Netball vs Basketball

Netball and basketball share an ancestor and a ring height. Almost everything else is different.

This guide sets out those differences with the official figures — court, scoring, movement, positions, contact and equipment — and clears up a piece of shared history that is very often told wrong.

Same origin, two separate sports

Basketball came first. James Naismith invented it in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891, and within a year Senda Berenson had adapted the rules for women at Smith College.

What happened next is where the two accounts usually get tangled.

What Clara Baer actually did

Clara Baer, a sports teacher in New Orleans, wrote to Naismith asking for a copy of the rules. The package contained a drawing of the court with lines pencilled across it, simply to show the areas various players could best patrol. Baer misinterpreted the lines and thought players could not leave those areas — and in 1899 her mistake was ratified into the rules of women’s basketball as zones.

That happened in America, and it produced zoned women’s basketball, not netball.

How netball actually developed

Netball’s line runs through England. In 1895, Dr Justin Toles visited Madame Österberg’s Physical Training College at Hampstead and taught the students basketball indoors, with no printed rules, no lines, circles or boundaries, and two wastepaper baskets hung on the walls as goals.

Revisions followed a visit in 1897 from another American teacher, Miss Porter of Baltimore. By then the sport had acquired the name “net ball” to reflect the change from baskets to rings, and was played on outdoor grass courts divided into three parts with a larger ball.

Our guide to who invented netball covers the full sequence.

Court comparison

A netball court is longer and marginally wider. Netball is 30.5m by 15.25m, and an international basketball court is 28m by 15m.

The internal geometry is where they stop resembling each other. Netball has two transverse lines dividing the court into three equal thirds, and a semi-circular goal circle of 4.9m radius at each end. Basketball has a halfway line, a key, a free-throw line and a three-point arc at 6.75m under FIBA rules.

Neither layout substitutes for the other. A netball match cannot sensibly be played on basketball markings.

Lines mean opposite things

This is a genuine trap for anyone crossing between the codes. In netball, all lines are part of the court area they outline — stand on a line and you are in that area.

In basketball, the boundary lines are out of bounds. Touch the sideline with the ball and possession is turned over. Same paint, opposite meaning.

Full netball measurements are in our court dimensions guide.

Scoring

Both rings sit at 3.05m. That’s where the similarity ends.

A basketball rim has an inside diameter of 450–459mm, with a backboard behind it that can be used deliberately or bail out a near miss.

A netball ring has an internal diameter of 380mm, attached to a 150mm bar projecting from the front of the post, with a net open at top and bottom. There is no backboard.

Run the numbers and the gap widens further. A men’s basketball is about 238mm across, so the rim is roughly 1.9 times the ball’s width. A netball is about 222mm across, so the ring is roughly 1.7 times. Netball offers a smaller target, a tighter margin, and no second chance off the glass.

That’s why netball shooting technique is built around a high, soft arc. Research measured an average release angle of 59.8 degrees from the horizontal, with the most accurate shooters applying backspin of 1 to 1.5 revolutions to reduce ball speed on impact with the ring.

Points

Basketball awards one, two or three points depending on where the shot is taken.

Netball’s base rule is one point per goal, but that is no longer universal. Netball New Zealand introduced a two-point shot to the ANZ Premiership in 2025, active in the final five minutes of each quarter, from at least 3.5 metres out. Fast5 goes further, with three scoring zones — three points from outside the goal circle, and the circle itself split into two-point and one-point zones.

More on the hardware in our netball hoop guide.

Movement

This is the single biggest difference, and the one that changes how each game looks.

Basketball is built on dribbling. A player can cover the whole court alone, provided they keep bouncing the ball. Once they pick it up, they have limited steps before travelling is called.

Netball bans it entirely. When a player lands on one foot, that foot becomes the landing foot: they may step with the other foot and pivot as often as they like, but must release the ball before re-grounding the landing foot, and cannot drag, slide or hop. They also may not bounce the ball and regain possession.

