The connection between artists and the sport of basketball is a visual art trend that can’t be ignored. Over the last few years pretty basketballs, that function as both art and a playable ball, have emerged on the scene as a fun option for hoopers.
As Los Angeles-based artist Mark Whalen told Vice, “I love the game. Basketball in the 90’s had so much flare and hype to it, and I think a lot of artists now seem to be having fun using it as a powerful icon in their work. The basketball itself is a dominating object.”
So today, we’re going to share some of our favorite hooper eye candy. These pretty basketballs help make it easy to scoop out which ball is yours on the way out of the gym. And also add a nice pop of color to any room in your house, plus they’re a conversation starter! If you need more basketball gift ideas, check these out too.
From a teddy bear ball to a roses ball, a rainbow basketball and more, here are some cool playable pretty basketballs designed by awesome artists. These designed basketballs tend to sell out quickly because they’re often exclusive runs. So bookmark your favorite shops and artists, and grab the ones you like if they’re still around.
This cool ball packs the good vibes, and is currently on the way! In honor of Good Looks! three year anniversary photographer Koolmac collabed with Aaron bringing to life his signature wave pattern on a ball that looks even more amazing while in motion. This ball symbolizes their love for art, basketball, and their goal of inspiring the next generation of creatives to bring their ideas to life.
This basketball is a piece of art and a functional basketball. It features a design inspired by Krispy Kreme donuts and would be the perfect Christmas present! It has high-quality moisture absorbing leather. And is men’s regulation size and weight.
It’s designed by basketball photographer Cameron Look, who’s made a name for himself photographing high school basketball stars, and now the NBA for SLAM. His basketball drops sell out really quickly, so cop it right away if you want one.
Inspired by SpongeBob, this Jellyfish basketball features a stunning pink design, also created by Cameron Look. It’s made to be admired and to be played with! Comprised of high-quality moisture absorbing leather, this is a men’s regulation size and weight ball.
From the streets to the league, this ball is inspired by a class of high school hoopers. It has a cool teddy bear design, and is made of high-quality moisture absorbing leather. It’s men’s regulation size and weight. Designed by basketball photographer Cameron Look, it dropped in early 2021 and sold out super quickly.
Craig White is a graphic designer and artist based in Toronto, Canada. His “Roses” basketball conveys the idea of a player’s game “in bloom.” Roses are a symbol of achievement and this visual story celebrates the big and small wins along the way, for the players who leave their heart on the court all day, every day.
This ball features a versatile and durable composite leather cover, and contemporary wide concave channel for easy grip and channel recognition. It’s designed for both indoor and outdoor play. And is an official men’s size (29.5) and weight.
Designed by LA-based artist Sket One, this is an original collectible and playable performance basketball. This official men’s size (29.5) and weight features classic graphic elements that evoke the excitement and fun of Sket’s iconic character. Its rotationally balanced butyl bladder provides excellent air retention and true rebound. And you can use it indoors and outdoors.
Sket One began his career as a graffiti artist in the late 80’s. Since his start, Sket One has become widely known for his eye-catching art and creative toy designs that incorporate distinct elements from pop culture.
This basketball is all about play – and shows play in pattern. It’s designed by Marco Oggian, a global artist who uses strong colors and simple shapes to represent everything he sees. Born in Italy, and currently residing in Barcelona, Spain, Marco partnered with round21 on this cool basketball which is also available in the Modern Museum of Art.
Like all round21 balls it’s a men’s official size (29.5) and weight, and is both an indoor and outdoor basketball. It features a versatile and durable composite leather cover.
This year’s Chinese Lunar New Year marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit, a year of youth, liveliness, intelligence, happiness and good fortune. Bring that energy to the court for 2023 and celebrate with the Year of the Rabbit Limited Edition Wilson X NBA CNY basketball.
This ball is really awesome because it’s a unique floral design, and Chance gives back to organizations whose missions are important to them like the Boys and Girls Club. The ball has incredible grip and is long-lasting, and is sure to bring new life to your game with its beautiful light purple surface covered in colorful pop-art flowers. You can count on it for excellent performance for outdoor basketball play, but it can also be used indoors. One thing to keep in mind is that it ships flattened, not blown up.
