The NBA has parted ways with longtime sporting goods company Spalding, which produces the NBA’s custom made basketballs. The new game ball will be manufactured by Chicago-based company Wilson, starting with the 2021-22 season, according to a person familiar with the matter. Spalding made the NBA’s basketballs for over 30 years.
The financial terms of the NBA’s partnership with Wilson were unclear.
The end of the NBA’s partnership with Spalding comes as a bit of a surprise. The company, which begin making the basketballs exclusively for the NBA starting in 1983, just advised the league on cleaning equipment once games resume from the Covid-19 stoppage.