The NBA is literally changing basketballs. league will officially be dropping Spalding and will be switching to Wilson Sporting Goods Co. as their official ball supplier starting the 2021-22 season.

According to Mavs Money Ball, other than the brand, there isn't much of a change. The design and feel of the ball will remain the same. The leather supplier for both Spalding and Wilson is the same. They claim it won't be the same situation as back in 2007 when Spalding introduced a new ball that made Dirk Nowitzki's hand bleed.

When the league began in 1946, they used Wilson basketballs. They changed it to Spalding in 1983, just as Michael Jordan was entering the league and changing it from a "Santa and Elves" game into positionless basketball. Next year, after 37 seasons and to coincide with the NBA's 75th anniversary and the new fast-paced, long-range style of play, the league will return to its traditional roots.

Many young stars in the league today are inspired by players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. Traditional players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, rookie Zion Williamson, and Joel Embiid will still be there, but dynamic do-everything players such as Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Ben Simmons, and Jayson Tatum are showing how the game has changed.

The NBA board apparently still had the time to decide on switching basketballs despite the suspension brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The revenue losses suffered by the league itself, teams and individual players could reach billions and set-back salary caps for years to come.

The current 2019-2020 season's fate is still undecided. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been repeating the same lines over and over since he suspended the league on March 11. He wants to monitor the pandemic situation first, then a decision will be made. At this point, no decision has been made due to the worsening coronavirus statistics in the United States.

The NBA, nor the game of basketball will not end because of the coronavirus. Someday, things will settle down into the "new normal," and basketball fans worldwide will watch the world's best ballers play against each other again, just with a different brand ball.

Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons seen with the Spalding ball used by the NBA