Basketball Hoop Reviews

The Best Basketball to Buy

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Let’s start with the initial premise. Everybody with a basketball hoop needs a ball. If you are going to the expense and time of installing a nice basketball hoop, you might as well get a nice basketball to go with it.

Basketballs are created differently. Back in 2006, the NBA went with a Synthetic Spalding Ball. The players hated it.

Steve Nash had to start wearing bandages on his fingers because it was cutting him. Fortunately, the players league got after David Stern and changed back. Read More Here.

So, Let’s discuss the different type of basketballs you can buy. I will list them in order of my favorites:

INDOOR Basketball Reviews

#1

I will start with the popular High School Ball.  The Wilson Evolution basketball has been around for a long time. It is made with Microfiber composite leather cover with a “patented cushion core.” This is the Official Ball of the NCAA and is used in the NCAA Tournament. It is also used in most high schools and most high schoolers would probably agree that this is the softest, best basketball on the market. This ball has superb grip and feel. Don’t use it outside or it will warp the feel. The Wilson Evolution is our #1 Rated Ball.

 

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#2

The Official Spalding NBA Ball for #2?  Nah. The Official NBA Basketball is falling to #3 on our list. The #2 indoor basketball is the Nike Elite Ball. This is played by a lot of AAU groups and some high school groups. This is really what is considered the ‘up and coming’ basketball trying to overtake the Evolution.  It is far and away better than the NBA Spalding Ball, but for our tastes is not quite as good as the Wilson Evolution. Maybe that’s because I’m old school. This basketball does have fantastic feel and grip though. The Nike Evolution is our #2 Ball.

 

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#3

OK Fine David Stern and Company. We will list your Official NBA Ball as #3. Although, I can almost guarantee that the majority of NBA players would prefer to use the Wilson Evolution or Nike Elite. It is a good ball. But it is old skool and doesn’t have the newer patented feel that the Wilson and the Nike balls have. It does have value in that it is the official NBA ball and if you think your son is good enough to some day make the NBA, than you should get him used to the feel now.  The NBA official Spalding Ball is our #3 indoor basketball:

Jimmer Fredette’s Instagram Post on the Spalding NBA Ball:

 

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#4

The Spalding Top Flite 1000 Basketball is rated #4 on our list but really should be #3. I prefer it to the official NBA ball. It is made of microfiber composite leather, similar to the #1 Wilson ball. It does keep its shape for longer than some of the balls rated above. Many high schools and some colleges use this ball. Great Ball. The Spalding Top Flite 1000 is our #4 indoor basketball.

 

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#5

If you have small hands and want a really soft, sticky ball, this is your best choice. It probably has the strongest grip of any ball and is used in many dunk competitions. Not an everyday ball for my test, but some people swear by it.  It has a lot of waves though. The Wilson NCAA Wave Microfiber Composite Basketbal is our #5 indoor basketball.

 

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In Summary…

If you are looking for the best Indoor basketball, I would start and stop with our number one, the Wilson evolution. All of the balls in the Top 5 are great balls though.  Now, let’s move onto the Best rated and reviewed Outdoor basketballs.

OUTDOOR Basketball Reviews

#1

If you are a street baller, you want this ball. If your basketball court is at the school playground, you want this ball. It plays better on asphalt than anything. The Baden outdoor ball keeps its shape, has great feel and withstands outdoor play better than any other ball. This is our #1 Ball.

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#2

The Spalding Outdoor street ball. Grippy, bouncy, durable with rain and outdoor use. A reasonably priced outdoor ball that is better than most balls.  The Spalding Street Ball is our #2 Ball.

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#3

This is actually my favorite outdoor ball. But, the problem is that it is more of an indoor ball and I feel guilty playing with it outside. May be a little expensive to wear it outside. But, I like it.  The Spalding Indoor/Outdoor Ball is #3.

 

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#4

Again, I don’t like the waves. But some people do.  The Wilson Derrick Composite Wave Outdoor ball is #4:

 

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No #5 for an outdoor ball, but I do have recommendations for the best basketball pump and basketball cart:

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Goalrilla GS54 In-Ground Basketball Goal System

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gs54-hero

Pros

The Goalrilla GS54 (model B4003) features a 54”x34” tempered glass, original Goalrilla style backboard,  5” x 5” 11 gauge one piece steel pole.The goal comes with a standard square pole pad. The goal adjusts from 7.5’ to 10’ and comes with a lifetime warranty. It’s also the most affordable of the Goalrilla goals.

Cons

It isn’t a regulation 72” goal.

It doesn’t have the clearview backboard featured in other Goalrilla models.

