Fans deserve a better experience.
In 1969, the American Basketball Association, competing with the NBA, added the three point line.
George Mikan, the first commissioner of the ABA, was one of basketball’s first truly dominant big men. He saw the rule change as helpfully reducing the influence of low post players like himself. He argued the three point shot "would give the smaller player a chance to score and open up the defense to make the game more enjoyable for the fans."
He was right. For a variety of reasons, the ABA was unable to successfully compete head-to-head with the NBA. But two years after the two leagues merged, the three point line was added to the combined league. The rule change proved enormously popular, fundamentally changing the balance of power in basketball. The three point shot opened up the area around the hoop and helped to change the popularity of the sport forever.
While the three point line had an immediate impact on the game, it’s also had more of a slow impact over time with the number of attempted three pointers rising steadily over time. This goes to illustrate a fundamental point — changes in the rules change the game, but the game itself then continues changing as new generations of players grow up and bring new skills and new adaptations to the table.
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