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SKU:
SPL-74-233T
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Features
The original NBA official game ball returns as the Classic
Made from the finest full grain leather to provide exceptional feel and touch
Meets all stringent official size and weight specifications set by the NBA
Recommended for top-level competitive indoor play
WARNING:
CHOKING HAZARD -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.
Description
The Spalding NBA Official Game Basketball has been the official game ball of the NBA(r) since 1983. This indoor basketball features a full-grain leather cover that provides exceptional feel and touch, setting the standard for ultimate performance and playability.
Product Details
Product Length:
10.0 inches
Product Width:
8.0 inches
Product Height:
7.0 inches
Product Weight:
2.0 pounds
Package Length:
9.6 inches
Package Width:
9.2 inches
Package Height:
7.6 inches
Package Weight:
1.8 pounds
Average Customer Rating:
based on 50 reviews
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: ( 50 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
152 of 154 found the following review helpful:
Official NBA Ball Vs. TF1000, NBA composite, Wilson Solution/Evolution Jan 06, 2009
By I. Hernandez As an owner of many basketballs and always interested to add basketballs to my shooting rack, I finally dedicated some time and money to get the official NBA leather game ball and took time to break it in before properly reviewing it.
I must note that all the basketballs are at 8psi (which is the median of the nba psi standards of 7.5-8.5psi).
The official NBA Ball comes out of the box really slick. It feels cheap but not like a $10 rubber ball that you'd find at a toy store or the promotional balls you'd get from Pizza Hut years ago. A leather ball feels completely different from any ball a non-competitive player has played with. Most of us that play basketball for fun usually just played with any ball. Over time, recreational players get used to the feel these balls have and that's why they are quick to shoot down the NBA ball.
When I brought both NBA ball types to games (leather and composite), most players thought that the leather NBA ball was the ball that was rejected by the NBA players. They were so sure of it. On the flip side, they thought that the NBA composite ball was the current basketball used. Obviously they never played with anything of this grade and didn't know what a leather ball felt like.
Initially, the leather ball feels heavier as a reviewer said and takes a long time to break in. The best method of breaking it in for me was a two part process. 1. I got some leather conditioner, rubbed it with a rag and let it dry. 2. The next day I would go and shoot around with it for a few hours. Dribbling breaks it in and with this conditioner, it broke it at a faster rate. Now that it's broken in, it's an absolutely fantastic ball. Nothing comes close to it. The more you play with it, the better it feels. It holds air really well and doesn't leave scuff marks on your hands. However, it is a real sensitive ball and has a couple noticeable scuff marks. About a half inch each. Doesn't affect the ball outside of ruining the perfect image you see in the product description. I must note that all the balls used have the same PSI (about 7.5, which is the median based on NBA rules).
I am a short player and have small hands. I don't have any problems with this ball. I have to disagree with another reviewer about having to be a "man-child" or needing to be strong to use this ball. It's still a ball! It feels lighter as you break it in but that may also be due to getting used to playing with it. I did notice that it is more forgiving on the rim as a shooter and as many people have said, "it feels right". What does this mean? You would have to shoot around with it when it is broken in to feel the same way. When it is not broken in, it may feel too slick, slippery and may be frustrating to use. Don't lose your patience or give it a bad review until you break it in. I also think it has a distinct sound when you get nothing-but-net. It's a better sound and makes you want to continue to make swishes. I use this ball in a league I play in as well as the other balls mentioned in this review and for our team at least, our shooting percentage is higher with the leather NBA ball. There are a lot of variables of game shooting but just wanted to make a note of that.
The NBA composite ball feels great when you start playing with it. Everyone on my rec. team preferred it initially because it has a soft and nice grip. After it got broken in a bit, it began to leave little burns on the tips of my fingers and on the inside of my palms. Since I've broken it in even more, it lost the great grip but it's still pretty solid. I don't think it's incredibly slippery when wet but it's not like the leather ball. When the leather ball is wet, it actually feels better. That's probably why you see Steve Nash lick his fingers as he dribbles up court. You don't need the leather ball to be wet to feel nice but it does feel nice wet when other composite balls feel slightly slippery. In the end, some people don't give the composite ball a chance because it was rejected by the NBA players. They automatically say it's trash without playing with it. I think it's the best composite basketball out there. It would be my number 2 basketball from the basketballs listed here. Since it's hard to find the defunct NBA composite basketball, I doubt most people will have the option to test it for themselves. (update: When I first wrote this, I did believe it was the best composite out there but I feel that it has declined to the point where I cannot stand by that comment. It IS the best composite ball until you reach a certain point and then it declines. I haven't played with it as much of late due to the recent declines. I have played with other composite balls nearly as much and they did not decline as fast as the NBA composite).
