Best Indoor & Outdoor Basketballs

Wilson Evolution is the ball for ballers who are not satisfied with being satisfied. The Evolution line with the signature cushion core carcass is what separates this product before anything else, providing that soft feel that players yearn for.

You can put in a ridiculous amount of work but the ball will always be a factor regarding how tight your handles truly are. Here, with composite laid-in channels, the ball's creating that consistent texture and grip across the entire surface that you need to control the rock with ultimate precision. That's not all though.

More often than not, unless you have Shaq's hands, these balls can be hard to grip, especially when rebounding at the rim. That's where the model's premium Evo microfiber composite cover comes into play, ensuring excellent grip and making sure you're able to grab the board without massive height advantage.

The ball ought to be used indoors, with its 6-inch circumference designed to accommodate aspiring male athletes around 12-16 and even used in the WNBA. Setting aside the fact that Evolution balls deflate pretty quickly, there's nothing we don't like about them. Also, the wordmark logos are available in six different colors, so you don't have to keep things too traditional.

Although this ball can be used indoors too, Spalding NBA Zi/O is all about the streets. Its rugged surface is ready to hustle on concrete, though the ball has no issues with hardwood too. From where we're standing, it is the weathered look that makes the ball seem so right out there on concrete courts. But it is also the foam-backed design that gives the rock an awesome bounce that does not discriminate, going from the driveway to the gym.

Again, though the look is not completely traditional, the channel design is anything but new, so the ball will feel familiar to experienced ballers. It is fully pebbled, so the grip will be there, letting you dribble with confidence and break some ankles with ease. What the finish brings to make the ball aggressive, the composite cover somewhat compensates, making this rock quite soft and even a tad bit tacky, making it easy to palm.

The downside here is that this cover wears off quite fast, especially when used on concrete, so the finish gets slippery but that's always been the case with these balls. What hasn't always been the case with basketballs is that this one's shipped inflated and ready to hustle and bustle, so you can grab the rock and go hooping the moment the package arrives.

Spalding NBA Replica will make pick-up games at the park nearby that much more intense. Despite the more than affordable price, this replica is pretty convincing. As far as we can tell, the only distinction between this product and its much more expensive authentic competition is that the glue residue is visible and sometimes noticeable to the touch. More often than not though, you should not be able to feel the glue. All you'll be feeling is the performance composite cover that does an excellent job emulating original Spalding's leather feel.

Other than that, the cover also makes the ball tough enough to handle driveways and concrete courts. The bounce will remain consistent, even when dropped onto hardwood one evening and played on the rubber the next. The channels here are also as deep as they ought to be, ensuring that the grip is always solid and improving the chances of you getting the crossover right.

Setting all these intangibles and the ball's high quality aside, the circumference here measures 7 inches and its weight 22 ounces, standard numbers to make sure the difference between the original and the replica is practically non-existent. So, if you don't have excess cash to spare, this is the ball we'd recommend before them all.

Sometimes, you want to try different things. With Spalding TF-250, you'll be able to try them all. The ball's different (as different as Spalding balls can be). Its all-surface composite leather cover does not feel like the genuine basketball leather that you're probably used to. Some might view that as a disadvantage but that's not necessarily the case. With the different feel, you'll be able to experiment, try new moves, and see how things go when you're playing with something you're not accustomed to.

The ball will provide ample opportunity to try these moves since the Butyl rubber bladder aids air retention and makes sure you do not have to inflate this rock as often as you usually do. Plus, the all-surface composite leather cover also means that the ball transitions from blacktops to the hardwood better than most basketballs.

This cover feels extra grippy, so you should be able to keep executing consistent, high-level handles even in the 4th quarter, with slippery hands and an empty tank. The rock's not heavy though, weighing the same 22 ounces that all standard basketballs do, so you can sharpen the jump shot and practice lay-ups all the same. Considering the ~20 bucks price tag, what else is there to ask for?

Spalding NBA Street delegates you to the streets, where the real games are played, with none of the softness that the NBA has been riddled with these days. The only thing soft about this rock is the performance outdoor rubber cover that feels quite soft on the fingers but not soft enough to yield to asphalt and concrete. No, this two-tone rubber cover will have no issues standing up to concrete, even though the price suggests anything but durability.

Given that the ball costs less than 15 bucks, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that only the paintwork on the channels is lacking, while the logos last. The channels themselves are nothing to complain about though, deep enough to aid handles and promote effortless dribbling. Because the ball hasn't been designed to accommodate both indoor and outdoor use, the people behind the Street line have been able to balance and bounce, keeping it consistent enough to let you practice grabbing the boards.

The ball's circumference and weight are standard, 7 inches and 22 ounces respectively, so you won't have to get used to this rock. In fact, since the rock comes already inflated, you can grab this one and immediately organize a pick-up game at the local park.