<P> The sport's international governing body, FIBA, introduced the three - point line in 1984, at 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in), and it made its Olympic debut in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea . </P> <P> The NCAA's Southern Conference became the first collegiate conference to use the three - point rule, adopting a 22 - foot (6.71 m) line for the 1980--81 season . Ronnie Carr of Western Carolina was the first to score a three - point field goal in college basketball history on November 29, 1980 . Over the following five years, NCAA conferences differed in their use of the rule and distance required for a three - pointer . The line was as close as 17 ft 9 in (5.41 m) in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and as far away as 22 ft (6.71 m) in the Big Sky . </P> <P> Used only in conference play for several years, it was adopted by the NCAA in April 1986 for the 1986--87 season at 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) and was first used in the NCAA Tournament in March 1987 . The three - pointer was adopted in women's basketball on an experimental basis for that season at the same distance, and made its use mandatory beginning in 1987--88 . In 2007, the NCAA lengthened the men's distance by a foot to 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m), effective with the 2008--09 season, and the women's line was moved to match the men's in 2011--12 . American high schools, along with elementary and middle schools, adopted a 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) line nationally in 1987, a year after the NCAA . The NCAA used the FIBA three - point line (see below) in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2018 . </P> <P> For three seasons beginning in 1994--95, the NBA attempted to address decreased scoring by shortening the distance of the line from 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m) (22 ft (6.71 m) at the corners) to a uniform 22 ft (6.71 m) around the basket . From the 1997--98 season on, the NBA reverted the line to its original distance of 23 ft 9 in (22 ft at the corners, with a 3 - inch differential). Ray Allen is currently the NBA all - time leader in career made three - pointers with 2,973 . </P>

When did the three point shot start in college basketball