Joanna

In basketball, ISO stands for isolation—an offensive strategy in which two players compete one-on-one in an attempt to score. This strategy is often seen during the last few minutes of the game when the offense hands the ball to the team’s best ball handler to challenge the defender in isolation.

When the ball is handed off to the team’s chosen player, the rest of the teammates will strategically clear out of the way but still be available if needed, creating a one-on-one scoring opportunity. The chosen player has the skills necessary to maneuver the ball around the opponent and get to the basket.

The tactic is rarely used intentionally, more often as a desperate measure in the game’s last minutes.

The regulation height of a basketball hoop in the NBA league is 10 feet/3,048 meters from the ground. 

A height has remained unchanged since the inception of the game because it was and still is challenging enough for the players to need a certain skill set in an attempt to score. Another reason the height stayed the same is the universality that allows the athletes to practice and refine their skills in an unchanging environment.

This height became standard in 1891 when James Naismith invented basketball and nailed the peach basket, which later, in 1906, became hoops with nets that we are familiar with today.

Read Next: When Did The 3-Point Line Start? – History And Evolution

After three experimental games over a period of 16 years, the three-point line was first accepted by the ABL (American Basketball League) in 1961 at Commissioner Abe Saperstein’s discretion, who wanted to add excitement to the game.

The first introduction of a three-point line rule was in a 1945 college game between Columbia and Fordham. The line was at 21 feet. The rule did not leave a good impression, so it was not kept.

Undeterred by the initial setback, a second trial of the three-point line was conducted in 1958 during a match between St. Francis and Siena. This time, the line was extended to 23 feet, indicating a continued effort to find the right balance in the game.

One more experiment game was in 1961 when Boston University and Dartmouth counted all field goals as three-pointers.

In 1961, the ABL board voted that the 3-point line should be at the 22-foot mark. From that point, years of change were ahead that moved the line back and forth, trying to find the perfect balance between challenging and improbable.

Today, the mark of the three-point line depends on the league. In the NBA, for example, the line is at 23ft 9in.

The official scorer’s report shows the first three-point field goal in NBA history on October 12, 1979.