Spalding Zi O Excel Indoor Outdoor Basketball | Desertcart UNITED STATES
Spalding Zi/O Excel Indoor-Outdoor Basketball
Product ID: 500640963
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🏀Size 7, 29.5 inches
🔧Deep channel design
🌧️Indoor/outdoor composite
Frequently Bought Together
Description
🏆 Elevate Your Game with Every Bounce!
READY TO PLAY - Shipped inflated and game-ready for instant action.
ULTIMATE GRIP - Foam backing ensures superior ball handling.
VERSATILE PLAY - Engineered for both indoor and outdoor courts.
PRECISION CONTROL - Deep channel design enhances dribble mastery.
UNLEASH YOUR GAME - Official NBA size and weight for authentic play.
The Spalding Zi/O Excel Indoor-Outdoor Basketball is the official NBA size and weight basketball, designed for versatile play on both indoor and outdoor courts. With its composite leather cover and deep channel design, it offers exceptional grip and control, making it perfect for players looking to enhance their skills. Shipped inflated and ready for action, this basketball is your go-to choice for serious gameplay.
Reviews
K**A
pretty solid ball
First, this thing is super tacky right out of the box. It's so tacky that an infant could palm it. I'm exaggerating, obviously, but you get my drift.When it arrived there was a tiny portion of one of the panels starting to peel a bit. Maybe like half an inch across or so. I super glued it and it looks fine. I don't anticipate any issues but take that for what it's worth.Played indoors with this ball for the first time today. I do like it. It's very grippy and feels like a high quality ball. Once my hands got very sweaty the ball got a little slippery, but wiping my hands and dribbling the ball a couple times got the tackiness back. I'm guessing that as this ball breaks in, it will lose some of its dry "infant could palm it" tackiness, and obtain more grip when it's wet from sweat. But that's just conjecture. I'll update after I play with it more.I also plan on using this outdoors from time to time and will update on how that goes.But so far, it's a great ball for a great price and I give it 4 stars.-----------------------UPDATE (10/13):I have played with this ball for 2 weeks (indoors only, 4 times per week for a total of ~10 hours or so) and I can't say I'm that thrilled about it. Although the ball still looks new, the original tackiness is pretty much gone. I wipe the ball down with a wet rag after each time I play with it and then dry immediately, so it's not dirty. It just doesn't have as much grip as before. It does deal with sweat a little better than when it was brand spanking new, but it still gets slippery at times when I play.Positives: I have only had to fill it up with air once to get it from 7lbs back up to 8lbs, so it holds air just fine. No complaints about the bounce either.It still is a quality ball and it has only been 2 weeks, so I'll keep the rating at 4 stars for now. But if the grip continues to get worse instead of "breaking in" then I won't be too happy and will probably grab a higher quality indoor ball. I will update again in a bit.-----------------------UPDATE (11/4):Alright, I've used the ball for a little over a month at the same frequency as outlined above. Ball still looks pretty new (except for a scuff mark or two from an errant shot or block sending it into the brick wall of the gym), but it has completely lost its tackiness. I can't palm it at all when I play once it gets a little wet from sweat. For reference, I'm 6'3" and my hands are about ~6.75 inches from base of palm to tip of middle finger (measured here: [google search: "you v big al jefferson" as apparently you can't post links in reviews]). It's still a good ball and it's not like I'm losing the ball all over the place or anything like that. I can still shoot, dribble, rebound, etc just fine with it. But when I go up for a one-handed dunk (which often requires at least a marginal palming of the ball unless you have serious hops), it slips out of my hand the vast majority of the time. Again, not a big deal. But it's kind of annoying especially since I know that a TF-1000 (or similar) won't do that.(BTW, imagine how much easier basketball would be if you were 6'10" with 9.5" hands. That guy is HUGE.)Maybe I haven't given the ball enough time to break in. But considering that it's composite and is not supposed to take that much break-in time, I think I have a pretty good handle on this ball.In sum:1) The "super-tackiness" right out of the box is a marketing gimmick to get you to buy it. This wears off very quickly and you are left with a ball that looks pretty new but isn't that grippy due to the more durable cover.2) It's not a premium indoor ball by any stretch. But this is no surprise as it only costs ~25 bucks.3) It's still a pretty solid ball that more than gets the job done.For me, I'm upgrading to a higher quality indoor ball for my indoor-only play. Haven't decided on which, yet, but that's part of the fun. This ball has been downgraded to my outdoor ball (and indoor when I have a buddy who wants to shoot around with me). Essentially, I am going to use it as an indoor/outdoor ball, which is EXACTLY what it is labeled as. Thus, I'm keeping it at 4 stars especially considering the cost.I will probably add another update after I play with it outside for a bit. Maybe the outdoor surface will break up the durable cover a bit and give it more grip. Who knows? I'll post again when I find out.
