Is This The Same As The Game Ball?
Given the official game ball has an rrp of £249.99 it would be crazy to expect the same quality from the Spalding NBA Replica ball with an rrp of £39.99. This NBA replica basketball is a premium rubber basketball with the NBA branding on it. It has a nicer feel than a standard rubber ball, which you would expect as paying a premium for the replica status. In fairness the ball does have embossed printing rather than overlayed printing which does give a quality touch.

The replica game ball is an outdoor basketball and has a deep channel design too. Overall if you are looking for a Spalding basketball this is good but I think you can get better value for money from other Spalding balls.
What Do Spalding Say About The NBA Replica Basketball?
Spalding describe the NBA Replica Basketball as follows:-
The feel of the leather. The sound of the dribble. This replica basketball has the look and feel of the NBA Official Game Ball, but with a composite cover that stands up to the indoor or outdoor court. It’s made for a consistent bounce and solid grip, so you can get your crossover just right.
PRODUCT DETAILS
- Official NBA size and weight: Size 7, 29.5″
- Performance composite cover
- Shipped inflated and game-ready
- Designed for indoor and outdoor play
- Backed by Spalding’s Warranty
- NBA logo
- Deep channel design
As I have mentioned before, Spalding will lose the rights to the NBA from 2021. The new supplier will be Wilson so this ball will not be available when the current stocks run out. So if you want a Spalding replica basketball, you should act quickly before they sell out. I personally would wait for the Wilson balls to be available though. Having said that, the Wilson NBA basketballs won’t be available until July 2021 at the earliest.