The Court

A basketball court is a rectangle split in half by the half-court line. Your team defends one basket and attacks the other. The area near each basket is where most of the action happens.

The painted rectangle under the basket is called the key (or "the paint" or "the lane"). The small circle-topped line at the top of the key is the free-throw line, 15 feet from the backboard.

The big curved line around the basket is the three-point line. Shots made from behind it are worth 3 points; shots inside it are worth 2. The arc's distance varies by level — about 19'9" for high school, 22'2" for college, and 23'9" at the NBA top of the arc.

The short straight parts of the arc near the baseline are called the corners — the shortest three-point shot on the floor, and a spot you'll hear about constantly when we get to spacing.

A regulation NBA court is 94 feet long by 50 feet wide. NCAA college courts use the same 94-by-50-foot floor. Most U.S. high school courts are 84 feet by 50 feet, while youth gyms may use shorter floors so the game fits the players' age and strength.

The rim remains 10 feet high in standard high school, college, and professional play. The free-throw line is 15 feet from the backboard. Three-point distances change most: high school uses a 19'9" arc, NCAA men's basketball uses 22'1¾", NCAA women's basketball uses 22'1¾", and the NBA reaches 23'9" above the break with 22-foot corner threes.

Quick comparison

• NBA: 94' × 50'; 23'9" arc, 22' corners

• NCAA: 94' × 50'; 22'1¾" arc

• High school: usually 84' × 50'; 19'9" arc

• Youth: court size varies; many leagues use smaller floors and age-adjusted markings

The lines at the ends of the court are baselines; the long side lines are sidelines. Step on any of them while holding the ball and you're out of bounds — turnover.

Other landmarks worth knowing: the center circle (where the game starts with a jump ball), the blocks (the thick marks on each side of the key, prime real estate for big players), and the elbows (where the free-throw line meets the sides of the key).