircle, limiting the area to pick up the ball.
At a distance of 4.225 m from the shield ends the trapeze zone and begins the free throw zone. It is a semicircle with a diameter of 3.6 m (like the center circle).
Lines of the paint zone
These lines are notches on both sides of the trapezoid (parallel to the sideline). They limit the zones for players fighting for the ball during the free throw.
Zones on the basketball court
The basketball court is divided into zones by markings. Each zone has its own special rules.
Center Circle
The center circle is used as a separate zone when the ball is played at the beginning of the game. One representative of each team stand in a circle on their side and jump for the ball, after it is thrown by the judge. All players are on their side of the field except for one player who is rebounding on the opponent’s side.
Neutral Zone
The neutral zone is a special feature because once a player of the attacking team with the ball crosses the half way line and is on the opponent’s side of the pitch, he cannot pass the ball to a player of his team who is on the other side of the pitch (i.e. on the half way line on his side).
The three point line
The three point line limits the near throwing zone. A hit to the basket from outside the three point line gives the team three points. If the shot is made inside the zone, it brings two points.
The Three-Second Zone
This is the zone in the immediate vicinity of the basket. It is called the 3 second zone because the player on the attacking team cannot be in this zone for more than 3 seconds. This is where most of the balls are thrown, so it offers the best defense on offense.
Free Throw Zone
In controversial situations, the penalty shot is taken from this area. A player on the attacking team should throw the ball without crossing the trapezoid line. In this case, players of both teams are not in the three-second zone. They occupy positions along the paint lines on the sides of the trapeze and may not step over the paint lines until the player making the free throw shoots the ball.