Amanda Knapp
The three-point shot in basketball was first introduced in 1961 by the American Basketball League (ABL), which was a new league at the time. The ABL commissioner, Abe Saperstein, wanted to add excitement to the game and differentiate it from the NBA. The three-point shot was then adopted by the Eastern Professional Basketball League in the 1963-64 season and later popularized by the American Basketball Association (ABA) in its inaugural 1967-68 season. However, the three-point shot only became official in the NBA in the 1979-80 season, with Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics making the first three-point shot in the league's history. Interestingly, the concept of a three-point shot in basketball dates back to the late 1930s, when Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, advocated for its inclusion in the game.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year the 3-point shot was first tested | 1945 |
| Distance of the 3-point line in the first test | 21 feet |
| Year of the second test of the 3-point shot | 1958 |
| Distance of the 3-point line in the second test | 23 feet |
| Year the 3-point shot was first introduced | 1961 |
| League that first introduced the 3-point shot | American Basketball League (ABL) |
| Distance of the 3-point line when first introduced | 25 feet, later shortened to 22 feet |
| Year the NBA first introduced the 3-point shot | 1979 |
| Year the NBA shortened the 3-point line to 22 feet | 1994 |
| Year the NBA returned the 3-point line to 23 feet | 1998 |
| Year the 3-point shot was advocated by basketball's inventor, Dr. James Naismith | 1939 |
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What You'll Learn
The 3-point shot was first tested in 1945
In 1961, Boston University and Dartmouth played a game with an experimental rule that counted all field goals as three points. The following year, St. Francis (New York) head coach Daniel Lynch suggested the idea of a three-point line to the New York Basketball Writers Association. The American Basketball League (ABL) became the first league to institute the rule in 1961, with commissioner Abe Saperstein hoping to add excitement to the game and distinguish the league from the NBA.
The ABL only lasted a season and a half, and the three-point shot was then adopted by the Eastern Professional Basketball League in the 1963-64 season. The American Basketball Association (ABA) also introduced the three-point shot in its inaugural 1967-68 season, using it as a marketing tool to compete with the NBA. The NBA itself first introduced the three-point line in the 1979-80 season, though it had minimal impact at first.
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The American Basketball League adopted the rule in 1961
The three-point shot in basketball was first introduced by the American Basketball League (ABL) in 1961. The ABL, a new league, was led by commissioner Abe Saperstein, who wanted to add excitement to the game and differentiate it from the more established NBA. Saperstein aimed to make the three-pointer the basketball equivalent of a home run in baseball.
The distance of the new shot line from the basket was determined by Saperstein and DePaul University coach Ray Meyer, who chose 25 feet as the appropriate length. However, in June 1961, while Saperstein was away travelling, the other seven ABL owners voted to shorten the line to 22 feet. Unfortunately, the ABL only lasted a season and a half, and the three-point shot was not immediately embraced by all, with many basketball purists deeming it a gimmick.
The three-point shot was further popularised by the American Basketball Association (ABA), which introduced it in its inaugural 1967-68 season. The ABA commissioner, George Mikan, shared a similar sentiment to Saperstein, believing that the three-point shot would give smaller players a chance to score and open up the defence, making the game more enjoyable for fans. During the 1970s, the ABA employed the three-point shot, along with the slam dunk, as a marketing tool to compete with the NBA.
The NBA eventually adopted the three-point line in the 1979-80 season, initially on a one-year trial basis. Despite initial scepticism and minimal impact, the three-point shot gradually gained acceptance and utilisation in the NBA, with attempts slowly rising over the years. By the 2018-19 season, NBA teams were averaging 32 attempts per game, signalling the growth of the three-point revolution.
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The NBA introduced the 3-point line in 1979
The idea of a three-point shot in basketball dates back to the late 1930s, when the game's inventor, Dr. James Naismith, advocated for it in the final year of his life. The first documented 3-point line was experimented with in 1945 by Howard Hobson, and the concept was further developed by Abe Saperstein, commissioner of the American Basketball League (ABL), who introduced the rule in 1961. The ABL only lasted a season and a half, but the three-point shot lived on, adopted by the Eastern Professional Basketball League in the 1963-64 season.
