Andrew Pace
The three-point shot in basketball was first introduced in 1961 by the American Basketball League (ABL), which became the first basketball league to institute the rule. The idea was to add excitement to the game and distinguish the league from the NBA. The three-point shot was then adopted by the Eastern Professional Basketball League in 1963 and popularized by the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967. The NBA did not adopt the three-point line until the 1979-80 season, and it has since become a staple of modern basketball, with teams averaging about 37.5 three-point attempts per game.
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What You'll Learn
The three-point shot was first tested in 1945
The three-point shot in basketball was first tested in 1945, in a game between Columbia and Fordham organised by Oregon coach Howard Hobson. This game included a 21-foot line, but the rule was not kept. The idea for a three-point shot was first suggested by Dr James Naismith, who invented basketball in 1891, in the final year of his life, which ended in 1939.
In 1958, there was another one-game experiment, this time with a 23-foot line, in a game between St. Francis (NY) and Siena. In 1961, Boston University and Dartmouth played a game with an experimental rule that counted all field goals as three points. In 1962, the St. Francis (New York) head coach, Daniel Lynch, suggested the idea of a three-point line once again to the New York Basketball Writers Association.
The first basketball league to institute the three-point rule was the American Basketball League (ABL) in 1961. The ABL commissioner, Abe Saperstein, wanted to add excitement to the game and distinguish the league from the NBA. He, along with DePaul University coach Ray Meyer, decided that 25 feet was the right distance from the basket for the three-point line. However, the other ABL owners voted to shorten the line to 22 feet.
After the ABL shut down in 1963, the three-point shot was adopted by the Eastern Professional Basketball League (later known as the Continental Basketball Association) in its 1963-64 season. The American Basketball Association (ABA) also implemented the shot for its inaugural 1967-68 season. The NBA did not adopt the three-point line until the 1979-80 season, initially on a one-year trial.
Since then, the three-point shot has become a dominant feature of modern basketball, with teams increasingly adopting offensive strategies that prioritise efficient shot attempts, including three-pointers.
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The American Basketball League introduced the rule in 1961
The three-point shot in basketball was first introduced by the American Basketball League (ABL) in 1961. Led by commissioner Abe Saperstein, the ABL was a new league at the time and sought to distinguish itself from the NBA. Saperstein believed that the three-point shot would add excitement to the game and become basketball's equivalent of the home run in baseball. He worked with DePaul University coach Ray Meyer to determine the distance of the shot from the basket, and they selected 25 feet as the right length. However, in June 1961, while Saperstein was travelling, the other ABL owners voted to shorten the distance to 22 feet. Unfortunately, the ABL ceased operations in 1963, but its legacy lived on as other leagues began to adopt the three-point shot.
The idea of a three-point shot in basketball dates back to the late 1930s, when Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, advocated for such a rule. In 1945, Oregon coach Howard Hobson organised a scrimmage between Columbia and Fordham, which was the first game to experiment with the concept. There were also one-game experiments in 1958 and 1961, further testing the concept before its official adoption by the ABL in 1961.
Following the dissolution of the ABL, the three-point shot was adopted by the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) for their 1963-64 season. The American Basketball Association (ABA) also played a significant role in popularising the three-point shot, introducing it in their inaugural 1967-68 season. ABA commissioner George Mikan believed that the three-point shot would "give the smaller player a chance to score and open up the defense to make the game more enjoyable for the fans". The ABA used the three-point shot, along with the slam dunk, as a marketing tool to compete with the NBA during the 1970s.
It wasn't until the 1979-80 season that the NBA officially adopted the three-point line, initially on a one-year trial basis. This marked a significant shift in the way NBA basketball was played, and it took time for teams to adjust their offensive strategies. Over the years, the NBA has experimented with different distances for the three-point line, ranging from 22 feet to 23 feet, 9 inches, depending on the position on the court. The introduction of the three-point shot revolutionised the game, encouraging more dynamic offensive play and providing a valuable weapon for teams looking to increase their scoring output.
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The NBA adopted the three-point line in 1979
The NBA's adoption of the three-point line in 1979 was a significant moment in the evolution of basketball, adding a new layer of strategy and excitement to the game. The three-point shot had been suggested as early as the late 1930s by Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, who envisioned it as a way to make the game more dynamic and engaging. However, it wasn't until four decades later that the idea started to gain traction.
In 1961, the American Basketball League (ABL) became the first basketball league to introduce the three-point rule. ABL commissioner Abe Saperstein, seeking to enhance the spectacle of the game and set his league apart, collaborated with DePaul University coach Ray Meyer to determine the ideal distance for the new shot line, settling on 25 feet from the basket. Unfortunately, the ABL disbanded in 1963, but its legacy lived on as the three-point shot was picked up by other leagues.
