Basketball Court Dimensions: FIBA's 10 guidelines to building basketball courts

6. The location must allow easy use of light, water and sewerage.

The basketball courts at Sports Authority of India, Kolkata are not quite well illuminated; there aren’t dedicated floodlights on the court. But there is a path running by the courts with streetlights. And there are buildings nearby with bright lights. Although that court lacks floodlights, thanks to the well planned location, its surroundings serve it with light.

Speaking of water, dehydration can be a major deterrent. Having a cooler nearby can go a long way towards making for a comfortable experience on court. And having a washroom and a toilet can make the difference between having to change clothes in the open versus preserving your modesty and smelling like a sty add opposed to being daisy fresh.

7. The flexibility and multiple availability of the court must be looked at, to allow possible multiple uses and subsequent conversion should the need arise.

You can add about two or four baskets kept at a comfortable distance along the sidelines, to allow for more players to practice. Check out the courts at PYC Gymkhana, Pune, where Brandon Jennings had once dropped in (bottom right picture). That court lets you utilise multiple rims.

8. The courts should measure 28×15 metres with a perimeter band of two metres.

I’ve written about the problem of the sideline crowd in the NBA and how it needs to think out. If the best league in the world is subject to that issue, no one is immune to it.

The very least we can do is make sure that there is adequate spacing around the court.

9. The distance of the pole from the end court line must be at least one metre.

As anyone attempting a layup at speed will attest, you need the pole to be at a far enough distance to avoid collisions.

Picture Wiley Coyote bumping smack into a pole, that is what happens when the pole is too close. That’s why some basketball competitions have foam cushioning on the poles to protect the players.

10. The benches must be on the same side as the scorers’ table. The latter should not be closer than one metre from the sidelines.

One reason why it helps to have the bench adjacent to the scorers’ table is because it lets the players be close to where the scores are being kept. Also if you are going to place obstacles around the court, you may as well keep them on one side.

Having benches on opposite sides lets them face each other, which can lead to taunting. Ideally they should not be in each other’s visual field.

So there you have it. Take care to keep the above 10 points in mind if you want to go about constructing outdoor basketball courts in your neighbourhood.