I recently purchased a new Spalding NBA basketball and although I haven’t broken it in completely yet I’ve given it a good go. The Spalding Zi/O® Excel Competitive Indoor/Outdoor basketball is the NBA official size and weight. Here’s my review of this popular basketball.
Manufacturer’s specifications
- Exclusive Zi/O® PU composite leather cover for added durability
- Foam backed design under the full-ball pebbling for improved grip and feel
- Deep panel grooves for increased control when dribbling
- Official NBA size and weight
- Designed for indoor/outdoor play
Firstly let me say that since owning this ball my love for basketball has increased 10-fold. I’m not sure if it’s the ball’s newness, shiny coating or gold outlined NBA letters but I just can’t put it down. It certainly has been a great week of basketball practise!
One problem I had when I got the ball was the nearest basketball ring was hanging over a gravel driveway. Although this is an indoor/outdoor ball I was torn between waiting to visit an indoor court or test the ball right away. I probably made the wrong decision using the ball on the gravel as I spent two days wiping it down to bring back its original glow. Unfortunately the initial glow didn’t come back as good. Over time I expect the ball would lose some shine but using it on the harsh gravel added immediate wear and tear. The texture has remained intact so that’s the good news!
Grip and feel
I really like the grip of this ball. It feels good in the hands as do the deep grooves when bouncing. The specs state the deep grooves improve dribbling, yet I found they helped with shot control and ultimately improving my scores. I like being able to grip into the grooves with my fingertips as it’s easier to spin the ball. As the ball spins it seems to hang in the air longer, just before hitting the backboard or going through the basket.
Also noticeable when first receiving the ball was that it felt so heavy and that I might never get used to it. This initial thought may have been due to me typically playing with a lighter size 6 prior to receiving the Spalding ball. The lighter size 6 ball weighed only 70 grams less than the Spalding NBA basketball but the difference was certainly noticeable. I highly recommend sticking with the size guide that is suited for you as the wrong size can affect your game when finally changing to the correct size ball.
Bounce
One other online reviewer of the Spalding Zi/O® said they felt it had an inconsistent bounce. I wasn’t sure what they meant by this and whether it was actually related to the Zi/O® Excel. So I decided to test it with a measured bounce to see if it did rise the same every time. What I found from dropping the ball 100 times from the same height was that it only varied within 2 centimetres. However, I did notice when the ball bounced on the air valve it was consistently lower compared to the bounce from other panels. This is probably normal and would need to be confirmed by testing other balls.
Another positive for the ball was pumping it up. Never have I experienced such ease as the needle just glides into the air valve and out again without much force. Usually in all types of balls that need air its pain and suffering trying to get the stuck needle out without ripping the entire inner tube.
Price
The Zi/O® Excel is retailing at $US40 and $AU70. Compared to other Spalding indoor-outdoor basketballs it’s a bit cheaper than the Neverflat Premium but yet more expensive than the TF-250.
Overall I love the look and feel of this ball and think it offers great value for money. I’m looking forwarding to reviewing loads of other basketballs in the Spalding range soon.