The Wilson Solution (official college ball) is a great ball as well but also of the composite variety. It's nice overall but for the price, I'd rather have the official nba ball or the TF 1000. This is the same for the Wilson Evolution. Both Wilson balls are good but they are too spongy for my taste. I have a Solution and a couple of my teammates have Evolutions. I like the Solution better.
The TF 1000 (official high school ball) is also a nice ball and has great grip and feel. The reason why it's so popular is that the grip is nearly as good as the NBA comp. ball but without the bad press. The newer ZK Pro feels very similar to the Wilson Solution yet it's cheaper in price. Better yet, The TF-1000 composite, the cheaper model to the ZK Pro feels better than the more expensive ZK Pro out of the box. The catch is after you play with both of them for awhile, the TF-1000 composite fades in quality while the ZK-Pro holds up better. I guess the durability is what makes the ZK Pro worth 20 dollars more.-- The cheaper 'microfiber composite' TF-1000 ball actually feels better than the ZK Pro. Initially the price difference was 20 dollars but now you can find the difference to be $5-$10. I think they are close in quality but the ZK-Pro seems a bit bouncier and provides longer rebounds, which I find to be a sign of the ball being too spongy. I find this to be true with the Wilson basketballs. I do not find this to be much of a problem with the 'microfiber' or the nba composite basketball.
For those on the fence, the ZK pro or the TF-1000 composite ball may be your best bet. If you're used to playing with a rubber, composite ball, you will probably be the most satisfied with the TF balls. For quality and durability, I would suggest spending a little extra on the NBA ball. I've had all of these basketballs for a year or more and while the TF's, Wilsons and the NBA composite are nice, the quality seems to fade over time while the leather NBA ball just seems to keep getting better with each indoor run.
Finally, there are many good basketballs out there. I have played and liked the Molten GL7, The Baden Lexum Elite and the Nike 4005 balls. You won't go wrong with any of these basketballs--- But if 'on a desert island', I would go with the NBA leather basketball over any ball out there. If I couldn't afford the NBA leather basketball, I would go with the TF-1000 microfiber composite although you are aware that the TF-1000s do have a relatively short shelf life compared to their leather counterparts.
23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
GREAT BALL, however; for hoop zealots only Mar 01, 2009
By Bubba Mcgee There's nothing greater than: " OK, that's 10, let's run". After wearing out two Spalding TF1000's (both were lost, or stolen...I can't remember) I was checking out the NBA ball. I knew about the slick feel, that it requires a lot of breaking in, that no one would want to play with it in the games. I even called Spalding and they told me that the NBA balls are pre-broken in for the pros. I figured "Hey, where I play there are always 2 or 3 fairly new TF 1000's around to use for "game" balls anyway". So.... I got my NBA leather ball, and yes no one wants to use it as "game" ball; however I do notice that between games when we are shooting around, that the "slickness" doesn't seem to effect anybody's shot. I just love shooting with it. I have noticed that in the summer I can palm it. Maybe it's just the humidity, in general, or the porosity of the leather absorbing humidity. Even in the winter if I've been playing and have worked up a good sweat, I find that I can palm it. So there may be something to the leather absorbing moisture thing. I've had mine almost a year, and to me it feels better and better all the time, yet still has never seen game action. I'll admit, it just does not have the tacky and soft feel of a new or not worn out TF1000. Bottom line is: never use it outdoors, which is also true for the TF1000; don't expect anyone to want to use it for the "game" ball. Just get it if you love basketball, and appreciate the feel of it and how sounds as it drains in, or how it bounces off the rim. You won't wear it out. And I hope mine eventually breaks in to the point it will be used as "game" ball and if that happens I'll submit another review. Meanwhile. I'm glad I got my NBA leather ball. But I'm admitting that I am truly a basketball nut, so you gotta just decide for yourself if getting this ball is for you. I hope you found this helpful.
34 of 38 found the following review helpful:
The standard Mar 12, 2007
By badjazz First off, this is not the tackiest, softest basketball out there. It is a real basketball. It feels larger, harder, and heavier than most other basketballs that are popular now for indoor play. All the microfiber basketballs that have come out that allow everybody to palm the ball like MJ are like toys compared to this. Consequently, many people who are used to the microfiber basketballs hate these. But, to me at least, these are what basketballs are supposed to be. They feel right, bounce right, and rebound like a basketball should. Highly recommended.