When the NBA finally introduced the three-point line in 1979, it had minimal impact on the game at first. In the first five seasons, teams took less than three 3-pointers a game and made only 26% of their attempts. It wasn't until the 1986-87 season that 3-point attempts started to rise, reaching 9.9 shots per game in 1993-94. The NBA's move to shorten the 3-point line to 22 feet in 1994 further increased the use of the three-point shot, with usage rising by about 70% from 1994 to 1997.
Today, the three-point shot is an integral part of NBA strategy, with teams averaging over 35 attempts per game in the 2021-22 season. The evolution of the game, driven by advanced analytics, has shown that the three-point shot can be a valuable weapon for teams, leading to a rapid increase in its usage in recent years.
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The NBA shortened the 3-point line in 1994
The NBA first introduced the three-point shot in the 1979-80 season. Initially a one-year trial, the three-point line was set at 23 feet and nine inches at its longest. However, the NBA decided to shorten the line to 22 feet around the basket for the 1994-95 season.
The NBA's decision to shorten the three-point line was an attempt to combat the decreased scoring in the league. In 1994, the vice president for operations, Rod Thorn, commented on the issue: "Scoring in this league has gone down for something like 10 straight years. Teams are not taking as many shots. They're holding the ball more." The shortened line was expected to encourage more long-distance shots and increase scoring.
During the three-year period that the shortened line was in place, the usage of the three-point shot increased significantly. From 1994 to 1997, the number of three-point attempts per game rose by about 70%, and the league's three-point shooting percentage reached a historic high of 36.7% in the 1996 season.
Despite the increase in three-point shooting, the shortened line did not solve the scoring problem. Scoring continued to decline, and the NBA decided to return the three-point line to its original distance of 23 feet and nine inches for the 1997-98 season.
It is worth noting that the impact of the shortened three-point line on certain players' statistics has been a topic of discussion. Some have suggested that removing the 1994-1997 data, Michael Jordan's career three-point shooting percentage would be significantly lower, placing him below the league average for his era.
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Basketball's inventor, James Naismith, suggested a 3-point shot in 1939
Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith, a 30-year-old physical education instructor at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game was designed as an indoor activity for restless college students to burn off energy during the colder months between football and baseball seasons.
Naismith wrote and developed the game's original 13 rules, which were tacked up on a bulletin board at Springfield College. While basketball's inventor neither sought publicity nor engaged in self-promotion, he did suggest some revisions to the game in 1939, the year of his death, including the idea of a 3-point shot.
The earliest documented 3-point line was in Howard Hobson's writings and experiments in 1945. However, there is evidence that Naismith had an idea about a 3-point shot in the late 1930s. In the late 1930s, KU coach Phog Allen also invented a new sport called Goal Hi, which was similar to basketball but played on a circular field with a single basket at the center. In this game, a shot made from 15-30 feet away from the basket was worth 3 points.
The 3-point shot was first introduced in a professional basketball league in 1961 by the American Basketball League (ABL). ABL commissioner Abe Saperstein wanted to add excitement to the game and differentiate his league from the NBA. The NBA eventually adopted the 3-point line during the 1979-80 season, though it had minimal impact on the game at first. It wasn't until the 1986-87 season that 3-point attempts started to rise, and they have since become a significant part of NBA strategy.
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Frequently asked questions
The idea of a 3-point shot was first suggested by Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, in 1939, the final year of his life.
The first recorded instance of a 3-point shot was in a game between Columbia and Fordham in 1945, with a 21-foot line. However, it was not kept as a rule.
The 3-point shot officially became a rule in 1961 when the American Basketball League (ABL) became the first basketball league to institute the rule.
The NBA introduced the 3-point shot in the 1979-80 season.
