A basketball stadium is a playing area for the game of basketball, which is a rectangular flat hard surface without any obstacles. For official FIBA competitions the dimensions of the playing court must be 28 meters long and 15 meters wide from the inner edge of the boundary lines. For all other competitions, the existing playing areas must have a minimum size of 28×15 meters.

Courts not intended for international competitions may differ from the accepted standards (for general use, in schools or universities, etc.) and usually range from 20 to 28 meters in length and from 12 to 16 meters in width.

Basketball court marking standards
Basketball court markings are conditionally divided into 5 components:

Limiting lines. Located around the perimeter of the court and set its size. Lines that run along the court are called sideline lines and those that are behind the baskets are face lines.
Center Line. Divides the court in half parallel to the face lines.
Center Zone. Is a circle and is placed in the middle of the center line, and therefore in the center of the entire field.
The three-point line. Is a semi-ellipse and is placed around the boards on both sides of the field. It restricts the close shooting zone.
The free throw line. It is situated in front of the boards, parallel to the baseline and is bordered on the sides by the paint lines.
The standard width of the lines is 5 cm. All contours and lines must be the same color (usually white) and be clearly visible from anywhere on the court.

General lines are used to limit the playing area of the rink. According to FIBA standards the lateral lines (along the pitch) shall be 28 m long and the front lines 16 m long. Deviations from the accepted standards are allowed for public playgrounds. Usually basketball courts in schools or gyms are 20m long and 12m wide.

The center line is parallel to the front and divides the field exactly in half. According to standards – it should extend beyond the side lines on 15 cm on both sides.

In the middle of the center line is a circle with a diameter of 3.6 m, which limits the central area of the field. This area is where the ball is played at the beginning of the game.

Three-point lines are placed around the boards on both sides of the field and consist of two straight lines of length 2.99 m and a semi-circle. The straight lines are perpendicular to the front line at a distance of 0.9 m from the side lines. Despite the fact that visually the distance from the ring to the side of the three-point line seems smaller than to its center, the distance from the shield to any point is 6.75 m.

The penalty lines limit the immediate area near the backboard. They consist of a trapezoid and a free throw zone.

Despite its name, the “trapezoid” is a rectangle (until 2009 it really was a trapezoid), which is placed under the backboard. Its dimensions are 5.8 m long and 4.9 m wide. The shield is 1.575 m from the front line in the middle of the court. In front of the shield at a distance of 1.25 m is a semicircle, which limits the area to pick up the ball.

At a distance of 4.225 m from the board ends the trapeze zone and begins the free throw zone. It is a semicircle with a diameter of 3.6 m (like the center circle).

Lines of the paint zone
These lines are notches on both sides of the trapezoid (parallel to the sidelines). They limit the zones for players fighting for the ball during the free throw.

Zones on the basketball court
The basketball court is divided into zones by markings. Each zone has its own special rules.

The central circle is used as a separate zone when the ball is played at the beginning of the game. One representative of each team are in a circle on their side and jump for the ball, after it is dropped by the judge. All players are exclusively on their side of the field, except for one who rebounds on the opponent’s side.

Neutral Zone
A special feature of this zone is that as soon as a player of the attacking team with the ball crosses the center line and is on the opposing side, he cannot pass the ball to a player of his team who is on the other side of the field (i.e. behind the center line on his side).

The three-point line limits the close shooting zone. A hit to the basket from outside the three point line gives the team three points. If the shot was made inside the zone, it brings two points.

Three second zone
This is the area closest to the basket. It is called the three-second zone because the offensive player cannot be in this zone for more than three seconds. This is where most shots are taken and therefore offers the best defense on offense.

Penalty Shooting Zone
In controversial situations, a penalty shot is taken from this area. A player of the attacking team must throw the ball without crossing the trapeze line. In this case, players of both teams are not in the three-second zone. They are in position along the paint lines on the sides of the trapeze and may not step over the paint lines before a player taking the free throw does not throw the ball.

How do you mark out a basketball court?
It is better to mark the basketball court, whether it is an international competition field or an amateur field in the open air, using special equipment. This will ensure long life of the surface, the lines will not fade and will promote fair play.