Basketball
Basketball Rules: How Many Quarters and How Long Are They?
In the NBA, matches are divided into four quarters, each consisting of 12 minutes. This contrasts with tournaments sanctioned by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which have four 10-minute quarters.
Gabby Gregory//Getty Images
How Long are Quarters in Basketball?
In the NBA, matches are divided into four quarters, each consisting of 12 minutes. This contrasts with tournaments sanctioned by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which have four 10-minute quarters.
Outside of the NBA, professional basketball generally plays with rules based on FIBA regulations. As a result, tournaments such as the EuroLeague, Olympics and FIBA World Cup all have four 10-minute quarters per game.
Even the Basketball Africa League (BAL), which is co-organized by the NBA and FIBA, uses FIBA rules in-play.
How Many Quarters in Basketball?
Apart from the NBA and FIBA-sanctioned competitions, US college basketball is also hugely popular.
Interestingly, men’s NCAA basketball games are divided into two 20-minute halves rather than into four quarters.
Women’s NCAA basketball games, however, are divided into four 10-minute quarters.
Fletcher Loyer, Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan//Getty Images
A 120-hour, 2-minute basketball game held in Buffalo, New York, in 2021, is currently recognised by Guinness as the longest basketball game on record. The event honored Devin Waring, a suicide victim, and successfully raised over $60,000 for mental health organizations.
Why Are Men’s NCAA Basketball Games Played in Halves?
Put simply: The reason why NCAA Men’s basketball games are played in two 20-minute halves comes down to tradition.
When basketball was first invented, the sport was played in two 15-minute halves with a five-minute break in between. Soon after, it evolved into two 20-minute halves.
In March 1954, National Association of Basketball Coaches members met in Kansas City to discuss rule changes aimed at managing a faster-paced game.
Three years earlier, college basketball had introduced four 10-minute quarters, but without a shot clock, teams often stalled, holding the ball to take last shots. Yale coach Howard Hobson pushed for a 30-second shot clock, but his proposal was rejected. Instead, the game reverted to 20-minute halves, limiting ball-holding opportunities.
The 1985-86 shot clock introduction made the two-half format unnecessary, yet tradition still keeps men’s college basketball in two 20-minute periods.
| Organization | Game Periods |
| NBA | 4 quarters X 12 minutes |
| FIBA | 4 quarters X 10 minutes |
| NCAA (Men) | 2 halves X 20 minutes |
| NCAA (Women) | 4 quarters X 10 minutes |
Leonard Solms is a freelance journalist who has been covering local and international sport from South Africa since 2015. Best known for his work for ESPN, he has also written for Al Jazeera, The Continent, New Frame, Planet Rugby and GiveMeSport among several other publications.