The measurements of American and international basketball courts differ slightly. The basketball court is a rectangular area ranging in size from about 29 m by 15 m (about 94 ft by 50 ft) to about 22 m by 13 m (about 74 ft by 42 ft). At each end of the court is a vertical backboard, measuring usually about 2 m by 1 m (about 6 ft by 4 ft). Each backboard is anchored to a wall, suspended from the ceiling, or otherwise mounted so that its lower edge is about 2.7 m (about 9 ft) above the court. (Backboards originated to keep spectators from interfering with the game.) The baskets are attached firmly to the backboards about 3 m (about 10 ft) above the playing surface. Each basket is about 46 cm (about 18 in) in diameter and consists of a horizontal hoop, or metal ring, from which a fringe of wide-meshed white netting is hung. The regulation basketball is an inflated, leather- or nylon-covered sphere that weighs from 567 to 624 g (20 to 22 oz) and has a circumference of about 76 cm (about 30 in).

A conventional basketball team, which is directed by a coach, is made up of two forwards, two guards, and a center. At the beginning of play, called the opening jump, the forwards of one team are stationed in the forecourt—that is, the half of the playing area containing the basket at which their team is shooting. The two guards stand in the backcourt. The center, usually the tallest player on the team, stands inside a circle that has a radius of about 61 cm (about 24 in) and is located midway along a line painted across the center of the court.