D**A
It was bad, but they responded to their mistake.
The media could not be loaded.
The ball is great, even though it has no original box. The problem is that I got another design that is not the one shown in the post and also, the ball is not perfectly rounded. If you place it on the floor the ball won't stop until it gets to the same side every time. And if it wasn't much, the valve is not fitted into the hole in the composite leather. EDIT: The first time I contacted them, they just sent back an automated message about "warranty." The second time they did behave professionally. I'm upgrading from 2 stars to 5, because I know the product is good and of course this was a factory issue. But the ball is great.
J**M
One was bad out of the box
I got about 25 of these (some in size 28.5", some full-size) for my church two years ago and with indoor use they have been holding up well. One was bad out of the box. They generally hold air fairly well but most need a little pumping after a couple months which in my view is to be expected. None have gone out of balance so far. That's a compliment because I slightly over-inflate the balls to offset our super-dead gym floor. A negative is that the end flaps of the panels tend to curl over time; when I see one curling up I use a tiny bit of Crazy Glue to stick it down and that has worked fine. No problems so far inserting or removing pump pins. Then at the age of 58 I bought one for myself because . . . well, I wanted one. Just didn't seem right for me to not own a basketball. And I'm having fun. Outdoors it doesn't wear as well, but there is no such thing as a truly long-lasting outdoor basketball. This one may be as good as any. Considered five stars but the occasionally-curling flaps prompted me to stay with four. I do not regret the purchase for the church or for me.
N**.
Good ball
Feels better than a spalding super tack pro. Although I liked the super tack ball, it lost all its grip within 2 months playing for about an hour a day 3 to 4 times a week. Time will tell if this ball lasts longer at double the cost. Will update my review after a couple of months to see if it lasts longer than a cheaper ball. As of right now I am extremely happy with the feel and bounce.
D**E
Just like I remembered it.
This is one of the best balls kids would bring to high school. I started playing again and decided to get what was like a luxury back then. It's still great. Color, weight, softness, and quality all great. I use it outdoor so it gets dusty and is quickly not sticky anymore but it's still not bad. It's got good padding. I don't play a lot but durability after maybe 6 hours of play seems fine. I also keep it in the garage away from sun and rain. I don't know how it will hold up if used daily for 2 or 3 hours but nothing will be durable under those conditions except a rubber ball
B**
Ball quality was mediocre (seemed flat / didn’t dribble well)
We ordered two for my son to train with outdoors. When taken out of the box, I dribbled both and while the texture / feel was good, it hit the ground with a “thud” and didn’t have that bounce you’d expect to get from a quality indoor ball. I tried to fill it up more but no luck. Guess it’s not a bad thing to have your kid la learn to pound / pound their dribble but in purposefully paid mor a mid to high priced indoor / outdoor ball to get a better quality. Disappointed for sure.
A**R
This is great
The bounce on this ball is perfect not too bouncy like a rubber ball not as dull as the spalding game replica. The replica is a great ball but does not have as much bounce as this, also the grip on this ball is great but if your hands are sweaty or if it’s wet in general it gets slippery. You can’t just push the ball down with no force but you don’t have to use all of your strength, the ball is perfect 22 ounces and 29.5 inches remember to inflate it to 8.5 psi it’s perfect
N**N
Decent Ball but deflate very quickly
I like this basketball, it has a good grip and okay feel to use for both indoor and outdoor. However, it gets deflated quickly, and I have to pump it up again after a week or so. Don't know if it is just my ball or it is the way it was designed
E**9
excelente compra
perfecto para jugar en outdoors
B**K
Ok
Good ball.. but it doesnt come as shown in the picture. It comes as the spalding gold series logo layout and zi/o written instead of gold series.
