It feels like the three-point shot has been around since the dawn of time, or at least since James Naismith hung up those first peach baskets in Springfield. But it hasn't. Not even close. If you watch old footage of Bob Cousy or George Mikan, the floor looks cramped, the paint is a mosh pit, and nobody is standing twenty-five feet away from the rim. Because why would they? Back then, a shot from the logo was just a bad decision that earned you a seat on the bench. People often ask when did the 3 pointer start, expecting a single date, but the truth is a lot messier and spans decades of experiments, failures, and professional grudges.
Basketball was a different beast in the 1940s and 50s. It was a game of giants. If you were tall, you stood near the hoop and dropped the ball in. Simple. The problem was that the game started getting boring for some fans. It was static. To fix this, a few visionaries thought, "Hey, what if we rewarded guys for actually having range?"
The Forgotten Origins of the Long Shot
The very first time we saw a three-point line in a high-stakes game wasn't in the NBA. It was actually a collegiate experiment. On February 7, 1945, Columbia played Fordham. They used a 21-foot line. It was a one-off thing, a glimpse into a future that nobody was quite ready for yet. Honestly, the basketball world mostly ignored it. They thought it was a gimmick, like a circus act.
Then came Howard Hobson. He was the coach at the University of Oregon, and he was obsessed with the idea of balancing the game. He felt the big man had too much power. He pushed for a three-point line and even advocated for widening the lane to keep the centers from camping out. Hobson was ahead of his time, but the powers that be in the NCAA and the early pro leagues weren't interested in radical changes. They liked their game exactly how it was: slow, physical, and dominated by the guys who were 6'10".
The ABL's Brief Flash of Brilliance
If you want to pin down a specific year for the pro game, 1961 is your best bet. That’s when the American Basketball League (ABL) launched. The commissioner was Abe Saperstein—the guy who founded the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein knew entertainment. He knew that fans wanted to see something spectacular. He realized that a shot from distance was exciting, so he officially instituted the three-point line for the ABL's inaugural season.
He wanted to give the "little man" a chance to compete with the giants. It worked, sort of. But the ABL folded in 1963. When the league died, the three-point line almost went with it. The NBA, being the established, "serious" league, looked at the ABL's innovations as nothing more than cheap marketing tricks. They wanted no part of it.
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The ABA: Making the Three-Pointer Cool
We can't talk about when did the 3 pointer start without giving massive credit to the American Basketball Association (ABA). This was the league of the red, white, and blue ball. It was the league of Dr. J and massive afros. When the ABA launched in 1967, they grabbed the three-point shot and made it their signature move.
George Mikan, the first commissioner of the ABA (and a former NBA superstar who once dominated the paint), actually became one of its biggest champions. He said the three-pointer would "give the smaller player a chance to score and open up the defense." He was right. It changed the geometry of the court. Defenses had to stretch out. You couldn't just pack the paint anymore because someone like Louie Dampier would bury a shot from the wing and kill you.
The ABA used the three-pointer as a weapon to distinguish itself from the "stodgy" NBA. It was flashy. It was high-scoring. It was fun. But even then, most basketball purists hated it. They called it the "home run" of basketball, and not in a good way. They thought it rewarded luck over skill.
The 1979 Merger Aftermath
When the NBA and ABA merged in 1976, the NBA didn't keep the three-pointer. Not at first. They brought over the four teams—the Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, and Spurs—but they left the line behind. For three years, the NBA remained a two-point-only league. It wasn't until the 1979-1980 season that the NBA finally caved.
Why did they do it? Honestly, they needed a spark. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were entering the league as rookies. The league was looking for ways to boost television ratings and modernize the product. So, they decided to try the three-point line on a "one-year experimental basis."
On October 12, 1979, Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics hit the first official three-pointer in NBA history. It wasn't a buzzer-beater. It wasn't a step-back. It was just a shot from the corner. But it changed everything. Or, well, it started to.
The Slow Adoption Curve
Even after the line was painted on the floor, teams didn't use it. Coaches hated it. In that first 1979 season, teams averaged less than three attempts per game. Total. Not per player—per team. Most players only shot them if the shot clock was dying or if they were down by three at the buzzer.