The Eastern Professional Basketball League (later known as the Continental Basketball Association) adopted the three-point rule in 1963, and the American Basketball Association (ABA) followed suit in its inaugural 1967-68 season. The ABA effectively utilised the three-point shot, along with the slam dunk, as a marketing tool to compete with the NBA during the 1970s. Despite initial resistance and scepticism, the NBA eventually recognised the growing popularity of the three-point concept and decided to give it a try.
In June 1979, the NBA introduced the three-point line for the 1979-80 season, initially on a one-year trial basis. The line was set at 23 feet, 9 inches at the top of the key, and 22 feet at the corners. On October 12, 1979, Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics made history by sinking the first official three-pointer in the NBA. The introduction of the three-point shot in the NBA marked a strategic shift in the game, providing new opportunities for players and teams to exploit and adding a new dimension to the offensive gameplay.
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The three-point shot was advocated by Dr. James Naismith, who invented basketball
The three-point shot in basketball has a long and fascinating history, with its origins dating back to the late 1930s, just a few years after Dr. James Naismith invented the game in 1891. In the final years of his life, Naismith advocated for a three-point shot to be implemented into the game, believing it would make basketball more exciting and dynamic. This suggestion, along with the idea of a shot clock, demonstrated Naismith's forward-thinking vision for the sport.
Naismith's idea for the three-point shot was similar to the offside rule in soccer. He envisioned a shooter earning three points for a successful shot if they were positioned farther from the hoop than all five defensive players. This innovative concept was ahead of its time and laid the foundation for the future evolution of basketball strategy and gameplay.
While Naismith proposed the idea in the late 1930s, it wasn't until the 1940s that the concept started to gain traction. In 1945, Oregon coach Howard Hobson organized a scrimmage between Columbia and Fordham, which was the first basketball game to experiment with the three-point line. This early attempt at a three-point shot had a 21-foot line, but it didn't stick, and the rule was not adopted.
Over the next two decades, there were a few more one-game experiments with different three-point line distances, but it wasn't until the 1960s that the idea gained more widespread attention. In 1961, the American Basketball League (ABL) became the first league to officially institute the three-point rule, with commissioner Abe Saperstein aiming to add excitement to the game and differentiate it from the NBA. The ABL's influence was short-lived, as the league shut down in 1963, but the three-point shot lived on.
The Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) adopted the shot for its 1963-64 season, and the American Basketball Association (ABA) followed suit in its inaugural 1967-68 season, using the three-point shot as a marketing tool to compete with the NBA. It took the NBA until the 1979-80 season to adopt the three-point line, initially on a one-year trial basis. This marked the beginning of a new era in basketball, with the three-point shot eventually becoming one of the most influential and exciting aspects of the modern game.
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The NBA shortened the three-point line to 22 feet in 1994
The concept of a three-point shot in basketball was first suggested by Dr James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, in the final year of his life in 1939. The first basketball league to institute the rule was the American Basketball League (ABL) in 1961, with the three-point line set at 25 feet.
In June 1961, while ABL commissioner Abe Saperstein was travelling, the other seven ABL owners voted 4-3 to shorten the line to 22 feet. However, the ABL shut down in 1963, and the three-point shot was 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.
The NBA first adopted the three-point line in 1979 for the 1979-80 season on a one-year trial. The line was set at 23 feet and 9 inches at the top of the key, and 22 feet at the corners.
In the 1994-95 season, the NBA shortened the three-point line from 23 feet and 9 inches to 22 feet around the basket to address the problem of decreased scoring. This change prompted teams to shoot more three-pointers, as the 1994-95 campaign set records in league-wide makes, attempts, and efficiency. However, it did not solve the scoring problem, as teams continued to play slower and scoring dipped to levels that hadn't been seen since the 1950s.
The NBA returned the three-point line to its original position for the 1997-98 season. It took another 20 years for scoring to return to the levels of the 1970s and 1980s. Today, three-point shooting is at an all-time high, with teams shooting twice as many threes as they did 10 years ago and almost three times as many as 20 years ago.
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Frequently asked questions
The three-point shot was first introduced in 1961 by the American Basketball League (ABL).
Abe Saperstein, commissioner of the ABL, introduced the three-point shot to add excitement to the game and distinguish the league from the NBA.
The NBA first introduced the three-point shot in 1979 for the 1979-80 season on a one-year trial basis.
The three-point shot has become the most valuable weapon in modern basketball, with teams averaging about 37.5 three-point attempts per game, a significant increase from the less than five attempts per game in the 1980s.
