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imo the NBA should raise the rim to 11 feet

right now, a very lot of players can go up to about the top of the backboard - about 13 feet up - the players have evolved so much

when I first noticed this years ago I thought it was really cool
but now I don't - it's getting kinna tired

the players sometimes look like they're playing on a miniature court

if they raised it - it would create a new and exciting competition for rebounds and blocked shots in the low post
a lot of the 7 footers barely have to jump to get rebounds anymore - if they raised it they would have to jump - and timing would be more important

and it would bring a new and maybe difficult and surely interesting challenge to the outside shooters

if they don't do it - and as far as I know there's nothing in the works - I believe in about 10 years you will have many guys that can go up about a foot over the top of the backboard

that's when I will lose interest completely and stop watching



the first pro leagues were founded in 1898 - (not the NBA - it was called the National Basketball League)

at that time - there were probably not more than a couple of players on each team who could jump up and touch the rim

it's really time for a change


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The obvious issue with this is 'when' do you raise the rim? Do you go to 10'6" in college and then the other 6"? The idea that not everyone will be able to dunk is intriguing I guess, but is that really what the fans want? Due to the size and speed of the current athletes they've had to control how physical the game is played .. so the collisions at the rim are just about the only thing left to 'watch for' (similar to crashes at NASCAR).

The game did evolve with the 3-pointer and those lines have been adjusted for age and ability over time.

Along the same lines is the pitcher's mound distance from home plate. Typically the 'real' baseball diamond is in use around 6-8th grade and never changes other than maybe the outfield fences. There is something to be said about the height of the pitchers mound impacting the game, but I don't see 'too many' pitchers dominating right now.

Good fodder .. hopefully there's a little bit of chatter .. GL

Did you know that the last time the high jump world record was broken, Steve Nash hadn't started his second year of college?

there is very little correlation between the high jump in track and basketball players jumping on a basketbal court

this is what I know:

except for Chamberlain and Jabbar, back in the day - there were zero players who could go to the top of the backboard - on their dunks they were at the most 11.5 feet up

it's not all that long ago

but maybe it will be longer than 10 years before they can go a foot over the top of the backboard - I dunno - but it will definitely happen



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Hmm, I stand corrected. None of the jump world records being improved in over a quarter of a century is clearly irrelevant to the peaks of human physical achievement and we'll be witnessing NBA Jam for real unless something is done now!

it's not only jumping ability - the players are getting taller too

not all that long ago 7 footers were rare - now it's rare for a team not to have one or one close to 7 feet

the players at the other positions are taller now too - 6'6" guards and 6/10" forwards




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I think the better argument to make is that due to better nutrition, physical training, etc, we are seeing taller players with more athletic capabilities in greater numbers.

Due to the size difference, raising the rim could be a consideration as well as making the court larger to give these guys more space to operate. You could argue that having more space leads to a more entertaining product.

In 30 years video game basketball will be more popular than real basketball. And we'll be lefthipsters with scrawny calves who can't dunk playing it ironically IRL. So it will all come full circle.

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this is 6'10" George Mikan, the tallest and greatest player of his day on a dunk around 1950

today, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of high school guards 5'11" who can crush that


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I had a 5'11 guy in my middle school 25 years ago who could dunk. He didn't end up doing anything notable athleticly.

maybe he would've if the net was 11'

I would agree. When the NBA first started rims were 10 feet and if you were 6'4 you were a center. 10 feet is OK for high school ball but NBA should be 11 feet

if i were making changes i'd go with eliminating the corner three and going to the slanted out foul lane first.

https://runrepeat.com/height-evolution-in-the-nba

Also, 7-footers haven't been that rare since about 1960 and the share of 7-footers in the league is the lowest since the early-80's.

The game's also far more perimeter-oriented than it's ever been - what problem are you trying to solve here?

Humans can’t evolve that fast. There are more seven footers because of globalization.

Why does it matter if lots of people can dunk? Does it make the game better if you see more breakaway layups instead of dunks?

it doesn't matter to me if lots can dunk

I don't enjoy watching a game where so many players can go up to 13 feet and the rim is set at only 10 feet

it just doesn't ssem right to me

again, why would you have the basket as the same height as when pro leagues first formed in 1898 - when there were probably only a couple of players on each team who could jump up and touch the rim_________?

shooting a layup over a defender trying to block your shot can be an artful thing - much more so than just slamming the ball - the dunks that look so spectacular to others no longer look that way to me anymore

it's gotten real tired imo -



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This seems like an old man yells at cloud moment ignoring that the current NBA champions seemingly shoot nothing but threes

Lower it to 9 feet so the dunk contest stops sucking.

When the game was invented the rim was 10 feet. They did not anticipate guys so big and so athletic with arms that hang down to their knees. It will never happen because they want to make offense as easy as possible, but I agree a 10 foot rim is just too easy for these athletic freaks of today. What would happen if they kept golf courses the same dimensions today as they were in 1950? It would be ridiculous

When the game was invented, it was played with a peach basket, a soccer ball and there was no dribbling. It's absurdly silly to use that as a frame of reference for how the game should look like today. Also, this idea that the game is too easy for big athletic people has been around for literally longer than most of us have been alive - after all, the percentage of 7-footers in the NBA today is comparable to 60 years ago, when big centers were more dominant than they are today. A major rule change already addressed this issue decades ago - it's called the 3-point shot.

Widen the court and eliminate short corner 3. Most agree with that adjustment would improve the game. There has been discussion of 4 pt shot which would be hilarious to see as some coaches/orgs would adjust way quicker than others.

Award defensive team 1 pt for an offensive FG miss or no FG attempt. Exception for defensive foul.

Review all fouls during breaks, and take FTs at end of quarter. Play last 5 minutes of 4th quarter same as now.

Lower the rim to make the game more accessible to non-freaks.

Disclaimer: I know **** all about the sport.

When was the last time the court dimensions were changed in the NBA?
When was the last time the field dimensions were changed in the NFL?
When was the last time the diamond dimensions were changed in MLB? (mound height notwithstanding)
While for many years NHL rinks were not standardized, when was the last time those dimensions were noticeably changed?
When was the last time the hole and ball dimensions were changed in golf?
When was the last time bowling alley dimensions were changed?
When was the last time tennis court dimensions were changed?

And concerning rebounding, why would the height of the rim make any difference on whether or not a player has to jump to get it? If a 7-footer is not jumping to get a board then he's collecting the ball at roughly 8 feet. Everybody on the floor can get that board if they happen to be around it.

Some people want change just for the sake of change, and that's never good.