Think about Larry Bird. We remember him as one of the greatest shooters ever. In his rookie year, he only made 58 threes. In today's NBA, Stephen Curry might make that many in a single week if he’s feeling hot. The league just didn't understand the math yet. They didn't realize that $3 \times 33%$ is the same as $2 \times 50%$. The analytics revolution was decades away.
International and Olympic Adoption
While the NBA was slowly warming up to the long ball, the rest of the world was watching. FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, didn't adopt the three-pointer until 1984. They introduced it after the Los Angeles Olympics.
Interestingly, the FIBA line was closer than the NBA line. For a long time, the international line sat at 6.25 meters (about 20 feet, 6 inches), while the NBA's was 23 feet, 9 inches at the top of the arc. This discrepancy created a weird dynamic where American players would go to the Olympics and find the line incredibly easy, while international players coming to the NBA had to adjust to a much deeper shot.
The Mid-90s Experiment
There was a weird period from 1994 to 1997 where the NBA actually moved the line in. They shortened it to a uniform 22 feet all the way around. They did this because scoring had plummeted. The "Bad Boy" Pistons and the physical defenses of the early 90s had turned games into grind-fests.
The result? Players went nuts. Steve Kerr and John Stockton saw their percentages skyrocket. But the league eventually felt it made the game too easy. It took away the skill required for the long-range shot. In 1997, they moved it back to its original distance, except for the corners, which remain shorter to this day because otherwise, the shooter would be standing out of bounds.
The Modern Era: The "Pace and Space" Revolution
It took about thirty years for coaches to finally "get" the three-pointer. It wasn't until the mid-2000s with Mike D'Antoni's "Seven Seconds or Less" Phoenix Suns that the league truly started to prioritize the shot. Then came the Golden State Warriors.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson didn't just use the three-pointer; they weaponized it in a way that had never been seen. They proved you could win a championship by shooting more threes than twos. Now, we see centers like Brook Lopez and Joel Embiid hanging out at the perimeter. The game has been completely inverted.
Common Misconceptions About the Three-Pointer
- Myth: The NBA invented it. Nope. As we saw, the ABL and ABA were doing it way before the NBA ever considered it.
- Myth: Everyone loved it immediately. Most coaches actually viewed it as a sign of weakness for years. They wanted the ball in the post.
- Myth: The line has always been the same distance. It has moved several times in different leagues and even within the NBA itself.
Why the Three-Pointer Still Matters
The evolution of the shot is about more than just points. It's about space. By forcing defenders to guard players 25 feet from the hoop, it opens up lanes for drives and cuts. It’s made the game more athletic and less about raw size.
When you look back at when did the 3 pointer start, you see a reflection of basketball’s growth from a regional sport to a global entertainment powerhouse. It was a tool designed to fix a "broken" game, and it ended up redefining what the game could be.
How to Improve Your Own Long-Range Game
If you're looking to take advantage of this history on the court yourself, focus on these three things:
- Lower Body Power: The power for a long-distance shot doesn't come from your wrists; it comes from your legs. Work on your "dip" and your upward explosion.
- The "One Motion" Technique: Modern shooters like Curry use a one-motion shot where the ball doesn't stop. This is more efficient for deep shots than the classic two-motion "jump shot" of the 80s.
- Corner Specialist: If you're struggling with the distance, start in the corners. The line is nearly two feet closer in the corners than at the top of the key. It's the most efficient shot in basketball.
Track your shots from different spots on the floor to find your "hot zones." Most players find they have a natural side of the court where their elbow alignment is more consistent. Find that spot, master it, and then expand your range.
For those interested in the deep analytics of the game, check out sites like Basketball-Reference or KenPom for college stats. They offer a granular look at how the three-point shot has fundamentally altered win percentages over the last decade. You can actually see the moment the "mid-range" shot started to die and the "corner three" became king.
Study the shooting forms of the greats, but don't just mimic them. Find the mechanics that work for your specific height and strength. The three-pointer is now the most important skill in the game—knowing its history is just the first step to mastering its future.