<P> In the 1979--80 season, after having tested it in the previous pre-season, the NBA adopted the three - point line despite the view of many that it was a gimmick . Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics is widely credited with making the first three - point shot in NBA history on October 12, 1979 . Kevin Grevey of the Washington Bullets also made one on the same day . </P> <P> The sport's international governing body, FIBA, introduced the three - point line in 1984, at a distance of 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in). </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 University 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, and as far away as 22 feet in the Big Sky Conference . Used in conference play, it was adopted by the NCAA for the 1986--87 men's season at 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m), and was first used in the NCAA Tournament in 1987 . In the same 1986--87 season, the NCAA adopted the three - pointer in women's basketball on an experimental basis, using the same 19 ft 9 in distance, and made its use mandatory beginning in 1987--88 . In 2007, the NCAA lengthened the men's three - point distance to 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m), with the rule coming into effect at the beginning of the 2008--09 season . The NCAA women's three - point distance was moved to match the men's distance 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 2018 National Invitation Tournament . </P> <P> During the 1994--95, 1995--96, and 1996--97 seasons, 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 college basketball start using the 3 point line