why is it called the key in basketball
Key (basketball) Originally, the key was narrower than it is today and had the shape of a keyhole, measuring six feet (1.8 m) wide, hence "the key", with the free-throw circle as the head, and the shaded lane as the body. It has been also called "cup" or "bottle" in other languages, because of how it looks from other perspectives. Due to the narrowness of the key, imposing centers, such as George Mikan, dominated the paint, scoring at will. To counter this, the key was widened into 12 feet (3.7 m) from 6 feet (1.8 m) at the onset of the 1951–52 NBA season.[5]