Scoring and court markings

Originally only the number of goals was counted, and when free throws were introduced they were considered one goal each. In 1896 this changed to two points for a field goal and one point for a free throw. The American Basketball Association introduced a three-point field goal, which was one scored from beyond the three-point field goal arc, when it began in 1967. FIBA introduced its three-point line 6.25 meters (20 ft. 6 in.) from the center of the basket in 1984. The NCAA adopted the three-point line at 19-feet, 9 inches in 1986. For the 2008-09 season, the distance has been expanded to 20-feet, 9-inches in men's games but remains at 19 ft. 9 in. for women's contests.

The restricted area, also known as the free throw lane, had its width increased from 6 feet to 12 feet (1.8 to 3.7 m) in 1951. In 1956, FIBA adopted a trapezoidal lane, 3.6 metres (11 ft 10 in) wide at the free throw line and 6 metres (19 ft 8 in) wide at the baseline. In 1961, the NBA increased this width to 16 feet (4.9 m). Both these lanes have since remained.

On April 26, 2008, FIBA announced what it called "historic changes" to its rule set which will result in its court markings being much more similar to those of the NBA. These changes will take effect for FIBA's major competitions (Olympic basketball, world championships at senior, under-19, and under-17 levels, and zone/continental championships) on October 1, 2010, after the 2010 World Championships for men and women, and for other competitions on October 1, 2012. The list of changes is:[3]

* FIBA will adopt the rectangular restricted area, with the same dimensions as the NBA.
* The three-point line will move to 6.75 m (22 ft 1.7 in) from the center of the basket.
* FIBA will adopt the "no-charge semicircle" currently used in the NBA. An offensive player cannot be called for charging if the defensive player is within this semicircle near the defender's basket. The NBA's semicircle is 4 feet (1.22 m), while the FIBA semicircle will be 1.25 m (4 ft 1.2 in), both measured from the center of the basket.

In High School basketball, a five second count must start if a defender is less than 6 feet from from the player. The count resets if the player puts the ball on the floor or if the defender is greater than 6 feet away.