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When did five-player basketball teams become the official standard?
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Basketball
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls leaping into the air during the slam-dunk competition at NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago, February 6, 1988.
In the early years of basketball, the number of players on a team varied based on the size of the playing area. While teams began playing with five players on a side in 1894 when the court was smaller than 1,800 square feet, the official rules did not mandate this standard until 1897. This five-player requirement has remained the standard ever since.12