19 of 21 found the following review helpful:
this ball is not quite what it is said to be Mar 04, 2009
By David R. Moran Unless things have changed drastically in the last few years, this is NOT really the same as the ball used in NBA games. Despite the name and description, this is a leather ball *with a protective coating*, like an orange polyurethane. NBA balls are unfinished leather. They start out hard but rookies break them in, so soon they are softer, also absorbent and pick up dirt readily, all that. They darken. Their original dye color varies somewhat from year to year; some years they start out almost mustard-colored. Such a ball would never sell successfully to consumers, even to serious players (Nike tried this a few years ago); it feels odd at the start and gets dirty much too fast. By the time it would be broken in and acceptably softer it would typically be really dark brown.
The WSJ had a fascinating research piece on all this in the 1990s.
No, this particular ball has a finish, which needs to be worn down, yes, but never gets warn off completely. Being hard and a bit shiny, the finish ensures protection and visual consistency. If you want to take it off yourself or at least knock it back with some citrus-strip-type solution or something similar, you can try that (carefully). Even then you will still have to soften it up with lots of indoor play on clean wood floors. Then you will have something approaching the actual NBA ball.
All this is why the nice modern composites came into a few decades ago --- to emulate, right out of the box (okay, maybe needing a little breakin), the eventual state of the actual NBA leather ball after its first few weeks: soft, slightly tacky (especially when damp), slightly shiny from wear, and nice to handle and shoot.
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
it is right for you? I don't know...but I love it. Feb 24, 2009
By jlaidley I first had the Official NBA ball back when I was 14 yrs old (30 now) and my family belonged to the YMCA and it lasted me about 6 years before it got a little warped when I had it in storage for 1 year. It should last a long time as long as you take care of it-- so no kicking the ball or leaving it sitting in your car exposed to the sun.
As a teenager I didn't really think about the differences-- since then, Wilson, Spalding and Baden all have similar "technologies" to increase the feel of the ball. I would venture that 99% of those reading reviews have never practiced with the NBA ball before (and if they have it might have been with a ball already broken in). Most will be disappointed with this ball out of the box because they are used to composite balls. The 3 major manufacturers are all battling for market share-- their goal is to get you to buy and keep buying their product. They do this 2 ways: #1: the feel of the ball out of the box. Most need instant gratification and most don't play 5 times a week and don't want to wait 5 months to break-in a ball. Composites "feel" good right out of the box-- they feel even better after 3 months of usage. #2: overall tackiness/sticky/soft technology. The stickier and the softer the ball the better a person can "handle" the ball which translates to better player performance. (a normal basketball shouldn't have "cushion" technology) Composite balls have identical weight and size to the NBA ball-- but the stickiness of the ball gives the user an "illusion" of being smaller since better grip makes you think the ball is smaller and lighter in your hand.
As other reviewers have noted this NBA ball will not make you or your shot better just because it's a $80-100 ball. You're paying for the genuine leather and "NBA" brand name. But I will say this-- if you play and practice with the NBA ball-- going back and playing a game with a composite ball will actually feel good since the composite ball's technologies heighten your handling abilities-- the composite ball will feel smaller and easier to hold and shoot (think of baseball hitters using a weighted donut/bat before coming to hit). But practicing with a composite ball then trying to play with NBA ball will not feel good.
I don't mind the feel of composite balls--for the past 3 years the gym I belong to has used Wilson Evolution, Solution, Spalding and Baden Elite indoor balls. They're all good balls. The main problem with composites is developing tiny cuts on the tips of my index and middle fingers. I normally play/practice 3-5 times a week and shoot close to 250-300 times during each session and new composite balls make it so I cannot actually play 2 days in a row without developing cuts, so about 3 months ago I bought the NBA ball and wish I had done it sooner as I stopped getting the cuts-- I actually don't mind the feel out of the box but it still needs several more months to soften up.
My suggestion to most is to get a composite ball if you are not serious about the game or just like playing 3-on-3 games 3 times a week. The NBA ball really is for people who have had the ball before and love the feel of a leather ball or those who take a high number of shots when practicing and don't want cuts on their fingers. If you are thinking of this for your young teenager, I would actually recommend it-- playing and developing good handling/shooting skills with this NBA ball will only help their game.
based on 50 reviews
Official NBA Ball Vs. TF1000, NBA composite, Wilson Solution/Evolution Jan 06, 2009
By I. Hernandez
this ball is not quite what it is said to be Mar 04, 2009
By David R. Moran
