Rules: NBA

Edition on file: Official Rules as published per rule at official.nba.com; rules 1, 5, 7, 10, 11 and 12 retrieved 2026-09-17 to 2026-09-21.
Text status: on-file.
Document: RULE NO. 1: Court Dimensions - Equipment, retrieved 2026-09-21.

The NBA publishes its rulebook one rule per web page. Six of the rule pages are on file (1, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12), each as its own registry row; a cell cites the page it comes from. Rule No. 1’s text defers the court’s overall dimensions and the lane width to a diagram it does not print, so those two cells are gaps at the NBA even though the text is on file. The transition take foul is cited to the league’s 2022 announcement of the change, because the Rule 12 page on file does not carry the words.

All five compared · NCAA men · NCAA women · FIBA · NFHS (US high school).

The floor and spacing

Restricted area

The half-circle in front of the rim inside which a secondary defender cannot draw a charge. Entry.

A half-circle 4 feet from the center of the basket ring, extended parallel to the lane line to the face of the backboard. Rule No. 1, Section I

Verbatim, in the page’s own characters: “A Restricted Area shall be marked with a half-circle 4’ from the center of the basket ring and then parallel to the lane line to the face of the backboard with a solid two-inch line.”

Transition defense

Transition take foul

A deliberate foul on the ball early in a break to stop the play before the numbers advantage can be used. Entry.

From 2022-23, one free throw by any player on the offended team, and the offended team keeps the ball. Board of Governors announcement, 13 July 2022 (the Rule 12 page on file does not carry the words; no rule number is printed in the release)

Verbatim: “The offensive team will be awarded one free throw, which may be attempted by any player on the offensive team in the game at the time that the foul is committed.” and “The offensive team will retain possession of the ball.”

Rules and regulations

Backcourt count

The time a team has to bring the ball across the midcourt line; the count a press is built to run out. Entry.

8 seconds. Rule No. 10, Section VIII

Verbatim: “A team shall not be in continuous possession of a ball which is in its backcourt for more than 8 consecutive seconds.”

Court dimensions

The length and width of the playing court. Entry.

Gap: not in the public text of NBA; searched RULE NO. 1: Court Dimensions - Equipment.

Rule No. 1 defers to a diagram it does not print: “The playing court shall be measured and marked as shown in the court (See below)”. The 94 by 50 feet this site draws is taken from a secondary source and marked as such in tools/court.py.

Defensive three seconds

The NBA rule that a defender in the lane must be guarding someone within three seconds; the reason a rim protector cannot simply stand under the basket. Entry.

A defender in the 16-foot lane, or within 4 feet beyond its endline, must be actively guarding an opponent within three seconds while the offense controls the ball in the frontcourt. Rule No. 10, Section VII

Verbatim: “Any defensive player, who is positioned in the 16-foot lane or the area extending 4 feet past the lane endline, must be actively guarding an opponent within three seconds.” and “Actively guarding means being within arm’s length of an offensive player and in a guarding position.”

Free-throw lane

How wide the painted lane is; the number behind the paint, the blocks and the elbows. Entry.

16 feet. Rule No. 10, Section VII

Rule No. 1 defers the lane to a diagram it does not print, so the width is taken from the defensive three-second rule, verbatim: “Any defensive player, who is positioned in the 16-foot lane or the area extending 4 feet past the lane endline, must be actively guarding an opponent within three seconds.”

Free-throw line

How far the free-throw line is from the backboard; it fixes the nail and the elbows. Entry.

15 feet from the plane of the face of the backboard. Rule No. 1, Section I

Verbatim, in the page’s own characters: “It shall be parallel to the end line and shall be 15’ from the plane of the face of the backboard.”

Goaltending

Touching a shot on its way down, or off the backboard, while it can still score; the rule that limits what a rim protector may do. Entry.

A player may not touch a ball on its downward flight with a chance to score, nor a ball that has touched the backboard above ring level, nor a ball within the cylinder above the ring. Rule No. 11, Section I

Verbatim: “Touch any ball from within the playing area that is on its downward flight with an opportunity to score.” and “During a field goal attempt, touch a ball, which has a chance to score, after it has touched any part of the backboard above ring level, whether the ball is considered on its upward or downward flight.” and “Touch any ball from within the playing area when it is above the basket ring and within the imaginary cylinder.”

Length of the game

How long a game is and how it is divided; the one rule every other clock hangs on. Entry.

Four periods of twelve minutes; overtime periods of five minutes. Rule No. 5, Section II

Verbatim: “All periods of regulation play in the NBA will be twelve minutes.” and “All overtime periods of play will be five minutes.”

Shot clock

The time a team has to attempt a shot that reaches the ring; the number that sets the pace of every possession. Entry.

24 seconds. Rule No. 7, Section I

Verbatim: “The shot clock shall start at 24 seconds unless otherwise provided in Rule 7.”

Three-point line

How far the arc is from the basket, and how far the corner line is from the sideline; the geometry every spacing decision in Chapter 3 rests on. Entry.

An arc of 23 feet 9 inches from the middle of the basket, meeting lines 3 feet from the sidelines. Rule No. 1, Section I

Verbatim, in the page’s own characters: “The three-point field goal area has parallel lines 3’ from the sidelines, extending from the baseline and an arc of 23’9” from the middle of the basket which intersects the parallel lines.”