Does it count as three points if you dunk or layup the ball from the 3-point line?

The 3 point shot has changed and revolutionized the game of basketball. Teams are shooting a record number of shots from the line than in past years. Some hate it but most fans love it as it leads to higher scoring games and opens up the game to more highlight plays.

Can a player attempt a layup or dunk from the three-point line and would it count as 3 points? If an athlete was gifted enough to jump from behind the three-point line and dunk or lay it in, the basket would count as three points, not two. Where ever the player jumps from and lands has no effect on if the basket is worth two or three points.

What exactly are the rules when shooting three-point shots? We will be covering a lot of questionable scenarios you may have wondered about while watching or playing basketball. What counts as only 2 points and what is a guaranteed 3 points when shooting from the line that is 23 feet 9 inches from the basket.

Can you attempt a three-point layup or even dunk? Will it count as three points?

Yes! Many often wonder can you attempt a layup from the three-point line and would it count as three points?. We often see a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo steal the ball at halfcourt and takes one or two steps to get to the rim with only one dribble. He looks as if he could have easily jumped behind the three-point line and easily lay the ball in.

But then here lies the reality, laying the basketball up from the three-point line is a very difficult shot to make. There is a lot of room for error. If you were to lay up the basketball from the three-point line you would be laying it up underhand rather than overhand.

Laying the basketball up underhand easier than overhand but is still difficult and there’s more room for error for the basketball to roll off the rim, making it difficult to make the basket consistently. You are better off getting close to the basket and make the easy dunk or layup for an easy two.

Would a dunk from the three-point line count as two points or three points?  It would count as three points. In any case, it would not matter how far you jumped but where in fact you started your jump beyond the line. This means as long as your foot is not on the line but beyond it would count as 3 points.

While I don’t think we will ever see anyone dunk from the three-point line as I believe it may be humanly impossible right now. I say right now because I think training and the human body can only get us so far. But in the future who knows what may be possible with new training and technology that may be implemented.

I do think that three-point layups will eventually happen and very often. I also don’t think the NBA would ever change the three-point layup because of how often would a player get the opportunity in-game to do so.

Common Three-point line Controversial Questions Answered!

Understanding what counts as a three-point shot isn’t very difficult, as long as the player is not stepping on the line and are behind it when they release it, the shot if made will count as three points.

The confusion comes, as the game is evolving and players have much more skill nowadays and will reach in their bags of tricks to attempt a three-point shot. Such as the step-back three, many often think that it’s not a three if you start the step back on the line more on this later.

Below are some common questions about shooting three-pointers that you may be wondering about.

Does it count as a three if you land on the line?

This question comes up often. Does the shot count if you land on the line? YES! The shot will count as long as your feet were not on the line prior to releasing the basketball. Your feet need to be behind the line when shooting the basketball but can end over the line.

In fact, a player can jump as far over the line as he could and attempt the shot if he wanted to. But this isn’t ideal for shooters. Most shooters use a set shot to shoot the three-pointer, they use a small hop and land on the same spot they are shooting from or they hop slightly forward.

Of course, there are players who use a jump shot to shoot threes, which is more difficult but like the set shot, they are allowed to land on the line as long as they are behind the line and not touching it. The type of shot makes no difference.

To sum it up, no part of the shoe should be on the line when starting the shot if upon release the player left their feet and standing on the line his would only be worth 2 points and is known as the worse shot in basketball.  If you were to start by being on the line and shooting the basketball while jumping backward off the line, would it still be 2 points? The answer is Yes! Because you started the shot on the line.

Does it count as 3-points if you take a step back starting on the line?

YES! When you start your step back and you are initially on the line as long as you step back behind the three-point line and are not touching the line when you start your shot it will count as 3- pointer if you make it. Where your feet are when you begin to take the shot is what counts here.

Can you jump over the line?

Yes! when attempting a three-point shot some player’s natural shooting motion is to jump slightly forward. This helps the player get the ball to the rim much more effortlessly using their momentum. This even helps players make more shots, try it out.

A bonus is it draws slightly more fouls too because the defender may get to close because they are not taking into consideration of your forward momentum.

Does it count as three points when one foot is on the line when shooting?

So here’s an interesting question, we know that no foot or feet can be on the line when shooting in order for the basket to count as three points.

But, does it count if one foot is on the line slightly forward and the other is behind and you lift up the foot that is on the line to shoot the three?

This will depend on if the player is lifting the lead foot and shoots at the same time. If so this will count as only two points. But if the player was standing their looks down and realizes his foot is on the line and wants to try for three points, decides to balance on his back foot then shoot that’s a different story.

That would count as three points as long as it wasn’t in one motion when he did it like a one-foot step back. Most of these cases will depend on the referee’s discretion and ruling of course.

These were just a few of the topics that often get questioned if. Every year the governing bodies of the NBA, NCAA, and FIBA meet to discuss any rule changes. Questions mentioned today could be changed at a later time, if these associations feel a rule needs to be implemented to create an even playing field.