How to Paint a Basketball Court

If you and your kids are basketball lovers, you can improve your game and enjoy hours of fun with a paint-it-yourself basketball court on your driveway or parking lot. Anyone can shoot hoops, but knowing how to draw the lines of the basketball court will up your game and help you ace the competition! All you need is an accurate ruler and tape measure, a paintbrush, and a can of white paint.

Step One: Basketball Court Dimensions

Before you grab your paintbrush, first measure and mark your court with sidewalk chalk or any other erasable crayon or tool. Once your diagram is complete, let the painting begin...

The dimensions of your homemade basketball court will depend on the size of your space. Here are some figures to guide you:

•- NBA/NCAA regulation basketball court dimensions are 94' long by 50' wide

•- High School basketball court dimensions are 84' long by 50' wide

•- Junior. High School basketball court dimensions are 74' long by 42' wide

If you are short on space, painting a half-court will suffice for at-home fun and practice.

Step Two: Placing the Backboard

A basketball backboard, whether installed or painted over the garage, on the side of a house, or on a pole, should be four feet from the outside court line behind the basket (the baseline). In turn, there should be six inches between the basket rim and the backboard, with the top of the basket rim at a height of 10 feet.

Step Three: Painting the Free-Throw Line

With measuring tape or your feet, count out 19 feet from the baseline behind the basket to the free-throw line; calculated another way, the free-throw line should be painted 15 feet from the backboard.

Step Four: Painting the Basketball Court Key

The key measures 12 feet wide across the middle next to the free-throw line. The blocks which form the base of the key near the basket should measure 12 inches wide and eight inches deep. On both sides of the basket, the three tabs next to the blocks measure two inches wide and eight inches deep, with a three-foot width between each tab.

Step Five: Painting the Circle and Three-Point Line

These are the trickiest parts of painting a basketball court since they are curved. The circle above the key has a six-foot radius or a 12-foot diameter (the same width as the free-throw line). The three-point line overlaps the circle briefly, where it measures out 21 feet, and then continues out in a straight line, finally curving back toward the baseline, all the while measuring 19 feet, nine inches. .

Basketball Court Paint and Stencil Kits

An easier alternative is purchasing one of many available basketball tape kits that are pre-cut, pre-measured, and come with easy-to-follow instructions. You can also buy a basketball stenciling kit - simply lay the stencils out on your driveway, tape them down, and then roll or brush the paint over them. A free paint roller is often included.

Finally, you can customize your basketball court by using a number of different paint colors within the body and key of the basketball court. If you add some outdoor lighting and a scoreboard, you'll be playing like a pro in no time!