Wilson’s 3D printed 'airless' basketball costing $2500 to be launched in limited production run
Wilson made news last year with its prototype ‘airless’ basketball, a non-inflatable, 3D-printed honeycomb structure that uses its structural rigidity instead of internal air pressure to generate bounce. Now, Wilson has announced that the Airless Gen1 basketball, an updated version of the prototype, will be available for sale from February 16, but in a limited run of fewer than 200. Wilson claims that it wishes to maintain exclusivity at this point, and with a retail price of $2,500, that shouldn’t be a problem.
The Airless Gen1 ball has the eight panel-like lobes and seam pattern of a conventional basketball, but with each panel being an open lattice of hexagonal holes. It is manufactured using selective laser sintering of a special polymer on an EOS P396 SLS 3D printer. General Lattice Labs has helped with digital design optimisation and Dye Mansion with the post processing, which includes printing, smoothing, dyeing and sealing. Watch the detailed development process in the video below.
The production version adds a few refinements to the original prototype. Firstly, the ball will come in three colours: black, brown and off-white (the polymer’s natural undyed look). Secondly, the lattice structure has been refined and additional holes in the channels make material removal easier during manufacture. Finally, each ball’s surface will feature a label to print the limited production serial number and some customised text.
Wilson has been the NBA’s official game ball supplier since 2021, which was around the time it started work on the airless prototype. That prompted many to speculate on the possibility of the airless basketball becoming the official game ball for NBA matches, despite there being no indications of that happening anytime soon.
The design is as polarising as it is groundbreaking. Many players and experts have opined that it will never match the feel of a ‘real’ basketball, on account of the lower air resistance experienced by the open lattice structure. A ball that moves differently through the air would throw off experienced players. Others have pointed out that when playing outdoors, the ball could quickly end up with debris lodged on the surface or trapped inside.
The Wilson Airless Gen1 can be ordered from Wilson’s website for $2,500 starting February 16, though likely not for long, given the small production number. Its exclusivity is not entirely artificial either – for now, the Airless Gen1 is genuinely expensive to manufacture, and can only be made in small volumes. Until Wilson can figure out how to scale up volume while lowering the cost, it is unlikely to enter production on a regular basis. Until then, players can enjoy Wilson's official NBA game ball with genuine leather and the Nike Men's Air Jordan XXXVII basketball shoe, available on Amazon.
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