What Is the Diameter of a Basketball Hoop?

Last Updated on September 14, 2021 by

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Basketball is a seriously fun game to watch. Ask any NBA fan and they will tell you just what a thrill it is. But recently there have been some concerns that scoring has become too easy for players. Especially for good players.

To make the game more challenging and also fun to watch for the audience, a new diameter for the basketball hoop is being put into action. So, what is the diameter of a basketball hoop?

There has been a drastic change in the rim diameter of a basketball hoop. All this is done to make the game more challenging. Let's get into that with more details.

Diameter of a Basketball Hoop

So, what is the diameter of the hoop now then? Previously, the diameter was 18 inches. After extensive research by some very smart minds, the new diameter has been set to be just 10 inches.

That’s quite the change when you consider the size of the ball itself. A standard basketball is 9 inches in diameter. That means with the new hoop, players will only have 1 inch of wiggle room left.

This amount of space is quite a bit less compared to what players have been used to so far. That means, they now need to be more accurate with each shot they take.

One thing is for sure. We are sure to see more misses. And when someone does make a crazy good shot, we will be in awe at the skill. No matter what you might think of this new size, the game will get a lot more challenging. And of course, more fun to watch.

Why Does The Diameter Matter?

The main reason why the diameter of the hoop matters is difficulty. Executive Director of Basketball Manitoba, Adam Wedlake said that they have been seeing the success rate of scoring go up drastically over the past generation.

So, something needed to be done to basically add an extra layer of challenge to the game. Of course, a more challenging game makes for a more fun experience for the audience and fans. 

There have been past attempts to make the game more difficult. A lot of things have been tried. The shot clock was set to 12 seconds, the height of the basket was raised and also the size of the ball was increased. 

Unfortunately, all these experiments didn’t really make the game that difficult. So, something new had to be done at this point. 

Changing the size of the rim seemed to be the only solution to make the game more challenging and fun.

Conclusion

When a super popular sport like basketball makes some drastic moves to make the game more challenging, we can’t help but appreciate the effort. If you ever wondered what is the diameter of a basketball hoop, hopefully, you know it now.

We are sure that hardcore basketball fans can't wait to see this size in action. How will players take the shots? What new element of surprise is to be seen in the games? We surely can’t wait for what’s to come!

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