And the clock is running: a netballer has three seconds to pass or shoot. A basketballer can hold the ball far longer if not closely guarded.

The consequence is structural. In basketball, an individual can advance the ball. In netball, only a pass can. Our footwork guide covers the rule in detail.

Positions

Basketball fields five per side. Positions describe roles — point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, centre — but not permissions. Any player can go anywhere and any player can shoot.

Netball fields seven per side, each wearing position initials 150mm high, front and back: GS, GA, WA, C, WD, GD, GK. All players have specified areas of the court where they are allowed to play.

Straying outside your area is offside, whether or not you touch the ball. And only two of the seven — GS and GA — may shoot, and only from inside the goal circle.

Our netball positions guide sets out each one’s area.

Contact and defending

Basketball permits controlled contact: defenders can hold position, box out and use their body legally within limits.

Netball is a non-contact sport, and adds a spacing rule with no basketball equivalent. A defender must be at least 0.9m from the nearest part of the grounded landing foot of the player in possession before defending the ball.

Worth being precise here, because it’s often misstated: the defender does not have to retreat when a catch is made. They can stand wherever they like. What they cannot do is defend the ball from closer than 0.9m. And if the player in possession pivots, the nearest part of the landing foot may change, and the defender must adjust so that their nearer foot is not less than 0.9m from where the landing foot is now grounded.

The balls

A senior netball is size 5, measuring 690–710mm in circumference and weighing 400–450 grams.

A FIBA size 7 men’s basketball is 749–780mm and 567–650 grams. The women’s size 6 is 724–737mm and 510–567 grams.

So even against the women’s ball, a netball is smaller and lighter.

The construction differs too. Basketballs are built to bounce predictably off a hard floor, because the whole game depends on it. Netballs are not — dribbling is illegal, so the surface is optimised for grip in the hands rather than rebound off the ground, which matters in New Zealand where much of the season is played outdoors in the wet.

Inflation reflects this: basketballs run around 7.5 to 8.5 psi, while netballs are inflated to 10psi.

Choosing between them

If a child is deciding, the honest framing is what each sport asks of them.

Netball rewards precise passing, spatial discipline, quick decision-making in a confined role, and shooting accuracy under pressure. Basketball rewards individual ball handling, versatility across the whole floor, and comfort with physical contact.

Neither is a simplified version of the other. They ask for different things.

New to netball? Start with our guide to how to play netball and the current rules.

This article is provided for factual and informational purposes only. Rules and specifications are set by World Netball and FIBA respectively and change over time — for current rules see World Netball and FIBA. Competition-specific variations, such as the two-point shot, are set by individual leagues. Details on this page were verified in August 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between netball and basketball?

Movement. Basketball players dribble and can cover the whole court individually. Netball bans dribbling and running with the ball, restricts each player to set areas of the court, and gives them three seconds to pass or shoot.

Are netball and basketball hoops the same height?

Yes, both are 3.05 metres to the top of the ring. But a basketball rim is 450–459mm across with a backboard, while a netball ring is 380mm with no backboard at all.

Which court is bigger?

Netball. A netball court is 30.5m by 15.25m; an international basketball court is 28m by 15m.

Can everyone score in netball?

No. Only the goal shooter and goal attack may shoot, and only from inside the goal circle. In basketball all five players can score.

Is a netball goal always worth one point?

Not any more in every competition. The base rule is one point, but the ANZ Premiership uses a two-point shot in the last five minutes of each quarter, and Fast5 uses one, two and three-point zones.

Why can’t netball defenders stand close?

They can stand where they like — but they cannot defend the ball unless they are at least 0.9m from the attacker’s landing foot. If the attacker pivots, the defender must adjust to maintain that distance.

Did netball come from women’s basketball?

Indirectly. Basketball was adapted for women in the US in 1892, and Clara Baer’s misreading of a court diagram put zones into American women’s basketball in 1899. Netball developed separately in England from 1895, adding rings, nets and thirds by 1897.