History of the Three-Point Line

The history of the three-point line is a story of innovators attempting to even the playing field and improve the game of basketball. The 3-point shot truly is "the great equalizer". It gives the little guys a chance in a game otherwise dominated by size. Watch one round of the NCAA tournament, and you'll see that it affords less athletically gifted teams a chance as well. Team A can shoot 33% on three-pointers and Team B can shoot 50% on two-point shots, and they will score roughly the same number of points. Ends of games are much closer and much more entertaining than they would be without the 3-point line as a weapon. Maybe most of all, the 3-pointer is one of the more exciting plays in sports. Like a home run, fans hold their breath as the ball soars through the air, waiting to erupt into pandemonium whether it be a swish or a clank.

Many current basketball players and fans cannot imagine the game they love without the three-point shot. For most of basketball's history, however, the three-point line has not existed. It took the visions of a few trailblazers to establish a rule change that would become as much a part of the game as the ball and basket.

It is difficult to pinpoint a definite "inventor" of the three-point line. It has been said that great minds think alike, and this is a case where it appears that several individuals formulated the idea of the basketball rule independently.

The first traces in the history of the three-point line are linked to a man by the name of Herman Sayger. Sayger was a standout high school athlete in the state of Indiana before he became an athletic director and coach at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio. It was there, back in 1933, that Sayger was said to have devised a new scoring system; shots 15 feet and in = 1 point, shots from 15-25 feet = 2 points, shots outside of 25 feet = 3 points. Personally, I would be interested to see if Sayger's rules would have any effect on the lost art of the mid-range jump shot. However, there is no record of Herman Sayger's rules ever being employed in an actual game.

Howard Hobson was the basketball coach at the University of Oregon from 1936-1947. During his time as coach he led the Ducks to the 1939 NCAA basketball championship. He also endeavored into a 13 year study of basketball that resulted in a doctoral thesis at Columbia University in 1944. It would later become a book entitled Scientific Basketball. In it, one of the suggestions Hobson made was a 3-point line. A member of the NCAA Rules Committee, Hobson tested his three-point field goal in a 1945 game between Columbia and Fordham.

Eddie Ríos Mellado of Puerto Rico is another one of the firsts to implement the line. Members of the FIBA Americas have even sought to prove him as the inventor of the 3-point shot. The teacher was director of sports at the Caparra Country Club in 1962 when he decided to create a basketball league for small children of the ages six to ten. He created a three-point shot as an incentive for shorter players. The three-pointer would also be used an international tournament hosted by Puerto Rico.

The American Basketball League became the first professional organization to utilize a three-point line. The league began play in 1961, but was short-lived. It folded after one and a half seasons. The Eastern Professional Basketball league, later known as the CBA, employed a three-point arc for its 1964-1965 season.

The 3-pointer's first true claim to fame was brought about by the American Basketball Association (ABA). Along with an emphasis on running and gunning, the slam dunk, and its red, white, and blue ball, the ABA used the three-pointer to compete with the NBA. The league operated from 1967-1976 until it merged with the NBA (The Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Nets, and Indiana Pacers joined the NBA). During its operation, the ABA proved that the style of basketball the 3-point line induced was one that fans enjoyed.

The NBA first adopted the 3-point field goal in the 1979-1980 season. The arc was 23'9" from the basket along the arc except in the corners where it was 22 feet to give enough distance from the sideline. It took a while for players and coaches to understand how to best utilize the shot. In its inaugural season, the 3-point shot was mostly used in late game scenarios. It didn't help that only nine players in the entire league shot over 33 percent from 3-point land. The shot really caught on in the mid-to-late 80's with the help of more 3-point specialists and Larry Bird's showing in the 3-Point Contest. Danny Ainge made 148 three-pointers to lead the league in 1987-1988. Up to that point, no one had made over 100 in a season. Since then, the league leader has never made less than 150 in a full NBA season.

In an effort to boost scoring, the NBA briefly altered the length of the three-point arc. Starting with the 1994-1995 season, the line was shortened to 22 feet around the entire arc. The line was moved back to its original distance for the 1997-1998 season and has remained there ever since.

The NCAA began experimentation with the 3-point line in 1980. During that season, the Southern Conference used a 22 foot three-point arc. Other conferences such as the ACC (17'9") operated with arcs of different lengths over the course of the early 80's. It was clear that the shot was needed. Teams didn't have to defend the perimeter, and games were pound-it-in blood bashes. One of the most important figures in the history of the three point line, rules editor Ed Steitz, conducted extensive research on the effect of introducing the new shot. He experimented until he found the optimal distance (19'9") so that players would shoot around 36-38 percent. The introduction of the line in 1986-1987 was welcomed with discontent. At the beginning of the season, 65% of coaches voted that they were not in favor of the new basketball rule. However, by the end of the season 80% were in favor of the rule. As we all know, it has come to be an integral part of the collegiate game.

FIBA introduced the 3-pointer in 1984 at a distance of 20.5 feet. It has since been extended, most recently in 2010.

This concludes "The History of the Three-Point Line". Next time you see a player can a 3-pointer, hopefully you'll know a little bit more about how the 3-point shot came to be.