When it comes to the game of basketball, there is a lot of confusion over how long a quarter actually is, with many people believing that it is 12 minutes. The actual answer, however, is not so straightforward.
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The Duration of a Basketball Quarter
The duration of a basketball quarter is determined by the league or governing body in charge of the game. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), for example, a quarter is 12 minutes long. Similarly, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) also plays a 12-minute quarter. Other professional leagues also have varying lengths for their quarters, with the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association playing 10-minute quarters, and the EuroLeague playing 8-minute quarters.
The length of a quarter in college basketball is also determined by the governing body. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has a set length of 20-minutes for each quarter, while the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has a set length of 15-minutes for each quarter.
Youth Basketball
The length of a quarter in youth basketball is also not uniform. Generally, the length of the quarter is determined by the age of the players. For example, in the National Junior Basketball (NJB) League, a quarter is 8-minutes long for players aged 7-9, 10-minutes long for players aged 10-11, and 12-minutes long for players aged 12-13. Similarly, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) has a set length of 8-minutes for players aged 7-11, 10-minutes for players aged 12-14, and 12-minutes for players aged 15 and up.
International Basketball
The length of a quarter in international basketball is also determined by the governing body. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has a set length of 10-minutes for each quarter in all of their tournaments. Similarly, the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) has a set length of 10-minutes for each quarter.
Overtime
In the case of overtime, the length of the period is determined by the governing body. In the NBA, for example, an overtime period is 5-minutes long. In the WNBA, an overtime period is 10-minutes long. Other professional leagues have varying lengths for their overtime periods, with the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association playing 7-minute overtime periods, and the EuroLeague playing 5-minute overtime periods.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the answer to the question of whether or not basketball quarters are 12 minutes is not so straightforward. The length of a quarter is determined by the governing body or league, and can vary from 8-minutes to 20-minutes. Similarly, the length of an overtime period is also determined by the governing body, and can vary from 5-minutes to 10-minutes.