New NBA Ball WTF!

ksaint11 · **New NBA Ball WTF! -** 30-06-2006, 05:59 AM

on draft night as some of you might know...at the NBA draft showcased was the new game ball to be used at start of next season. now personally i like the design and its hot but it looks like something that you'd see a kid playing with cause the design is cool....it's just lacking that classic NBA feel you know....like you dont see any other sport changing their classic ball or puck or what ever it may be! that to me is like the key aspet of the game and you cant just go change a part of the games history like that.....i dunno thats just what i think

lemme know what you think

check out the ball at nba.com or where ever else you may see it

**innaspace** · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 30-06-2006, 12:29 PM

Quote:

NBA Introduces New Game Ball

Visit the world's only NBA Store located on Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street to purchase one of the 61 Limited Edition New NBA Game Balls available Wednesday, June 28, 2006 only
NEW YORK, June 28, 2006 – The NBA is introducing a new Official Game Ball for play beginning in the 2006-07 season. The new ball, manufactured by Spalding, features a new design and a new material that together offer better grip, feel, and consistency than the current leather ball. This marks the first change to the ball in over 35 years and only the second in 60 seasons. In 1970, the ball was transitioned from a four panel to an eight panel ball. NBA Commissioner David Stern, Spalding Group Vice President Dan Touhey, NBA Sr. Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson, Boston Celtics’ Forward Paul Pierce, and NBA on TNT analyst and two-time NBA champion Kenny Smith unveiled the new Game Ball today at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue prior to the 2006 NBA Draft.

The new ball features Spalding’s Cross Traxxion™ technology, a union of revolutionary design and breakthrough material. The design is comprised of two interlocking, cross-shaped panels rather than the eight oblong panels found on traditional basketballs. As a result, there is more material coverage. The material is a microfiber composite with moisture management that provides superior grip and feel throughout the course of a game. Additionally, the new composite material eliminates the need for a break-in period, which is necessary for the current leather ball, and achieves consistency from ball to ball.

"The advancements that Spalding has made to the new game ball ensure that the best basketball players in the world will be playing with the best basketball in the world," said Stern.

The NBA and Spalding subjected the ball to a rigorous evaluation process that included laboratory and on-court testing. Every NBA team received the new ball and had the opportunity to use it in practice. The ball also was tested in the NBA Development League and was used in activities during NBA All-Star 2006 in Houston. NBA retired players Steve Kerr and Mark Jackson participated in testing the new ball as well.

“Spalding’s continual efforts to advance basketball technology have yielded the optimal ball, one that is worthy of the new Official NBA Game Ball designation,” said Spalding Group President and CEO Scott Creelman. “We are honored that the NBA collaborated with us to make this change.”

The ball will be used in all NBA events leading up to next season including summer leagues, preseason and training camps, and NBA Europe Live presented by EA Sports. All active players will receive a personalized ball, as will each player selected in the 2006 NBA Draft.

Fans will have an opportunity to see the new ball tonight during the 2006 NBA Draft televised live on ESPN at 7 p.m. EST. The ball will hit store shelves at major sporting goods outlets on October 31 coinciding with the tip-off of the 2006-07 season. A limited number of new balls will be available today at the world’s only NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Fans can also pre-order their new ball online at NBAStore.com for delivery at the start of the 2006-07 season.

As the Official Game Ball supplier of the NBA since 1983, Spalding will continue to produce the only basketball used during all NBA practices, exhibitions, games and international competitions. Spalding maintains the exclusive rights to produce and sell a complete line of NBA and team-identified basketballs in all sizes including full, junior, youth and mini.

About Spalding

As a Division of Russell Corporation, the Spalding Group consists of three business units: Spalding in Springfield, MA; American Athletic, Inc. (AAI) in Jefferson, IA; and Huffy Sports, in Sussex, WI. The three companies, collectively combined, are now the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world. Spalding is the official basketball supplier of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the official backboard of the NBA and NCAA, the official volleyball of the King of the Beach Volleyball Tour, the official soccer ball of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and the official football of the Arena Football League (AFL) and Pop Warner. For more information, visit Welcome to Spalding.com

About the NBA

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment property that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2005-06 season, the NBA distributed 44,000 hours of programming to 215 countries and territories in 43 languages. The league's worldwide reach can also be seen with 82 international players on NBA rosters. Domestically, the NBA televised 142 games on national television this regular season on ABC, TNT, ESPN and ESPN2, and eclipsed attendance records for the third consecutive season.

More than 200 licensees manufacture and promote NBA products, which are sold in more than 100,000 retail stores in 100 countries on six continents. Major categories include video games, apparel, sporting goods and trading cards. The NBA also owns and operates the world's only NBA Store in New York City and NBAStore.com. The NBA Store receives over 1 million visitors annually, and features an array of multimedia attractions, including a fully operational broadcast booth and an official half-court used for special events, and regularly-scheduled appearances by NBA and WNBA players, legends and celebrities. NBAStore.com receives over 20 million visitors each year and offers international stores online in Chinese, Japanese, French and Spanish.

