Posted on 02/17/2024 1:07:06 PM PST by Red Badger
The most compelling show of contemporary basketball skill at last year's NBA All-Star Game didn't necessarily come from one of the players dribbling a ball ... it came from a ball itself. That ball was Wilson's Airless basketball prototype, a futuristic piece of see-through design work that traded good, old reliable pneumatics for a 3D-printed lattice structure offering the supple bounce without the air. At the time, it wasn't clear what – if any – future the ball had, but now Wilson has launched it as a limited edition. A very expensive limited edition.
Called the Airless Gen1, the new production basketball looks much like last year's prototype to the naked eye, but Wilson promises it's been given a full work-over by its R&D lab. It says that its team has improved performance while streamlining manufacturing processes enough to get the balls rolling out of the lab and onto the court.
Getting a little more specific, Wilson says the 3D-printed polymer lattice structure has been tweaked for more consistent performance and bounce while maintaining its traditional eight-panel look. It promises that the basketball nuzzles up close and cozy with the performance specifications of a regulation basketball, including in weight, size and rebound/bounce.
The most compelling show of contemporary basketball skill at last year's NBA All-Star Game didn't necessarily come from one of the players dribbling a ball ... it came from a ball itself. That ball was Wilson's Airless basketball prototype, a futuristic piece of see-through design work that traded good, old reliable pneumatics for a 3D-printed lattice structure offering the supple bounce without the air. At the time, it wasn't clear what – if any – future the ball had, but now Wilson has launched it as a limited edition. A very expensive limited edition.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
Why?
You don’t want a $2500 basketball?...............
Because eventually it won’t be that expensive. It’s probably a lot more durable too.
I already have an “airless” basketball. In fact it won’t even hold air at all.
What about aerodynamics? Their ball surface is composed of an open-air hexagonal grid, which has to have a major impact on how it interacts with air, especially in the case of longer shots like three-pointers.
Not to mention any changes to its moment of angular momentum, again, critical for how the ball bounces off the rim or backboard.
As a related aside, check out this video of Seth Curry making an insane full-court shot from the tunnel during pre-game practice a few days ago.
I keep having deja vu when I read some articles these days!
a solution in search of a problem?
Anyway, I’m sure the technology will be good for something.
Most people would not care, but I think it’s interesting. After the normal 3-point contest at the NBA All Star Game, Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will stage a 1-on-1 3 point contest using the NBA 3-point distance with the same rules.
Curry is one of the best men’s shooters of all time and she is the same for the WNBA, I could see this expanding to include maybe the top from 3-point shooters from each sport in a team 3-point contest.
Kinda like Billie Jean King Vs Bobby Riggs.....................
A ball made for SPACE JAM!!!!
Maybe an all star game on Mars?
(a $2500 basketball?)
I gotta 🏀🏀🏀🏀⛹️♂️⛹️♂️⛹️♀️⛹️⛹️♂️🏀🏀🏀 Jones
They’ll probably float that idea next......
Just gotta figure out the shipping and what lane to use.
🚢🛳️⛴️
sort of, except both are current players and both are using the same rules to shoot the 3s.
Nonsense, Baskeball’s are a huge expense /s/. This thing will cure the deficit.
Nonsense, Baskeball’s are a huge expense /s/. This thing will cure the deficit.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.