Basketball Equipment and Basketball Court Structure

The Basketball Court
A regulation basketball court in international games is 28 by 15 meters (approx. 92 by 49 feet) and in the NBA is 94 by 50 feet (approx. 29 by 15 meters). Most courts are made of wood, and have various markings, 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide to mark off the various sections.

The Basket and Backboard
A basket and backboard hang over each end of the court. The basket consists of a cast-iron rim and a net, and is connected by supports to the backboard.

The backboard sits 10 feet (NBA), which is the same as 3.05 meters (FIBA), above the court and four feet inside the endline. They may have either a fan shape or rectangular shape. The fan shaped backboard is 54 inches (140 centimeters) wide, and has the "target area" at the bottom center. The rectangular backboard is 72 inches (180 centimeters) wide and has its "target area" in the lower center. Both "target areas" are 24 inches long and 18 inches wide.

Basketball Game Attire
For both mens' and womens' teams, a standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a sleeveless tank top. Players also wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Years ago, female players' unforms consisted of short-sleeved shirts and skirts. This type of uniform has long since been phased out. At all levels of competitive basketball, the basketball uniforms have the team's name printed across the upper chest area, plus a number. The numbers help identify a player to fans and - more importantly - other players, coaches and game officials. The uniforms of the home team are often white (or some other light color), while the visiting team wears a darker-colored uniform.

International games mandate the numbers from 4 to 15. At the high school and college levels, numbers generally range from 1-5, 10-15, 20-25, 30-35, 40-45, and 50-55, plus 0 and 00. Colleges usually have no restrictions on which numbers are used, although in some states, high school teams must wear even-numbered jerseys if they're the home team and odd-numbered jerseys if they're considered the visitor. Also, teams may have either 0 or 00, but not both. Uniform numbers in the NBA are generally the same, although many players have worn numbers above 55 (e.g., Dennis Rodman, who wore No. 91 while playing with the Chicago Bulls).

Of course, fans don't have to spend money to buy suitable clothing to play basketball. Sometimes, all that's needed is a pair of sneakers, a pair of loose-fitting shorts and perhaps a T-shirt or tank top (although male players sometimes play bare-chested).