All tests were done with
official NBA game balls inflated at 8 or 8.5
lbs. For comparisons, old and new balls had
the same inflation. Every measurement has
been repeated multiple times.
The
Dallas Mavericks provided 3 of the new
composite balls and 3 conditioned (extremely
worn) leather balls for testing.
An extra new composite ball and two
new leather balls were purchased to
supplement the donated balls.
Additional balls (not official NBA
game balls) were purchased to allow us to
develop our experimental methods without
exposing our test subjects to possible
damage, but these were not used to produce
test results.
General Characteristics
We have measured the size and weight of the
two types of balls - they are essentially
identical in these base characteristics
(less than 1% difference). The conditioned
leather balls and synthetic balls have
similar patterns on the surface. However,
prior to use/conditioning, the leather balls
display a spherical appearance to the
"pebbling" -- instead of the flatter
appearance seen in conditioned leather balls
and synthetic balls. Examination of the
surface characteristics of the synthetic
ball showed that more than 20% of the
surface is embossed with text and logos to a
depth of a few millimeters. The surface of
the leather ball is far more consistently
spherical and even.
