NBA players are still getting adjusted to the new Wilson basketballs and NBPA president CJ McCollum of the Trail Blazers intends to address it with his peers this week, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
The NBA switched its official ball manufacturer from Spalding to Wilson before the start of the season. The league had used Spalding basketballs since 1983.
McCollum said he will “get feedback” from other players on how they feel about the switch, Mannix relayed.
“We’re all still adjusting to (the new ball),” McCollum said, via RealGM.
Others big names have also addressed the change to the Wilson basketball, from Nets star Kevin Durant to Clippers star Paul George.
“It’s a different basketball,” George said. “It doesn’t have the same touch and softness that the Spalding ball had.”
Some around the league have even suggested the ball is the reason for declining field-goal percentages — though the players themselves have not gone quite that far.
“Several star players have gotten off to rough starts, but none have directly blamed the ball for their early-season shooting challenges,” RealGM wrote.
When the switch was announced, NBA director of global partnerships Sal LaRocca indicated that the Wilson ball could be around for a while.
“Wilson is highly regarded in the basketball world,” LaRocca told Yahoo Sports. “In the first 74 NBA seasons, Wilson had the first 37 and Spalding had the next 37. So, our running joke is these partnerships may change every 37 years.”
The Wilson basketball is also used in the European and Australian pro leagues. Along with that Wilson is the official supplier of NFL footballs, and has been since 1941.
Finally, Wilson is also the official basketball supplier of the NCAA.
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