As fans witness tremendous performances on the court, some of the NBA's most significant efforts occur off the court. This past year, the league launched its most ambitious community outreach endeavor, NBA Cares. Over a five-year span, players and teams will raise and contribute $100 million for charity, donate more than one million hours of volunteer service to communities worldwide, and build more than 100 educational and athletic facilities where children can learn and play. For more information on the NBA, visit NBA.com.

The interlocking cross-panel design has one-third the channel area of the previous official ball to provide more material coverage and better grip.

“It will be great to get a ball that just feels the same no matter where you are and then it’ll really give you that comfort that you need, either home or away…I think the grip is nice ... I’ll be able to do more tricks with it, so I’m excited about the grip of it. It feels really good.”
-- 2006 Finals MVP Dwyane Wade

“When you play in different cities, the ball may be a little newer or may be a little worn out, but this ball right here, it seems like it’s going to stay the same, so that’s a positive thing. No matter what city you play in, it will be the same ball.”
-- 2005-06 NBA Rookie of the Year Chris Paul

“This is a great ball. If I had this ball back when I played, there would have been a lot more poster-ized guys.”
-- Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins

“This is a beautiful ball. It's easier to control. I'd take this one any day.”
-- Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler

“It took quite a while to break in a leather ball. It would probably take at least a month before you would feel really comfortable shooting and dribbling the basketball. For me it was love at first sight. When I embraced the ball I immediately felt the difference. It’s going (to give you) a great feel, great grip…great for shooting…it’s just a no-brainer. It’s a much better basketball than the leather ball.”
-- Former NBA All-Star Mark Jackson

“This has much better grip. The composite gives it a more comfortable feel. I dribbled probably eight or ten different balls and they all felt exactly the same, which is really key as a player – you want to have the same feel dribbling the ball, and as a shooter, to have that grip, to be able to feel the grooves and your hands and finger tips on the ball and not have it slid off a little bit – that is really important. I really like the ball. I think it is a big improvement over the last one.”
-- Four-time NBA champion Steve Kerr

“We didn’t like to play with a new one because the new one was real slippery. It (the new ball) feels good in my hands. I’m sure being as old as I am that I can still shoot it.”
-- Hall of Famer George Gervin

“Most of the guys like to get an older ball, got a lot of feeling to it; it’s soft, something you can play with, something you can grip, something you might want to finger roll and get a rebound with. A new ball, it’s very difficult to shoot with, because it’s still got that sliding feeling. This ball here you can feel, it feels good; feels like you got something real soft, nice, something you can play with and get an opportunity to get a better shot.”
-- Hall of Famer Moses Malone

i think it looks real weird, but hey if it feels good i guess go for it. i gotta feel one to tell you my opinion

**Agent Orange** · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 30-06-2006, 03:16 PM

Damn, the way yall were describing it, I was expecting some kind of blue and yellow and green thing that glows in the dark or some shit.

The design is straight. That picture shows a side angle, but if you held it in front you'd never be able to tell the difference. Only thing that's weird about it is the sides don't connect. The ball looks good to me.

chrome · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 30-06-2006, 03:51 PM

looks good.

*GRimEYGoD* · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 30-06-2006, 06:52 PM

Now thats some shit... Wats the purpose of changing the balll??

*NiceWitIt* · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 30-06-2006, 07:02 PM

why change something that doesn't need to be changed? oh well, it'll have to do you know. it's not that bad

ksaint11 · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 30-06-2006, 07:56 PM

ye it didnt need to be changed but w/e i'll get over it

EXODUS · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 30-06-2006, 10:03 PM

looks something from the jetsons..

i liked how the old one kind of looked like the court, where the lines would meet up. but this one's alright, that s in the circle over the spalding logo should be removed though.

3rd-shift · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 13-07-2006, 03:56 AM

the design is gangsta to me, sooner or later everything changes anyway so we'll all adapt to it an when this ball gets replaced we'll be complainin about it too lol

gotbizz · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 13-07-2006, 08:30 PM

i dont like it

youngcher · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 15-07-2006, 05:19 AM

they prolly gave the ball a makeover cause it wanted some attention after years of never being noticed and appreciated........

Nova · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 16-07-2006, 03:33 AM

Yeah I was expecting sumpthin crazy when I first read about it but it does look nice in my opinion. They just better not ever change the color.

shotcaller89 · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 17-07-2006, 10:48 PM

i think they shouldve kept the old 1

Epic · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 23-07-2006, 07:36 AM

that bytch is bright. dont see tha point in changin it.. dont bother me tho, but y?

EXODUS · **Re: New NBA Ball WTF! -** 26-07-2006, 03:06 PM

they said it was for handles, less lines more skin to grip the ball... i think it was to sell more balls though, i got a whole bunch of basketballs, and i really only use 2, one to play with and the other to practice my dribbling.. i'm still gonna pick up the new ball when i see it on the shelf though