[notdonspaulding]

Fatal flaw for outdoor games: what keeps this from picking up pieces of gravel or debris from the court?

Anything sharp or rough it picks up is then immediately headed for somebody's hands on the next pass.

And even if it wasn't sharp, it would shift the CG away from the center of the ball, which isn't a problem that traditional balls typically have as they deteriorate with age.

And even if it wasn't heavy enough to impact the CG, it would rattle around on the inside.

Still, I guess it could be nice on an indoor court.

[sublinear]

I also feel like material fatigue would affect the ball's performance over time in ways not experienced by ordinary balls.

i.e. It doesn't need air, but does it bounce the same after thousands of bounces and hours of sunlight? Is the wear evenly distributed when left in the sun but not used? What about when it is used, but damage occurs for other reasons?

[thelock85]

I think this is a valid concern for pro, semi-pro, collegiate and competitive recreational players. Not so sure for the millions of other players who play with crappy, uneven, knotted, too rough/smooth “ordinary” balls everyday. Of course that doesn’t mean there is a market for it.

[sublinear]

I don't believe ordinary balls would experience the same level of degradation simply because the pressurized air inside is most of what makes it bounce

[doubled112]

I've had basketballs fail. Suddenly your ball has a lump. Happens after a hard hit sometimes.

On the 3D printed one, I'd assume the opposite problem. A hard hit causes a dead spot or actual indent.

Both make it hard to play with.

[robotresearcher]

The purpose of this ball is to get media outlets to play a story about Wilson basketballs. It’s a marketing play, not a product.