Overall Rating

The Goalrilla GS54 (model B4003) is the “good” 54” goal in the Goalrilla lineup and a part of the original Goalrilla goal family. It has all the features that has made the Goalrilla goal the best residential goal on the market, in a smaller system. The GS54 has a 54” x34” tempered glass reinforced  backboard with a 5”x 5” one piece steel pole. Just like all the Goalrilla goals the GS54 is adjustable from 7.5’ to 10’ and comes with a lifetime warranty.

What To Like

  • Tempered Glass Backboard – The Goalrilla GS54 features a 54”x34” reinforced tempered glass  backboard. Tempered glass is the prefered choice in backboard materials. A tempered glass backboard is going to give you a realistic gymnasium like rebound. Tempered glass will also remain clear over time. Other materials like acrylic, and polycarbonate will haze or fog over time leaving you with an undesirable look. A Goalrilla goal with tempered glass will never lose it’s curb appeal. 
  • One Piece Pole-  The GS54 uses a 5”x5” one piece 11 gauge steel pole. You will find goals of lesser quality using 2 piece poles. A two piece pole will not promote dunking or any aggressive play. A 2 piece pole system will become loose with normal play. This will leave you with a leaning goal that cannot be fixed and will eventually need replace.All Goalrilla goals utilize a one piece pole.  A Goalrilla goal is a one time purchase that will not need to be replaced. 
  • Easy Adjust Actuator – The Goalrilla GS54 has an easy adjust actuator that adjusts the goal from 7.5’ to 10’ with a simple turn of the handle. There is a height indicator that shows the height of the goal so you always know what height you are playing at. This adjusting mechanism has a Lifetime Warranty. 
  • Flex Rim – The Goalrilla GS54 has a medium weight flex rim. The flex rim is the desireable rim for residential goals. If someone hangs on the rim, and they will, it flexes taking any unwanted pressure off of the anchor system of the goal.
  • Independent Anchor System – The Goalrilla GS54, like all Goalrilla systems, utilizes an independent anchor system. Each J bolt has 10,000 lbs of tensile strength to give you a rock solid anchor for your goal. This also allows you to easily relocate your investment if you happen to move. 
  • Standard Pole Pad – The Goalrilla GS54 comes with a standard pole pad. The GS54 has a smaller overhang of 2.5’. With the smaller overhang the pole pad is an excellent addition. It provides added safety as well as looking great.

What Not To Like

  • It isn’t a regulation size backboard-  The GS54 is a 54”x34” backboard. A regulation size board is 72”x42”. A regulation size backboard is always desirable. That being said sometimes it just isn’t the right fit for everyone.
  • May fall short of some player’s expectations. While the GS54 is a great value for the money, some players who are looking for something similar to what’s in their high school gyms could be disappointed. That being said, this is a very solid offering at this price point.

More Reviews from Around the Web

In the words of my 11 year old: “It’s amazing!” We just got this at Amazon, it arrived quickly (through one of their sellers) and was in perfect condition. The install is similar to what everyone described here – my husband did it over the course of a week or so due to our schedules. Because we had read the reviews here, he bought more concrete than the instruction called for – about 10 bags which worked perfectly. The system’s been up for about 1 week and is great – very little shake, plays like a professional system. We have an 11 year old son and 10 year old daughter who both love to play and this system is great, expect it will grow with them through the years. My husband’s been shooting on it too and has commented on how awesome it is! We had a Lifetime portable system that was 15+ years old – so shaky (and loud when they shot!) and in hindsight should have been replaced long ago. This new net is sturdy and expect it will remain that way for years. Great price on Amazon – consistent or lower than the big box stores. I took a while to decide what to get and where because I couldn’t “see” it and see how sturdy it was so didn’t want to spend that kind of money if not sturdy. If you’re thinking of buying, go see in the store, if necessary and buy here – the store display isn’t that great so you really can’t get a feel for truly how sturdy it will be when setup until you actually see one that is installed properly in the ground. But I can assure you, there is very little shake when they are shooting. Love it! – amazon.com – Mama in MA

Ordered the GS 54 for our daughter and son for their birthday’s. Daughter is 11 and will be playing with a traveling team over the summer and is starting to perfect her shot. Our son is 5 and also showing interest in basketball. We bought this goal so our daughter could work on her touch and rebounding. The goal plays very well, and was very easy to assemble. It will take the good part of a day to dig the hole for the pier and mix up concrete. Assembley of the goal is about 2 hours. You will need at least 3 people to hang the backboard. We have been playing on a portable (water or sand fill base) for about 4 years and after getting the Goalrilla installed there is no comparison. It is a real solid system and plays much more like the indoor goals. My kids love it. Thanks Goalrilla for a great product! amazon.com – Daylillyon

Video

Moving or Relocating the System

If you need to move or relocate this Goalrilla Basketball Hoop System, you will need a new anchor system. This basketball hoop is very easy to unbolt and reassemble wherever you want to move it. The system comes with an anchor set, however, if you ever need to move it, you can buy an additional anchor set here:  http://www.basketballgoalstore.com/

 

Summary

The Goalrilla GS54 is a great goal for the person looking for a smaller system. It has all the features that have made the Goalrilla goal the best residential basketball goal on the market in a more compact size. With the inclusion of the standard Goalrilla pole pad this is the best deal on a Goalrilla goal you will find anywhere.

