Disclaimer- The following basketball court dimensions are based upon my experience dealing with installing basketball courts in backyards. These dimensions can be modified however you’d like to suit your needs and playing space.
Basketball Court Dimensions for a backyard court are different from regulation-sized courts such as high school, college and NBA courts. The main difference is the space of your property and the cost. Therefore, let’s suspend the purists amongst us that insist on a court being 50′ wide and 84′ long for high school and more for college and NBA. For most homeowners, regulation sizes are not practical from a space and cost standpoint.
With this being said, try and do your best to accommodate the spirit of the dimensions of a basketball court. Here are the most common sizes we recommend for backyard basketball courts.
Keep the following dimensions in mind when planning one of the below sizes:
-The key/lane is 12′ wide.
-The free throw line is 15′ from the face of the backboard.
-The 3-point line is 19’9″ from the plum bod (Dead Center) of the rim.
1. 45″ X 30′
This is the largest of the 1/2 court sizes we recommend. What do you get with this size?
This size allows you to get in a complete 3-point line. The key factor in getting in a complete 3-point line is the baseline or bottom sides of the court. As listed above, a 3-point line is 19’9″ from dead center of the rim which is dead center of the court. (Provided the hoop is installed dead center) For argument’s sake, let’s round 19’9″ to 20′.
With a baseline of 45′, this will give you an extra 2’6″ of shooting space on the outside of the 3-point line for baseline 3-pointers. This is less than a high school court but the 2.5′ are enough space to get your feet in for a comfortable shot.
As for the top of the key, you will have plenty of space above the 3-point line. With a hoop with a 48″ overhang, you will have roughly 6′ of shooting space. With this amount of space, I recommend going with a system that has at least a 48″ overhang. You have the space so why not have the extra extension/overhang. WIth so much space on the top of the 3-point line, make sure you install your hoop as close to the court as possible.
2. 30′ X 30′
This is the most popular size for a backyard basketball court, mainly due to space and cost. How does this court layout?
Like the 45′ X 30′ court, there’s plenty of space at the top of the 3-point line. However, you do not have as much space on the sides of the court. With this being said, there’s still plenty of space for decent shots all over the court.
As mentioned, a key/lane is 12′ wide. With a 30′ X 30′ court, you will have 9′ of shooting space on either side of the key/lane. This is plenty of room for short-range jump shots.
Because you cannot get it to extend all the way down to the baseline, a big question is what to do with the 3-point line. You have one of two options. The first option is to let the 3-point line extend on its natural path off the side of the court. The other option is to do a modified 3-point line like you see in the picture below. I recommend doing it 7′ from the key/lane so you still have an extra 2′ of shooting space on the outside of the 3-point line.
Is this regulation? No. It’s not. However, it gives your kids a fun option in which to work and it completes the court visually.
Follow the same rules for hoop installation as the 45′ X 30′ court because you have the same amount of extra space at the top of the 3-point line.
3. 26′ X 22′
This is the smallest court I recommend. Going any smaller than this and the playing space becomes a little too cramped. This dimension is ideal for homes that don’t have a great deal of space in their backyards.
Putting the hoop on the 26′ side of the court, I recommend going with a hoop with no more then a 36″ overhang. Anything larger and you will lose out on having space on the top of the 3-point line.
Determine the overhang of the basketball hoop you are installing. Install it to where the face of the backboard is 2’6″ into the playing space. With the free throw line being 15′ from the face of the backboard and the 3-point line being an additional 6′ from the free throw line, this will give you 2’6″ on top of the 3-point line.
With the key/lane being 12′, this dimension will give you an extra 5′ on either side. Because we’re only working with 5′ on the sides, I recommend extending the 3-point line along its natural path and extending off the side of the top of the court.