C**E
Great price and good value
So far it’s a great piece of sports equipment. The texture/finish is smoother than expected but once it gets more use I’m anticipating it’ll improve. Bought a second one for a gift and I hope the recipient enjoys it as well.
M**H
Great on clean courts
Very tacky so it's awesome on clean courts, but on dirty courts, it's a dust magnet. Not sure if that gets better in time as I've only had played with it a few times.
T**.
as described
as described
Common Questions
Trustpilot
TrustScore 4.5 | 7,300+ reviews
Khalid Z.
Great experience from order to delivery. Highly recommended!
1 week ago
Anjali K.
The product quality is outstanding. Exactly what I needed for my work.
A Division of Russell Brands, LLC, Spalding is the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world, and America's first baseball company. Spalding is the official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the official backboard of the NBA and NCAA, the official baseball of the Little League World Series, the official volleyball of the King of the Beach Volleyball Tour and of the \"Pro Beach Series\" and the official football of Pop Warner. In addition to being a leading producer and marketer of basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls, Spalding produces softballs under the Dudley brand. The SPALDING® and DUDLEY® trademarks are owned by Russell Brands, LLC.
Buying Guide
spalding basketball size guide
There are core sizes for basketballs: Size 5, Size 6 and Size 7.
The size you require depends on the age of the player concerned and also the sex of the player.
A size 5 basketball, is designed for players up to age 9. The ball has a circumference of 27.75\" and weighs approximately 18oz.
A size 6 basketball, is designed for players between the ages of 9 to 12. This is also the ball specified for Women. The ball has a circumference of 28.5\" and weighs approximately 20oz.
A size 7 basketball, is designed for all male players, 13 years and above. The ball has a circumference of 29.5\" and weighs 22oz.
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Maybe like half an inch across or so. I super glued it and it looks fine. I don't anticipate any issues but take that for what it's worth.Played indoors with this ball for the first time today. I do like it. It's very grippy and feels like a high quality ball. Once my hands got very sweaty the ball got a little slippery, but wiping my hands and dribbling the ball a couple times got the tackiness back. I'm guessing that as this ball breaks in, it will lose some of its dry \"infant could palm it\" tackiness, and obtain more grip when it's wet from sweat. But that's just conjecture. I'll update after I play with it more.I also plan on using this outdoors from time to time and will update on how that goes.But so far, it's a great ball for a great price and I give it 4 stars.-----------------------UPDATE (10/13):I have played with this ball for 2 weeks (indoors only, 4 times per week for a total of ~10 hours or so) and I can't say I'm that thrilled about it. Although the ball still looks new, the original tackiness is pretty much gone. I wipe the ball down with a wet rag after each time I play with it and then dry immediately, so it's not dirty. It just doesn't have as much grip as before. It does deal with sweat a little better than when it was brand spanking new, but it still gets slippery at times when I play.Positives: I have only had to fill it up with air once to get it from 7lbs back up to 8lbs, so it holds air just fine. No complaints about the bounce either.It still is a quality ball and it has only been 2 weeks, so I'll keep the rating at 4 stars for now. But if the grip continues to get worse instead of \"breaking in\" then I won't be too happy and will probably grab a higher quality indoor ball. I will update again in a bit.-----------------------UPDATE (11/4):Alright, I've used the ball for a little over a month at the same frequency as outlined above. Ball still looks pretty new (except for a scuff mark or two from an errant shot or block sending it into the brick wall of the gym), but it has completely lost its tackiness. I can't palm it at all when I play once it gets a little wet from sweat. For reference, I'm 6'3\" and my hands are about ~6.75 inches from base of palm to tip of middle finger (measured here: [google search: \"you v big al jefferson\" as apparently you can't post links in reviews]). It's still a good ball and it's not like I'm losing the ball all over the place or anything like that. I can still shoot, dribble, rebound, etc just fine with it. But when I go up for a one-handed dunk (which often requires at least a marginal palming of the ball unless you have serious hops), it slips out of my hand the vast majority of the time. Again, not a big deal. But it's kind of annoying especially since I know that a TF-1000 (or similar) won't do that.