# Law 2: Court (FIBA Official Basketball Rules)

Basketball · Law 2: Court · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/basketball/laws/law-2-court/)

The court and floor, backcourt and frontcourt, the lines and their colours, the bench side with the scorer's table, and the markings near each basket: restricted area, 3-point line and no-charge semi-circle.

## 2.21 The Court, Its Halves and Lines

Court and floor sizes, backcourt and frontcourt, line width and colour, the boundary and centre markings, and the bench side of the court.

### Test 1: Court and floor dimensions

- The court measures 28 m by 15 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.1)
- Both dimensions run from the inner edge of the boundary line, so the line itself lies outside them. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.1)
- The court must be a flat, hard surface with nothing on it that obstructs play. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.1)
- The floor is the court plus a further boundary lane at least 2 m wide, kept free from obstructions. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.2)
- Adding a 2 m lane on every side to a 28 m by 15 m court gives a floor of at least 32 m by 19 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.2)
- The floor is at least 32 m long: 28 m of court and a 2 m lane at each end. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.2)
- Cameras and other obstructions have to stay out of the clear lane on every side, the endlines included. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.2)
- 15 m, then 19 m, then 28 m, then 32 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.1, 2.2)
- The boundary line is not part of the court; beyond it runs the clear lane, and the lane's outer edge is the edge of the floor. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.1, 2.2, 2.5.1)
- B is the court's width (15 m); A is its length (28 m), C the lane (2 m) and D the floor's length (32 m). (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.1, 2.2)

### Test 2: Backcourt and frontcourt

- The backcourt is the team's own basket, the inbounds part of that backboard and the half of the court behind the centre line. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.3)
- The centre line is part of the backcourt. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2)
- The frontcourt is limited by the inner edge of the centre line nearest the opponents' basket, so the whole line stays backcourt. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.4)
- The centre line belongs to the backcourt, so a foot on it is in the backcourt. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.3, 2.5.2)
- Team A's backcourt holds Team A's own basket, which is the basket Team B attacks: for Team B it is the frontcourt. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.3, 2.4)
- Frontcourt and backcourt each include the inbounds part of the backboard at that end. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.3, 2.4)
- The backcourt runs from the endline behind the team's own basket to the centre line, between the sidelines. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.3)
- Team A's own basket is in its backcourt; the centre line, still backcourt, leads into the frontcourt and the opponents' basket. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.3, 2.4)
- The ball starts in the backcourt and reaches the frontcourt once it is beyond the centre line. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.3, 2.4)
- Attacking to the left, the white caps' frontcourt is the left half; the centre line (B) is backcourt. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.3, 2.4)

### Test 3: Line width, colour and contrast

- All lines are 5 cm wide. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5)
- Lines are of a solid colour, clearly visible and in high contrast with the court and the lane around it. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5)
- All boundary lines, including the throw-in lines and the team bench area lines, share one colour. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5)
- Each pair of other markings, the restricted areas among them, must be the same colour in both half-courts. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5)
- The centre line and centre circle may be a different colour from the boundary lines and the other markings. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5)
- Between each other, the centre line and the centre circle may be the same colour or different colours. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5)
- Grey on grey cannot be seen clearly: lines have to stand out strongly against the surface. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5)
- 5 cm, then 0.15 m, then 3.60 m, then 15 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5, 2.5.3, 2.5.6)
- The corner line ends about 3 m from the endline, the throw-in line is at 8.325 m, the bench area starts 9 m out (5 m short of the centre line). (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4, 2.5.5, 2.5.6, Diagram 1)
- The two 3-point lines are a pair and must match; the centre circle is free to differ. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5)

### Test 4: Boundary line, centre line and circles

- The court is limited by the boundary line, which consists of the endlines and the sidelines. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.1)
- The endlines and sidelines are not part of the court. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.1)
- The centre line is drawn from the mid-points of the sidelines and extends 0.15 m beyond each of them. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2)
- The centre circle has a radius of 1.80 m measured to the outer edge of the line. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2)
- The free-throw semi-circles are centred on the mid-points of the free-throw lines. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2)
- Both the free-throw semi-circles and the centre circle have a radius of 1.80 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2)
- The centre line runs parallel to the endlines from the mid-point of each sideline. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2)
- 0.15 m, then 1.80 m, then 3.60 m, then 15 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.1, 2.5.2)
- The centre line starts 0.15 m outside the sideline, crosses it and reaches the centre circle, whose middle is the court's centre. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2)
- The sideline is part of the boundary line and not part of the court; the other lines lie on the court. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.1)

