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How they pick the ball for an NBA game.



How they pick the ball for an NBA game.

by ImPretendingToCare

25 Comments

  1. Jack-Cremation

    Pretty much the same way my high school kids pick the ball we play with. If we a home team I give them 2-3 balls and say pick one to use.

  2. trueplayacj

    Same thing happens in pickup.

    -Gen Z always pick the Wilson NXT.

    -Millennials love the Wilson Evolution.

    -Boomers pick the TF-1000.

    Then you have the random guy who played overseas that rolls in with the FIBA Moltens

  3. Interesting but if it’s important, why was Boban doing it for the Mavs?

  4. the_project_pat

    Taste/mouthfeel being a huge factor in the decision process here

  5. Reminds me when I worked rec league league games back in the day. Rec league rules stated if a team wanted to use a rubber ball, that was the official game ball. There was ONE team that used this to their advantage. They exclusively used a rubber ball. Opposing coaches threw a fit every week, demanding a leather ball, but it was written into the rules. It was fucking hilarious.

  6. Ok so if the home team likes a smooth ball, and they know that the away team likes a grippy ball, they should choose 2 smooth and 1 grippy. That way, the home team chooses smooth, the away team chooses grippy, and that forces the refs to choose the 3rd ball which is smooth. All of that is assuming there aren’t just 3 smooth balls to choose from anyway. Seems like a pretty big home court advantage.

  7. ballgreens

    After players decide, refs actually pocket the game ball and replace it with a high tech Adam Silver drone ball.

  8. I kinda wonder if the new ball they introduced last year is part of why we’ve had this offensive explosion this year. A season to adjust, and then it’s more consistent than the old leather balls.

  9. kevo31415

    Does 1 ball last a whole game? I always assumed it was like baseball and they just swap the ball once in a while, but I guess wear and tear isn’t as big of a deal in basketball. What if the ball get damaged?

  10. toxichart

    its 2023 and people still make videos where the audio ass blasts one ear and has zero audio in the other.

  11. actwentysix

    I always thought it was funny when they’d pass the “game ball” from the 300 level down to the court, making a big deal about which sections it got to pass though, and then you watch the refs take the ball and walk it over to the shooting rack and let it get mixed in with the rest of the shoot-around balls. You could always see the 3 chosen balls sitting in a duffel bag on the scorer’s table.

  12. K3TtLek0Rn

    Who would prefer a smooth ball? Also, I highly doubt there is enough variance in an NBA quality basketball to make any difference.

  13. TripleShines

    Are the stats for the balls stored anywhere? I wonder if there’s any correlation between balls and performance.

  14. I like how if they disagree on a ball, they get none of it.

  15. gigi-balamuc

    So if you pick 2nd, you can always pick the ball you want.

    Say balls A, B, C, and you want ball A.

    Opponent picks ball A, all good.

    Opponent picks ball B, you pick ball C, forcing the refs to choose ball A.

  16. PrestonBroadus

    If players can’t decide on a ball, the referee will call for his sword and declare that the balls be cut in two, each player to receive half. One player will beg the referee, “Please, let the other player have their pick, just spare them from the sword”. The wise referee will declare this player the true picker, and award them with their preferred ball.

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