Having a ball

Players want to take a pass on new microfiber basketball | John Dawson

It wasn't broke, but the NBA fixed it anyway. And few players are happy about it. On the advent of the new NBA season, players are up in arms about a new microfiber composite basketball to replace the old leather Spaldings the NBA has used for more than 20 years.

League commissioner David Stern can list myriad reasons why the NBA has finally switched to the composite ball: According scientific testing, the balls provide a more consistent feel, handle better in chilly northern arenas, and don't get as slick. But lab testing and court testing are two different things. Some players have complained loudly. Their position: Why change a good thing? Heat center Shaquille O'Neal says the new basketball doesn't feel quite real. "It feels like one of those cheap balls that you buy at the toy store—indoor-outdoor balls," he said.

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November 04, 2006, Vol. 21, No. 42

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