Cheapest place I found to buy it was at http://basketballgoalstore.com for $1399.95.

Good Basketball Rims

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What kind of Basketball Rim should I be looking for?

Buying a Basketball Rim

A basketball rim is a weird thing. You can fit two full size and fully blown up basketballs into a regulation basketball rim. However, still some basketball rims tend to be “more forgiving” than others. I played on a rim at my high school that was of the unforgiving type. You wouldn’t believe it. The rim would literally attack the basketball and find a way to bounce it out of the rim. My local Church court had the most forgiving rims imaginable. All you had to do was get the ball over the rim and the rim would literally suck the ball down the rim and through the net.

What you want is a forgiving yet durable rim. A basketball rim that will breakaway when dunked on and return to its original position, yet one that is soft enough to have good feel when shooting a longer shot. Sometimes a rim needs to be “broken in” before it transforms itself into a shooters rim. Some rims just don’t have the potential and need to be thrown away.

This is what my High School basketball hoop looked like and what most park courts have:

I would not recommend this hoop to anyone. Frankly, it is just not a consistent scoring hoop. The rim is too thick and there is too much going on to have a shooter’s feel.

Strong Basketball Rims

The first category of rims are the Strong rims that have little movement when dunking. You have to be overweight to actually initiate the “breakaway” rim. These rims are great. I prefer these to the really flexible “slamajama” rims because these are more difficult to bend, shape and break. The Barbarian system and rim is probably the strongest. You can literally hang two or three average weight people onto this rim without hurting anything. It has a good shooting feel too. Not the best, but definitely above average.

Goalrilla also has a great basketball rim. The Goalrilla rim is a simple design. It has a great shooting feel.

Flexible Dunk Rims

Some people like the feel of dunking on a rim and having it breakway and return to its position. It is somewhat of an exhilarating feel for people that consider themselves good dunkers. Personally, I can’t jump and I can’t dunk unless the hoop is at about 8 feet. I’m not a huge fan of these kinds of rims, because after alot of dunking they tend to bend down and lose their shape, causing the rims not to be true anymore.

Flexible Dunk Rims

Spalding makes a good breakaway rim. As far as the breakaway rims are concerned, the Spalding 411-527 Slammer Flex Rim is my favorite and is the highest rated. You’ll have to check but I believe that the slammer flex rim can be used with the The Spalding Arena View, Spalding’s best Inground Basketball System.

Lifetime Makes a flex rim that is decent for children, but I would not recommend as a very good rim.

Cheap Basketball Rims

Are you looking for a Cheap Basketball Rim? You know the kind that doesn’t breakaway and doesn’t have springs? I have a recommendation for you. Growing up, I moved our trampoline underneath our ten foot rim and used it as a dunk rim. I don’t think it was safe and I can’t believe I’m still alive.

Cheap Basketball Rims

We used to have 5 or 6 elementary school boys on the trampoline and played three on three. The rim we used was a non breakaway, non spring and not a very strong hoop. We had it bent the first week. We played with a bent room for the next 5 years until we finally moved to a new home.

I am not saying that the Spalding Standard Rim is not for anyone, its just not for everyone. One dunk on that thing by someone over than 150lbs and it will bend. Good luck bending it back.

What is the best Basketball net?

There are many different kinds of nets, chain, cotton, fiber and anti whip. Most basketball nets should be changed out once a year or so, unless you are using the chain nets. If you are planning on using your basketball hoop at a lower level and people will be dunking on it, than you don’t want to use a chain net. I have seen my friend get his finger caught in the chain net. It is not a good experience. I hope you have Obamacare or some Private Health Insurance.

What is the best Basketball net?

Personally, for an outdoor hoop and rim system, I like The Spalding all weather basketball net. It says all weather, but I still end up changing the net at least once every two years.

The best net is the BSN Heavy-Duty Anti-Whip Net. This net should be used for all indoor hoops and even nice outdoor courts, or people that just like a really fancy basketball net. It is good, heavy duty. It is somewhat difficult to install. Get a Nice Ladder.

Um, I would stay away from the “Champion” Basketball nets. Although they ‘allegedly’ have good reviews online, I think most of the reviews are coming from paid sponsors. This thing frays like a beast. Nice Try Champion, but I’m afraid I will stay away.

By the way, if you are looking for a heavy duty chain net here is your best bet.

Happy shooting!

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