Basketball court zones

Every area of the basketball court, named and explained: the paint, the elbows, the short corner, the wings and more.

Baseline: The boundary line behind the basket, also called the end line. It is out of bounds, and after a made basket the other team throws the ball in from here. Rule: Out of Bounds.
Center Circle: Where the game starts with a jump ball. Only the two jumpers are allowed inside it until the ball is tapped. Radius 1.80 m (6 ft). On this half court you only see the top half of it. Rule: Jump Ball and Possession Arrow.
Deep Middle: Far beyond the arc, up toward half court. Pull-ups from out here are called logo threes, after the team logo painted at center court.
Dunker Spot: Along the baseline just outside the lane. A big man waits here, out of the way, for a dump-off pass when a guard drives and the defense collapses.
Free Throw Circle: The circle around the free throw line. The shooter has to stay inside its top half during a free throw. Radius 1.80 m (6 ft). Early lanes were narrow, and with this circle on top they looked like a keyhole. That’s why the lane is still called the key. Rule: Free Throws.
Free Throw Line: Free throws are shot from behind this line, and the shooter can’t cross it until the ball has reached the basket. In the NBA it is 15 ft (4.57 m) from the face of the backboard. Under FIBA rules it is 5.80 m from the baseline. Rule: Free Throws.
Half-Court Corner: Where the sideline meets the half-court line. Once the ball is across, the half-court line works like an extra boundary, so a ball handler caught here has nowhere to escape. Rule: Over and Back.
Half-Court Line: Splits the court in two. Once the offense brings the ball across, it can’t take it back over, so for the offense this line works like a third boundary. Also called the midcourt line, or the centre line under FIBA rules. Rule: Over and Back.
Lane Line: The long sides of the lane. An offensive player can’t stay inside the lane for more than 3 seconds, and on free throws the rebounders line up along these lines. The lane is 4.88 m (16 ft) wide in the NBA and WNBA, 4.90 m under FIBA and 3.66 m (12 ft) in college. Rule: Three Seconds.
Mid-Range (Side): Inside the arc but outside the paint, from the break up to the elbow. Shots from here are long twos: almost as far out as a three, for one point less.
Mid-Range (Top): Between the free throw line and the top of the arc, also known as the high post. A long two when you shoot from it, a great spot to pass from when you catch in it.
Restricted Area: The space inside the restricted-area arc, right at the rim. Defenders standing in it can’t draw a charge, and shots from here are the most efficient in basketball. Rule: Charging.
Restricted-Area Arc: The small arc under the basket. A help defender standing inside it can’t draw a charge on a player driving to the rim. 1.22 m (4 ft) from the basket in the NBA, WNBA and men’s college game. FIBA’s no-charge semicircle is 1.25 m. Rule: Charging.
Short Corner: Along the baseline between the lane and the corner three, inside the arc. A classic spot against a zone, because it sits behind the middle of most zone defenses.
Sideline: The two long boundary lines. The line itself counts as out, so a player holding the ball with a foot on it is out of bounds. Rule: Out of Bounds.
The Block: The filled-in mark on the lane line. On free throws it’s a neutral zone no rebounder may stand in. In half-court play it gives the low post its everyday name: posting up “on the block”.
The Break: Where the three-point line “breaks” from a straight line into a curve. It sits right between the corner and the wing, and coaches use it as a spacing landmark.
The Corner: Between the sideline and the straight part of the three-point line. The shortest three on the floor, which makes it one of the best shots in basketball. 6.71 m (22 ft) in the NBA, against 7.24 m (23 ft 9 in) at the top. Under FIBA rules: 6.60 m against 6.75 m. Rule: The Three-Point Line.
The Elbow: Where the free throw line meets the lane line. Close enough to score from, central enough to pass to either side, so it’s a favorite catch spot for big men and pull-up shooters.
The Nail: The middle of the free throw line, named after the small mark many courts have there. Help defenders love it: from the nail they can reach the ball side and the paint.
The Paint: The lane: the rectangle under the basket, usually painted a different color, which is where the name comes from. Also called the key. Offensive players can’t stay in it for more than 3 seconds. Rule: Three Seconds.
The Top: Outside the arc, straight out from the basket. The point guard’s home, because both sides of the floor are one pass away.
The Wing: Outside the arc between the corner and the top, at roughly a 45° angle to the basket. The usual spot to start offense on one side of the floor.
Three-Point Line: A made shot from behind it is worth 3. Step on the line and it’s a two. Near the corners the arc turns into straight lines, because a full arc wouldn’t fit inside the sidelines. Measured from the center of the basket: 7.24 m (23 ft 9 in) in the NBA, 6.75 m (22 ft 1¾ in) under FIBA, in the WNBA and in college. Rule: The Three-Point Line.
Top of the Key: Straight out from the basket, at the top of the free throw circle. The name comes from the old keyhole-shaped lane.