The free throw line in basketball is 15 feet (about 4.57 meters) from the center of the hoop in most standard courts.

Basic measurement

  • Distance from hoop: 15 feet (4.57 m) from the center of the rim to the front (shooter’s side) of the free throw line in standard U.S. play (NBA, NCAA, high school).
  • Line length: The free throw line itself is 12 feet (3.66 m) wide across the lane.
  • Court levels: NBA, WNBA, NCAA, and most high school courts all use this same 15‑foot free throw distance, so your form transfers well between levels.

Small international nuance

  • FIBA note: International courts list the distance as 4.6 m (about 15.09 ft) from the backboard, which effectively keeps the shooting distance right around 15 feet from the hoop.

Simple way to visualize

Imagine standing directly in front of the hoop on the court: if you walk about five big adult steps straight out from the basket, that’s roughly where the free throw line sits.

TL;DR: The answer to “how far is the free throw line” is 15 feet from the hoop on standard basketball courts.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.