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197 of 199 people found the following review helpful.
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.
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful.
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.
40 of 46 people found the following review helpful.
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.
