How Far Is the NBA 3-Point Line Distance? How Is It Different from College & the WNBA?
It's a make or miss league, and the makes from deep aren't easy!
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The NBA sure has changed over the years, and perhaps there's no better indication of that than the addition of the 3-point line, and the incredible evolution of 3-point shooting since that time.
Case in point, back in the 2000 NBA season, when the 3-point stripe was already some 20 years old, there were just seven players with over 100 3-point makes. But last NBA season, there were 139 players who made at least 100 3-pointers. So yeah, basically everyone in the league can hoist it from deep.
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With the NBA returning to NBC (and streaming on Peacock) for the first time since back when the 3-point stripe was far less of a factor, let's take a look at when the NBA adopted the 3-point stripe, how far back it is from the rim, and how it differs from the NCAA and WNBA.
When did the NBA institute the 3-point line?
After getting some run in the short-lived American Basketball Association (ABA), which introduced the gimmick shot in its inaugural 1967–68 season and utilized it till the league ended in 1976, the NBA followed suit with an initial one-year trial run during the 1979/80 season, after which it became a permanent part of the league.
On October 12, 1979, Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics became the first NBA player to officially make a 3-pointer in a regular season game. The same night also happened to be noteworthy for another historic reason: it was the first pro game ever played by Larry "Legend" Bird.
Still, it took quite a while before the league really adopted what was considered a gimmick shot. It wasn't until 1988, when another Celtic, Danny Ainge, became the first NBA player to make over 100 threes in a season, topping out at 148. As the '80s turned to the '90s, the 3-point shot became more and more popular, with specialists like Dale Ellis, Michael Adams, and NBA on NBC analyst Reggie Miller leading the way.
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How far back is the NBA 3-point line?
In the NBA, the three-point line measures 23 feet, 9 inches away from the center of the basket. The distance changes when you get out to the sidelines though, as the 3-point stripe becomes parallel to each sideline, exactly 3 feet away, which makes sideline threes somewhat shorter, decreasing the distance to the center of the basket to a minimum of 22 feet.
How is the NBA 3-point line different than the NCAA and WNBA 3-point line?
In the NCAA, both the men's and women's 3-point shot is a little bit closer than the NBA's, measuring 22 feet, 1¾ inches from the center of the basket, just like it is in the WNBA and FIBA (international basketball).
Who are the top 3-point shooters in the NBA?
The NBA's 3-point shooting numbers continue to rise, as more and more players become sharper and sharper long-range shooters. Last season, Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star and MVP candidate Anthony Edwards led the league with a whopping 320 3-pointers made. He was followed closely by the Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley (319), Golden State Warriors great Stephen Curry (311), and then two Boston Celtics (a team known for hoisting up a staggering amount of threes), Derrick White (265) and Payton Pritchard (255).
Catch dazzling NBA action, 3-point shooting and otherwise, all season long on NBC and Peacock!