### Test 5: Bench areas, throw-in lines and the scorer's table

- Each team bench area must have 16 seats. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.5)
- The seats are for the head coach, the substitutes, the excluded players and the accompanying delegation members, assistant coaches included. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.5)
- Anyone not entitled to a bench seat must be at least 2 m behind the team bench. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.5)
- Any obstruction, seated bench personnel included, must be at least 2 m from the court. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.1)
- There are 4 throw-in lines, 0.15 m long, two on each sideline, marked outside the court. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.6)
- The throw-in lines are marked with their outer edge 8.325 m from the nearest endline. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.6)
- The scorer's table and its chairs must be placed on a platform; announcers and statisticians may sit beside or behind it. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.6)
- FIBA's layout places them in this order along the table. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.6, Diagram 5)
- The substitution chairs sit at the ends of the table, and the bench area runs from 5 m beyond the centre line to the endline. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.5, 2.6, Diagrams 1 and 5)
- The substitution chairs stand at either end of the scorer's table, between it and the bench areas. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.6, Diagram 5)

## 2.22 The Markings Near the Basket

The free-throw line and restricted area, the 3-point line and goal area, the no-charge semi-circle and the free-throw rebound places.

### Test 1: Free-throw line and restricted area

- The free-throw line has its furthest edge 5.80 m from the inner edge of the endline. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3)
- The free-throw line is 3.60 m long. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3)
- Its side lines have their outer edges 2.45 m either side of the endline's mid-point, so 4.90 m in all. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3)
- The free-throw line is centred on the imaginary line through the mid-points of the endlines. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3)
- The lines of the restricted area, except the endline, are part of it. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3)
- Since 2010 FIBA's restricted area is a rectangle; the older trapezium shape is no longer used. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3)
- The free-throw rebound places are reserved for players during free throws. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3)
- 2.60 m, then 3.60 m, then 4.90 m, then 15 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.1, 2.5.3, 2.5.7)
- 1.20 m, 1.575 m, 5.80 m and 7.60 m from the endline. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.5.4, 2.5.7)
- A is 5.80 m; B is 4.90 m, C is 1.80 m and D is 1.575 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3)

### Test 2: The 3-point line and goal area

- The arc has a radius of 6.75 m. 6.25 m was FIBA's distance before 2010; 7.24 m is the NBA's. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4)
- From the endline, two straight lines run parallel to the sidelines and join the arc. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4)
- That point lies 1.575 m in from the endline. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4)
- The corner part of the 3-point line has its outer edge 0.90 m in from the sideline. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4)
- The 3-point line is not part of the 3-point goal area. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4)
- A team's 3-point goal area is the entire court except the area near the opponents' basket. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4)
- Each team's 3-point area leaves out only the zone near the basket it attacks, so a spot inside one arc differs by team. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4, Diagram 4)
- 0.90 m, then 1.30 m, then 1.80 m, then 6.75 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2, 2.5.4, 2.5.7)
- From the basket: the no-charge line at 1.30 m, the free-throw line about 4.2 m out, the arc at 6.75 m, then the centre circle. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.5.4, 2.5.7)
- The strip between the corner 3-point line and the sideline is in the 3-point area; the line itself (A) is not. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4)

### Test 3: No-charge semi-circle and rebound places

- A 1.30 m semi-circle marks out the no-charge area in front of the basket. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.7)
- The 6.75 m arc and the 1.30 m no-charge semi-circle share their centre: the point on the floor under the basket. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.4, 2.5.7)
- Two parallel lines, perpendicular to the endline and 0.375 m long, continue the semi-circle. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.7)
- They end 1.20 m from the endline, directly below the front of the backboard. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.7)
- The area is completed by imaginary lines joining the ends of the parallel lines directly below the front edges of the backboard. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.7)
- The 1.30 m semi-circle in front of the basket sits wholly within the 4.90 m wide restricted area. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3, 2.5.7)
- FIBA's diagram marks a 0.40 m neutral zone between the first and second rebound places. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3, Diagram 3)
- 1.75 m of clear line, a 0.85 m place, the 0.40 m neutral zone, then two more 0.85 m places. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3, Diagram 3)
- 1.20 m, 1.575 m, 1.75 m, then 1.575 + 1.30 = 2.875 m. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.3, 2.5.7)
- The semi-circle line is part of the area; behind the backboard's front edge (C) is outside it. (Source: FIBA OBR 2026, Art. 2.5.7)

Sources: FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026 (v1.1), Article 2 with Diagrams 1-5 (paraphrased in original wording; original questions authored from the Rules, not reproduced)

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