Basketball Balls

How to Deflate a Basketball

While you will need your basketball to be inflated to play with, several reasons might account for wanting to take the air out of the ball. You should deflate your ball if you want to store it for the winter or fit it in a suitcase to travel, or you might want to just take out a small amount of air if the ball is over-inflated. For whatever reason, the same technique is used to allow air to escape from a basketball.

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All About Basketball Balls

The Importance of Teamwork in Basketball

Even at the highest levels of basketball, you can't win big if your team is a one-man show. Just ask LeBron James, who, despite being regarded by many as the best player in the world, didn't win a championship while mostly domi...

How to Soften a Genuine Leather Basketball

A brand new leather basketball won't have the feel and grip for which leather balls are known right out of the box. Newer balls made of composite materials don't have the need for a break-in -- they come ready to go right out o...

What Is a 50-50 Ball in Basketball?

This manifests itself in hustle plays when a rebound or a loose ball could go to either team. These close plays are 50-50 balls in basketball and the top teams find a way to win most of these battles.

How to Take Care of the Ball in Basketball

There are few things that drive a basketball coach as crazy as a player committing a turnover. When you lose the ball, you not only allow the other team to race upcourt and often get a high-percentage shot, you also cost your t...

How to Do a Teardrop in Basketball

Being able to drive the lane and attack the basket are key skills for an effective scoring guard. But when guards attack the basket, they quickly come into the territory of taller opponents. The teardrop shot has elements of a ...

How to Protect the Ball in Basketball

Turnovers can sink a team in basketball. Losing the turnover battle reduces your team's possessions and scoring opportunities while giving the opposition more chances to score. Protecting the basketball is a two-fold process: y...

How Do Jump Balls in Basketball Work?

The jump ball has played a role in every variation of basketball since James Naismith developed the game in 1892. Used to determine which team gets possession, the jump ball has taken on a couple of different meanings in the hi...

How to Shoot a Ball in Basketball

Shooting a basketball with proper form takes only minutes to learn, but you can spend an entire lifetime improving it. Even in the National Basketball Association -- the highest level of basketball competition -- jump shooters ...

What Is the Average Bounce of a Wilson Basketball?

Wilson produces dozens of basketballs for professional and recreational use. They range from rubber balls meant for outdoor use to high quality synthetic and composite leather balls. To get the most out of your Wilson ball, you...

Balls Used in Basketball

The basketball used for NBA games has only changed twice in 60 seasons. The latest change occurred in 2006. The new ball, manufactured by Spalding, has a new design and different feel but the size of the ball didn't change. The...

How to Use a Basketball Backboard

Learn to use the basketball backboard, and you'll start scoring more points. The backboard is a crucial part of the classic layup shot, helping to bounce the ball into the basket from a tight angle. It takes a lot of practice t...

Does the Size of a Basketball Affect Its Bounce?

Not just any ball will do when you play in an organized basketball league. Such leagues have strict specifications for the balls allowed official competition. Standards include bounce, weight, inflation pressure, circumference,...

What Is the Official Size of a Men's Basketball?

Men's hands are generally larger than women's so the official men's basketball is larger. Other specifications of the ball are dictated by the league's governing organization such as bounce and weight.

How to Fix a Basketball Rim

Over time, basketball rims can get bent and deformed, which affects the way the ball falls through the hoop. To fix a standard metal rim you need to remove the rim from the backboard and reshape it using heat and a hammer. Resh...

How to Clean a Leather Basketball

A good leather basketball can last for years if you care for it and maintain it properly. Though many players don't notice with normal indoor use, leather basketballs can collect a significant amount of dust and grime. Over tim...

Basketball Ball Movements & Offensive Techniques

Basketball ball movements and offensive techniques may seem complicated to an outsider, especially with names like "pick and roll" and "triangle and two." Yet these are among some well-used offensive strategies from the pros do...

Weight of the Ball in Basketball

Different levels of basketball have balls with different weights corresponding to different circumferences. Each size is aimed to correlate with the average hand size of the players. Since the human body typically is done grow...

Types of Basketballs

Each governing body has its own specifications as to the size, weight and materials used in an official basketball. For recreational play, there is a difference between indoor and outdoor types of basketballs.

What Are the Functions of the Bladder in the Basketball?

Basketball is a sport enjoyed and played by millions around the world, predicated on repeatedly bouncing a ball filled with air. Basketballs come in varying colors, designs and sizes, but it is the unseen bladder inside the bal...

Basketball Set Instructions

A set in basketball occurs when the point guard brings the ball past the midcourt line and directs his team to set up a play. In a typical set, the team will have many options to run its offense. The point guard may start out a...

Standards for Spalding Basketballs

When kids ask for basketballs, they often specify Spalding, notes "Sports Marketing" author Howard Schlossberg. The reason for this goes beyond smart marketing: Spalding makes the official basketball for the National Basketball...

Facts About Basketball Balls

Basketballs have evolved considerably since the game was invented in 1891. Today, technology has made ball performance and quality relatively uniform. This wasn't always the case, as basketballs have undergone many changes and ...

How to Play Street Ball

Street ball is very similar to traditional basketball with a few key differences. The games are usually pickup games played on local basketball courts, playgrounds and on city streets. Makeshift basketball nets are often erecte...

What Is a Loose Ball in Basketball?

In basketball, the phrase “loose ball” refers to a ball in play that neither team possesses. Loose balls often occur when a player drops or loses control of the ball. The National Basketball Association, or NBA, des...

Basketball Precision Ball Training

Basketball precision ball training consists of a variety of drills and exercises that improve your dribbling and overall ball-handling skills. While precision ball training is often reserved for point guards and shooting guards...

Rules About the Ball in Basketball

The original basketball was in fact a soccer ball when the game was born in 1891. Game inventor James Naismith actually asked A.G. Spalding & Bros. to create the first ball for the sport. The balls originally had laces, whi...

How to Attach a Basketball Net to the Rim

A basketball net is not essential to the game, but it does have its purpose. A net helps determine when the ball has gone through the rim, and corrals and deposits the ball onto the same spot on the ground after each made bask...

Basketball Official Size & Weight

Generally speaking, both the league and the players determine the size of the basketball used, but it is important to take into consideration that playing with the correct basketball size enhances the safety and playability of ...