Trae Young knows every time he picks up a basketball is an opportunity–an opportunity to compete, to impact the community, to prove the doubters wrong. Featuring nods to his roots in Oklahoma and Georgia, this white ball was inspired by Trae’s ability to block out the noise and play at the highest level day after day. It only comes in a men’s size 7 but is sure to feel nice on the court or make a mark in your space. Keep in mind it’s probably best to use indoors though in order to maintain its crispy white coat.
The colors are vivid on this original by Spalding and Urban Outfitters. Go round the world from the court when you shoot hoops with this rubber map-print Spalding basketball. It’s an official men’s regulation-sized soft grip basketball. Show it off on the court or it’ll look great sitting near your desk as a conversation piece.
Where imagination collides with performance, this ball created by Wilson Design Labs, celebrates the sport’s unique ability to give players an escape from reality, enabling them to immerse themselves in an activity that brings pure joy. The sunrise sunset design celebrates all members of the basketball community – honoring not just how they play, but who they are. It’s available in a men’s size 7.
This special basketball was released originally through Chinatown Market’s exclusive Secret Club. It features the traditional black lines that fans might expect on a standard basketball. It is also the same size as a regulation men’s ball.
A Dior monogram print covers every surface of the orb in a dark blue font. It’s set against a lighter blue background color that complements the darker iconic logo.
AND1 began in the summer of ’93 in Philadelphia as a graduate school project of Jay Coen Gilbert, Seth Berger, and Tom Austin who were selling t-shirts out of the backseat of their cars. Years later, the brand launched the infamous AND1 Mixtape Tour, a traveling basketball competition and exhibition of street ball players.
This AND1 Chaos rubber ball is men’s regulation size 7 (29. 5”) and weight, and is great for indoor and outdoor use. It features deep channel construction for improved ball grip and control. AND1 basketballs are built to last and withstand wear and tear, and this one ships inflated so it can be used right away
Victor Solomon, known for his delicate stained glass backboards, and NBA 2K teamed up to celebrate the release of NBA 2K22, collaborating on a hoops-themed kintsugi kit, featuring a ceramic NBA 2K basketball sculpture, a copy of NBA 2K22 NBA 75th Anniversary Edition, a Midnight Black PlayStation®5 DualSense™ controller, a Victor Solomon “Heat Check” candle, gold dust, a gold hammer, glue, and a step-by-step tutorial describing how to break and create, your own one-of-one, perfectly imperfect collaborative sculpture.
Kintsugi is the storied and ancient craft of repairing broken pottery with gold-dusted lacquer, celebrating the imperfections and showing the beauty in resurrecting something to make it new again, much like an athlete’s journey to greatness.
Still need more basketball beauty in your life? Well you’re in luck! Check out a variety of stunning luxury ball hand bags created from athletic balls, high quality hardware and hand-selected premium hides. These basketball purses, designed by artist Andrea Bergart, are individually handmade in New York City by a small team of highly skilled craftspeople. She also takes custom projects by request. There are also some pretty basketball purses on Etsy.
Fear not, that’s not all! There are also pretty basketball planters you can grow awesome house plants in. Check out tons of options on Etsy to purchase handmade and crafted with care Wilson basketball planters. Each planter is made of brand new basketball that’s never been used for play.
This limited-edition Wilson basketball was created in collaboration with jeweler and luxury purveyor Tiffany & Co for the NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland. And it’s pretty enough to be added to our list! Artist Daniel Arsham was enlisted to design the commemorative item.
“I wanted to add something new so this one has my studio monogram embossed into it,” Daniel explained to Esquire. “It has the double ‘A’ logo inside of the Tiffany graphic with a dual brand lockup, and it commemorates the All-Star game in Cleveland. Collabs like these are even more unique when the canvas you’re working with is something as special as the official NBA game ball from Wilson.”
Pick your favorite pretty basketballs and get your order in so you can get to work, and always know which ball is yours after practice! If you purchase certain balls from this article, we’ll get a little something back to help fund this website. However, we’ve included all sorts of the most beautiful balls in order to show you the very best – not just ones that will help keep our website going. Up next, explore the best women’s basketballs.
