The official height of an NBA rim is 10 feet from the court surface directly below. This measurement has remained constant at the high school, college and professional levels since the game was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891.
The height designated for an NBA rim has nothing to do with the actual height of players or the anticipated difficulty of making a shot. When basketball was invented at a college gymnasium in Springfield, Mass., in 1891, the baskets were nailed to the railing of the running track at 10 feet simply because that was how high the railing was and it seemed logical.
