3 Point shot distances

3 point distances in basketball vary per league and the level of play. From the middle of the basket to the top arc, here are the distances:

NBA: 23ft 9 in

WNBA: 22.15ft

NCAA: 20ft 9 in

High School: 19ft 9 in

FIBA: 22 ft 1.75 in

NAIA: 20 ft. 9 in.

NCAA 3 point Distance Change

The current college three-point distance is 20ft 9 in. It was changed in 2019 from 20 feet, 9 inches to 22 feet, 1¾ inches. So if you are arguing with a friend about how far is a college 3 pointer – remember that the answer changed a few years ago. 

Quick History of the 3 Pointer

At various times from the 1940s through the 1950s, games were tested using the concept of a 3 point shot. The concept began to gain momentum, and in 1961 the American basketball league adopted the 3 pointer.  

After the ABL shut down in 1963, the three-point shot was adopted by the Eastern Professional Basketball League in its 1963–64 season. It was also popularized by the American Basketball Association (ABA), which introduced it in its inaugural 1967–68 season.[6][7] During the 1970sThree years later in June 1979, the NBA adopted the three-point line for a one-year trial for the 1979–80 season