Wilson Is Reinventing The Ball
Wilson has been many things, a friend, a basketball, a-. Well that’s about it really. Now it invented the ball 2.0.
With much fanfare and hype Wilson has introduced to the world the Airless Gen1 Basketball, which is, as the name suggests, an airless basketball. It’s made of a 3D-printed polymer lattice structure and Wilson promises that it NEARLY fits the performance specifications of a regulation basketball including its weight, size and rebound. It should feel exactly like a regular basketball, except for all the perforations letting sunshine through of course. It comes in three colourways, the orangey brown we’re all used to, black, and white.
It’s built off the Wilson Airless Prototype that was first shown off in 2023, and was made with the help of EOS, a 3D printing company that normally works with the medical and aerospace industry. Making a version that could successfully emulate the basketball we all know and love is the goal.
It retains the familiar seams and 8 panel-like lobes, immediately making it recognisable as basketball and not just a future orb of some kind. Each one has its edition number printed into the side letting you know exactly how exclusive the club you’re in for owning one of these is.
Having a ball made out of a single piece of 3D printed material has a lot of benefits, no fraying seams, no need to worry about deflation in the middle of business. But equally the risks associated with a ball with holes in it are readily apparent. Does this thing become a gigantic lint trap collecting hair as you bounce it around? Does grit get caught in the holes? What happens if your kid drops a straw into it and you can never get it out again. I’ll be the laughing stock of my community.
I don’t think Wilson is worried about these big questions though. Every Airless Gen1 Basketball includes a premium pelican case, mirror display stand, 3D printed luggage tag with a customized NBA Genuine Leather Insert and Certificate of Authenticity.
They don’t expect you to take this thing on the court, they expect you to play US$2,500 for what is essentially a limited edition art piece you put in its little display case and never touch again.
I can respect that.