Stern keeps new ball despite complaints
David Stern expected complaints, and he got plenty of them.
His response: The new ball is staying.
The NBA commissioner said Monday the league is sticking with its new ball and is convinced it’s a better product despite concerns from a number of players.
“We’ve been testing it and retesting it,” Stern said. “And I think that some of the dramatics around it were a little overstated in terms of the downside and not enough recognition of the upside.”
The upside to Stern is that all the new balls, made of a microfiber composite, feel exactly alike. No two leather balls were the same. Stern said it was customary for referees to go through a rack of balls to select the best one before each game.
Players have said the new ball is too sticky when dry and too slippery when wet.
*
Sacramento Kings guard Mike Bibby is expected to miss the first two weeks of the regular season after detaching a tendon in his right thumb in Sunday’s exhibition against New Orleans.
More to Read
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.