Three-point field goal
Encyclopedia
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
in a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two points awarded for shots made inside the three point line.
A three-point field goal is distinguished from a "three-point play"
Old-fashioned three
In basketball, an old-fashioned three point play is achieved by scoring a two-point basket, being fouled in the process, and scoring one point on the free throw. It is named thusly as before the three point shot was created, it was the only way to score three points on a single possession. It is...
or an and-1, which occurs when a shooter successfully scores a two-point basket while being fouled, and then makes the ensuing free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
. If such a foul occurs on a successful three-point shot, the resulting free throw gives the player a chance to earn a four-point play.
Three-point field goal percentage is a measure of three-point shooting accuracy calculated by the ratio of three-point field goals made to three-point field goals attempted.
History
The three-point rule was first tested at the collegiate level in a 1945 National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
game between Columbia
Columbia Lions
The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is M...
and Fordham
Fordham Rams
The 22 Fordham University varsity sports teams are known as the Fordham Rams. Their colors are maroon and white. The Fordham Rams are members of NCAA Division I and compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference for all sports except football. In football, the Rams play in the Patriot League of NCAA...
. However, professional basketball was the first to adopt the rule on a permanent basis. The short-lived American Basketball League did so in 1961, and the Eastern Professional Basketball League
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
followed in its 1963–64 season. The three-point shot later became popularized by the original American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
after its introduction in the 1967–68 season. During the 1970s, the ABA used the three-point shot, along with the slam dunk
Slam dunk
A slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was...
, as a marketing tool to compete with the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). In the 1979–80 season, the NBA adopted the three-point shot.
The sport's international governing body, FIBA
International Basketball Federation
The International Basketball Federation, more commonly known as FIBA , from its French name Fédération Internationale de Basketball, is an association of national organizations which governs international competition in basketball...
, introduced the three-point line in 1984, at a distance of 6.25 m (20.5 ft).
The NCAA's Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
became the first collegiate conference to use the three-point rule, adopting a 22 feet (6.7 m) line in 1980. The first collegiate team to score a three-pointer was Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
. Over the following five years, NCAA conferences differed in their use of the rule and the distance they required for a three-point shot. The NCAA adopted the 19-foot, 9-inch line nationally in 1986. In 2007, the NCAA lengthened the men's three point distance to 20 feet 9 inches, with the rule coming into effect at the beginning of the 2008–09 season.
During the 1994–95, 1995–96, and 1996–97 seasons, the NBA attempted to address decreased scoring by shortening the distance of the line to a uniform 22 feet (6.7 m) around the basket. In 1995–96, Dennis Scott
Dennis Scott (basketball)
Dennis Eugene Scott is an American former professional basketball player. A 6' 8" small forward from Georgia Tech, and the 1989–1990 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, Scott was selected by the Orlando Magic with the fourth pick of the 1990 NBA Draft after being the leading scorer on a...
set a then-record for most three-pointers made in a season (267) and George McCloud
George McCloud
George Aaron McCloud is a retired American professional basketball player.-Early life:McCloud attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach and Florida State University in Tallahassee.-Professional career:...
set the record for most three-point attempts (678). From the 1997–98 season, the NBA reverted the line to its original distance of 23 feet, 9 inches (22 feet at the corners). Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of...
broke Scott's record with 269 three-pointers in the 2005–06 season.
In 2008, FIBA announced that the distance would be increased by 50 cm to 6.75 m , with the change being phased in, beginning in October 2010.
Rule specifications
The three-point line generally consists of an arc at a set radius measured from the point on the floor directly below the center of the basket, and two parallel lines equidistant from each sideline extending from the nearest end line to the point at which they intersect the arc. A player's feet must be completely behind the three-point line at the time of the shot or jump in order to make a three-point attempt; if the player's feet are on or in front of the line, it is a two point attempt. A player is allowed to jump from outside the line and land inside the line to make a three-point attempt, as long as the ball is released in mid-air.An official raises his arm with three fingers extended to signal the shot attempt. If the attempt is successful, he or she raises his other arm with all fingers fully extended in manner similar to a football official signifying successful field goal to indicate the three-point goal. The official must recognize it for it to count as three points. Instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
has sometimes been used, depending on league rules (for example, the NBA and the NCAA specifically allow replay for this purpose).
If a shooter is fouled while attempting a three-pointer and subsequently misses the shot, the shooter is awarded three free-throw attempts. If a player completes a three-pointer while being fouled, the player is awarded one free-throw for a possible 4-point play.
The distance of the three-point line varies by level:
- NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
: Arc radius 23 in 9 in (7.24 m), no less than 3 foot (0.9144 m) from each sideline - WNBAWomen's National Basketball AssociationThe Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
: Arc radius 20 foot, no less than 4 in 6 in (1.37 m) from each sideline - FIBAInternational Basketball FederationThe International Basketball Federation, more commonly known as FIBA , from its French name Fédération Internationale de Basketball, is an association of national organizations which governs international competition in basketball...
: Arc radius 6.75 metres (22.1 ft), no less than 0.9 metres (3 ft) from each sideline - NCAANational Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
: Men's arc radius 20 in 9 in (6.32 m), no less than 4 in 3 in (1.3 m) from each sideline; women's arc radius 19 in 9 in (6.02 m), no less than 5 in 3 in (1.6 m) from each sideline
Related concepts
In gridiron footballGridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
, a field goal is always worth three points. NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
and the Stars Football League
Stars Football League
The Stars Football League is a semi-pro American football league operating primarily in the Southern United States. The league is headquartered in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Its inaugural season began June 30, 2011 with two teams; the league phased two more teams into the schedule over the course of...
have adopted a rule similar to basketball's three-point line in which an additional point is awarded for longer field goals; in both leagues, the line is the opponent's 40-yard line, meaning any field goal of fifty yards or more in either league is worth four points.
The Super Goal
Super Goal
A Super Goal is an innovation used in the Australian Football League's pre-season competition in the sport of Australian rules football.The Super Goal was introduced before the 2003 Wizard Cup, and is awarded nine points instead of the regulation six. For a goal on the run to be considered a Super...
is a similar concept in Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, in which a fifty-metre arc determines the value of a goal; within the arc, it is the usual 6 points, but 9 points are scored for a "super goal" scored from outside the arc.
The National Professional Soccer League II, which awarded two points for all goals except those on the power play
Power play (sport)
"Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.*In ice hockey, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice...
, also used a three-point line, drawn fifty feet from the goal. It has since been adopted by later indoor soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
leagues.