The NBA has some balls..........

[THE HCP]

Never thought about this before.

When NBA Commissioner David Stern steps down from the league's top job in February, the basketballs that bear his signature will have to be swapped out for new ones. Each team will receive 36 new balls in early December signed by current NBA Deputy Commissioner and Stern-successor Adam Silver. That's the easy part.

The hard part is that players will have to begin breaking in those new basketballs.

"There's only one way to break in a leather basketball, and that is by playing with it," says Paul Sullivan, senior vice president at Spalding, the company that makes NBA basketballs. In order to jump start the process, Spalding has what Sullivan calls a "bounce machine," that re-creates the sensation of a ball being bounced against a hardwood floor. After fifty bounces the balls are sent on to teams, which practice with them for up to two months, when they're game-ready.

Spalding typically sends 72 new balls -- at no cost -- to each of the 30 NBA teams at the start of the season. But the company also sells "official game basketballs" to wannabe Kobes and LeBrons for around $160.

"The reason why you would want the NBA ball contract is not to sell balls to the NBA, but to sell balls to everyone else who wants to be like the NBA," said Victor Matheson, a professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross.

 

[THE HCP]

I remember back in the day, there was a ball that the Blazers used every home game when we were killing teams......had a skull and crossbones on it. I honestly think it was stolen. It was a big deal.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I remember back in the day, there was a ball that the Blazers used every home game when we were killing teams......had a skull and crossbones on it. I honestly think it was stolen. It was a big deal.

It got too worn out to play with by the late 90's as I recall... The opposing team captains have right of first refusal, and iirc, by the mid 90's, the old ball was refused most of the time.

 

[jlprk]

What is this, now? Stern made a rule that his signature has to be on every game ball? Of all his ego trips (like a dress code that makes everyone dress like him), this ranks right up there.

Is this rule in the labor contract? So everytime the commissioner changes, there's an expense for all new balls across the league?

I already knew Stern is a narcissist, but this is ridiculous.

 

[THE HCP]

Bro the commish's name has ALWAYS been on the ball.

 

[jlprk]

Larry O'Brien's was?

This sounds like Spalding flattered Stern to get the contract.

 

[THE HCP]

Have been the last 30 years or so. Don't know about O'Brien.

 

[ehizzy3]

remember the ball a couple years ago the NBA tried

 

[THE HCP]

Lasted half the season. Felt all sticky and rubbery.

 

[jlprk]

If you guys need a letter of recommendation, I'll write you one.

http://www.nba.com/careers/executives/stern.html

 

[Denny Crane]

Bro the commish's name has ALWAYS been on the ball.

Baseball, too.

 

[jlprk]

Spalding bribes with flattery. So when baseball changes commissioners, thousands of new baseballs have to be handrubbed with red dirt and spitballs.