Basketball (ball)

High school and junior leagues normally use NCAA, NBA or WNBA sized balls.

In addition, brand new all-leather indoor balls must be "broken in" first to achieve optimal grip before use in competition.

[5] In early December 1891, the chairman of the physical education department at the School for Christian Workers (Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, instructed physical education teacher James Naismith to invent a new game to entertain the school's athletes in the winter season.

Naismith assembled his class of 18 young men, appointed captains of two nine-player teams, and set in motion the first-ever basketball game, played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets tacked to either end of the gymnasium.

The first purpose-built basketballs were made from panels of leather stitched together with a rubber bladder inside.

For many years, leather was the material of choice for basketball coverings, however, in the late 1990s, synthetic composite materials were put forth and rapidly gained acceptance in most leagues, although the NBA's game balls still use real leather (apart from a brief experiment with a microfiber composite ball in 2006 that was not well received by the players).

[citation needed] Molten's top-of-the line product is the GL7, a leather ball with a distinctive 12-panel design.