trivia question

okay, so i play trivia on tuesdays.  tonight they asked “what is the distance from the foul line to the backboard in basketball.”  i was once told that the measurement is from the middle of the basket, and thus = 15 feet.  so the backboard to me, has to be 16 feet.  i was wrong, according to the trivia dude.  why would someone tell me this previously incorrect answer?  where is the fucking foul line measured from?