NBA switches official game ball partner

(FILES) In this file photo the NBA logo is viewed on a basketball during the Denver Nuggets v the Portland Trail Blazers on December 28, 2010 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado (Photo by Garrett Ellwood / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

The NBA is going back to its roots for the future seasons.

The league announced on Wednesday that it has tapped Wilson to produce official game balls of the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, Basketball Africa League, and NBA 2K League.

The new balls will be used in the league’s 75th anniversary season in 2021-22 and in the 2022 WNBA season, 2021-22 NBA G League season, 2021 NBA 2K League season, and the inaugural Basketball Africa League.

“We were partners for 37 seasons dating back to when Wilson manufactured the first official NBA basketballs in 1946, and we look forward to growing the game of basketball together,” said Salvatore LaRocca, NBA President, Global Partnerships, in a statement.

Spalding was the NBA official partner from 1983.

Despite the brand change, Wilson will use the same leather, materials, eight-panel configuration, and performance specifications as the current game balls being used in the NBA.

NBA players will also have a role in approving, developing and refining the new ball, the league said. With reports from Associated Press