Comparing Different Sport Court Sizes

With the sport of pickleball becoming increasingly popular so quickly, some people are curious how the dimensions of a pickleball court might compare to one of a basketball court or a tennis court.

When you first just take a naked eye look at the size difference of a pickleball court versus a basketball court, it might seem abundantly clear how different they are. While they are very different in size, it might not be as big of a difference as you think.

Let’s begin by going through the dimensions of a typical pickleball court, which you can find all the details on in another article of ours here. Understanding the dimensions of a pickleball court can help players better understand the game and rules as they play. It can also be important to know if you are deciding to put a home pickleball or basketball court in your own yard.

Pickleball Courts

A standard pickleball court is a 20 foot by 44-foot rectangle shape for both singles and doubles pickleball matches. This is very similar to the badminton court used for doubles and mixed doubles. The pickleball net is normally 36 inches at the posts or sidelines as well as 34 inches at the center. The typically recommended minimum indoor pickleball court height for net clearance is 18 feet tall. The minimum playing ‘surface area’ is 30 feet wide and 60 feet long. The net posts should go past the sidelines, typically recommended around 1 foot past the sidelines. The left and the right service areas are 10 feet wide and 15 feet long. The two ‘non-volley zones,’ otherwise better known as the kitchen, should extend 7 feet on each net side.

Basketball Court Comparison

Now that we know all the technical measurements and dimensions that are typically seen within a pickleball court, we can now go into a normal basketball court and how that compares.

It is important to note that basketball courts can be different sizes depending on what level of play is competing at the court. For this, let’s reference an NBA style basketball court. Another important fact to make note of is that a pickleball court and a tennis court are different sizes from one another. A pickleball court is much smaller than a tennis court.

Most professional NBA basketball courts are 50 feet x 94 feet. If we say the minimum play area is around 30 x 60 feet, three pickleball courts can fit inside of one whole NBA size basketball court. It is often common for people to set up recreational pickleball matches on a basketball court, but it is very important to be aware of the measurements and consider putting tape down to make sure the differences are clear on the court. The basketball court is made bigger to allow players more room for fast-paced, competitive running and play. Pickleball rules and regulations do not require a court as big of a size as a basketball court.

Tennis Court Comparison

While it may be beneficial to know the amount of pickleball courts can fit onto a basketball court, a lot of people often are curious how similar a tennis court and a pickleball court are in size. The answer is not very similar. Technically, you can fit up to four pickleball courts on a standard size tennis court – a tennis court being 60’ wide, and 120’ long. In simpler words, an easy way to figure out the outline of a single pickleball court is by looking at the center of a tennis court – 20’ W x 30’ L. Once the lines are drawn out and established which court is which, you can play pickleball on a tennis court very easily! 

ONIX offers a Professional Pickleball Net you can own today for a pickleball court; check it out at the link here. Check out all things onixpickleball.com including other important information and pickleball articles and tips at the page here.