Who Makes the Official NBA Basketballs?

The official NBA basketballs are made by Spalding, a company that has been making basketballs for over a century. The current NBA balls have been used since 2006, and they are made of synthetic leather and have a microfiber cover.

The NBA and Spalding

The NBA has a contract with Spalding, who has been the exclusive provider of NBA game balls since 1983. In order to maintain this partnership, Spalding manufactures the NBA Official Game Ball, which is used in all NBA games. The NBA Official Game Ball is also available for purchase by the general public.

The NBA and Spalding’s partnership

The NBA has had a long-standing partnership with Spalding, dating back to 1983. Spalding has been the exclusive official game ball provider for the NBA for over 35 years, and supplies all balls for NBA games, including practices, for both teams and officials. The current official game ball is the “Spalding TF-1000 Legacy,” which was introduced in 2006.

Spalding is a subsidiary of Russell Brands, LLC.

Spalding’s history

Spalding is a sporting goods company founded by Albert Spalding in Chicago, Illinois in 1876. It is now a division of Russell Brands. The company specializes in the production of basketballs, volleyballs, footballs, soccer balls, baseballs, and softballs.

Spalding has been the official supplier of basketballs to the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 1983. They produced the first ever official women’s basketball, the Spaldingonzas!

In addition to being the official ball supplier of the NBA, Spalding is also the exclusive provider of all game balls for NCAA tournament play and competitions.

The making of an NBA basketball

The materials

The NBA has a long-standing partnership with Spalding, who has been making the official game balls since 1983. Before that, the NBA used Wilson balls.

The materials used in an official NBA basketball have changed over the years. Early in the history of the league, balls were made of leather and inflated with air. In 1906, synthetic rubber was introduced and in 1950, polyurethane was added to the construction of the ball. The modern NBA ball is made of an outer panels of synthetic leather that are glued together and then stitched. The ball is then filled with either butyl or natural rubber.

The construction

The material used in construction of the basketball is leather. The process of making the ball begins with the stitching of the panels together. Once the ball is sewn together, it is inflated and left to sit for 24 hours. After this, a layer of adhesive is put on, followed by another layer of leather that is hand-stitched on. The final step in construction is to add the logo of the NBA.

Testing the basketballs

To find out who makes the official NBA basketballs, we tested three different types of basketballs. The first basketball we tested was the Spalding NBA Official Game Ball. This ball is made of synthetic leather and has a microfiber composite cover. The next ball we tested was the Wilson Evolution, which is made of 100% composite leather. The last ball we tested was the Under Armour 495, which is made of 100% synthetic leather.

The bounce test

The bounce test is the most important test for a basketball. To test the bounce, the ball is dropped from a height of six feet onto a hardwood floor. It should bounce back to about head height. If it doesn’t, it is probably flat and needs to be inflated more.

The weight test

To test the weight, each ball is weighed with precise instruments. The weight must be within a certain range to meet official specifications. The weight of an NBA basketball has to be between 20 and 22 ounces (571 and 624 grams).

To test the circumference, each ball is placed on a special measuring device. The circumference of an NBA basketball must be between 29.5 and 30 inches (74.9 and 76.2 centimeters).

The last official requirement for an NBA basketball is that it must bounce between 49 and 54 inches (124 and 137 centimeters) when dropped from a height of six feet (1.8 meters).

The circumference test

In order for a basketball to be used in an NBA game, it must first pass a series of tests to make sure it meets the league’s standards. One of those tests is the circumference test.

The official NBA basketballs are made by Spalding and are 28.5 inches in circumference. To test the balls, each one is inflated to its proper size and then measured. If the ball is too small or too big, it will be rejected and will not be used in an NBA game.

The NBA and other basketball leagues

The NBA is not the only basketball league to have an official game ball. In fact, most major basketball leagues have an official ball that is used during games. The NBA has their own official ball, which is made by Spalding. Other leagues, such as the WNBA and the NCAA, also have Spalding basketballs that are used during games.

The NBA and FIBA

The NBA has used the same official game ball since 2006, manufactured by Spalding. The ball is made of leather and has a circumference of 29.5 to 30 inches. The weight of the ball is 22 to 24 ounces. The ball is made in the United States.

FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, also uses a Spalding ball for its tournaments. The FIBA ball is larger than the NBA ball, with a circumference of 30.7 to 31 inches. The weight of the FIBA ball is 20 to 22 ounces. The FIBA ball is made in Czech Republic.

The NBA and the NCAA

The National Basketball Association is the preeminent men’s professional basketball league in the world. It is composed of 30 teams, 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the National Governing Body (NGB) for basketball in the United States.

The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The BAA began with 11 teams, large cities that had established themselves as hotbeds for college basketball: New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Providence, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. In 1949, after absorbing four teams from the rival National Basketball League (NBL), the BAA renamed itself the NBA. At that time there were 17 franchises in the league.

Over the next few decades more teams joined via expansion or relocation: Baltimore (now Washington), San Francisco/Golden State Warriors), Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings), Atlanta Hawks, Minneapolis Lakers (now Los Angeles Lakers), St. Louis Hawks (now Atlanta Hawks), and Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder). In 1976, after winning a lawsuit brought about by efforts to merge with ABA, four more teams joined the NBA: Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets (now Brooklyn Nets), and San Antonio Spurs. The NBA today has 30 teams—29 in the United States and 1 in Canada

Spalding and other basketball brands

The NBA has a contract with Spalding to be the exclusive provider of game balls. However, other brands like Wilson and Rawlings also supply balls to the NBA. In this article, we will take a look at the different brands of basketballs that are used in the NBA.

Spalding and Wilson

Spalding is the NBA’s official basketball supplier and has been since 1983. The company produces two types of balls for the NBA: one for regular season play and one for the NBA playoffs. The official NBA ball is made up of eight panels of pebbled synthetic leather that are glued together. The cover of the ball is made out of a microfiber material that helps it grip the rim and backboard better.

Wilson has been making basketballs for the NBA since 2006. Wilson produces two types of balls for the league: one for regular season play and one for the NBA All-Star Game. The Wilson regular season ball is made out of eight panels of full-grain leather that are stitched together. The cover of this ball is made out of a microfiber material that helps it grip the rim and backboard better.

Spalding and Nike

Spalding has been the official basketball of the NBA since 1983, and it’s a title the company takes seriously. According to its website, Spalding spends countless hours consulting with NBA players to develop new products that meet theirneeds.

Nike also has a strong presence in the NBA. The company has supplied uniforms for every NBA team since 1997 and became the league’s official on-court apparel provider in 2017. Nike also manufactures a line of basketballs, which are used by players at all levels of the game.