Basketball was invented in 1891 by Dr. James A. Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts. The first intercollegiate game pitted Yale against Connecticut Wesleyan in 1896.

Official NBA and NCAA courts are 94 ft (28.65m) by 50 ft. (15.24m).

The dimensions of the backboards are 6 ft. x 4 ft. (1.83m x 1.22m). They stand on poles centered between the sidelines, 9 ft. (2.74m) off the ground. They penetrate into the court 4 ft. (1.22m) from each baseline.

Each backboard has a basket, the ring of which stands 10 ft. (3.05m) above the ground. The ring is 18 in. (46cm) in diameter, and is positioned 6 in. (15 cm) in front of the backboard.

The free-throw lines are positioned 15 ft. (4.57m) from the backboards. Three point shots are taken on lines marked in a semi-circle drawn outside of the free-throw line. The semi-circle has a radius of 23 ft. 9 in. (7.24m) from the center of the basket ring and extends to the baseline in parallel lines 3 ft. (.91m) from the sides.

Directly in the center of the court is a circle with a 6 ft. (1.83m) radius.

All lines on the court are 2 in. (5.08cm) in width.

A standard basketball is 30 in. (76.2cm) in circumference and has between 7.5 — 8.5 pounds (3.4 — 3.86kg) of pressure.