(BTW, imagine how much easier basketball would be if you were 6'10\" with 9.5\" hands. That guy is HUGE.)Maybe I haven't given the ball enough time to break in. But considering that it's composite and is not supposed to take that much break-in time, I think I have a pretty good handle on this ball.In sum:1) The \"super-tackiness\" right out of the box is a marketing gimmick to get you to buy it. This wears off very quickly and you are left with a ball that looks pretty new but isn't that grippy due to the more durable cover.2) It's not a premium indoor ball by any stretch. But this is no surprise as it only costs ~25 bucks.3) It's still a pretty solid ball that more than gets the job done.For me, I'm upgrading to a higher quality indoor ball for my indoor-only play. Haven't decided on which, yet, but that's part of the fun. This ball has been downgraded to my outdoor ball (and indoor when I have a buddy who wants to shoot around with me). Essentially, I am going to use it as an indoor/outdoor ball, which is EXACTLY what it is labeled as. Thus, I'm keeping it at 4 stars especially considering the cost.I will probably add another update after I play with it outside for a bit. Maybe the outdoor surface will break up the durable cover a bit and give it more grip. Who knows? I'll post again when I find out."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"5.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"D***A"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2021","name":"5.0 out of 5 stars\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n It was bad, but they responded to their mistake.\n \n","reviewBody":"The media could not be loaded.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n The ball is great, even though it has no original box. The problem is that I got another design that is not the one shown in the post and also, the ball is not perfectly rounded. If you place it on the floor the ball won't stop until it gets to the same side every time. And if it wasn't much, the valve is not fitted into the hole in the composite leather. EDIT: The first time I contacted them, they just sent back an automated message about \"warranty.\" The second time they did behave professionally. I'm upgrading from 2 stars to 5, because I know the product is good and of course this was a factory issue. But the ball is great."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"4.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"J***M"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2014","name":"4.0 out of 5 stars\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n One was bad out of the box\n \n","reviewBody":"I got about 25 of these (some in size 28.5\", some full-size) for my church two years ago and with indoor use they have been holding up well. One was bad out of the box. They generally hold air fairly well but most need a little pumping after a couple months which in my view is to be expected. None have gone out of balance so far. That's a compliment because I slightly over-inflate the balls to offset our super-dead gym floor. A negative is that the end flaps of the panels tend to curl over time; when I see one curling up I use a tiny bit of Crazy Glue to stick it down and that has worked fine. No problems so far inserting or removing pump pins. Then at the age of 58 I bought one for myself because . . . well, I wanted one. Just didn't seem right for me to not own a basketball. And I'm having fun. Outdoors it doesn't wear as well, but there is no such thing as a truly long-lasting outdoor basketball. This one may be as good as any. Considered five stars but the occasionally-curling flaps prompted me to stay with four. I do not regret the purchase for the church or for me."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"5.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"N***."},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2021","name":"5.0 out of 5 stars\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Good ball\n \n","reviewBody":"Feels better than a spalding super tack pro. Although I liked the super tack ball, it lost all its grip within 2 months playing for about an hour a day 3 to 4 times a week. Time will tell if this ball lasts longer at double the cost. Will update my review after a couple of months to see if it lasts longer than a cheaper ball. As of right now I am extremely happy with the feel and bounce."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"5.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"D***E"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019","name":"5.0 out of 5 stars\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Just like I remembered it.\n \n","reviewBody":"This is one of the best balls kids would bring to high school. I started playing again and decided to get what was like a luxury back then. It's still great. Color, weight, softness, and quality all great. I use it outdoor so it gets dusty and is quickly not sticky anymore but it's still not bad. It's got good padding. I don't play a lot but durability after maybe 6 hours of play seems fine. I also keep it in the garage away from sun and rain. I don't know how it will hold up if used daily for 2 or 3 hours but nothing will be durable under those conditions except a rubber ball"},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"2.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"B*** "},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2023","name":"2.0 out of 5 stars\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Ball quality was mediocre (seemed flat / didn’t dribble well)\n \n","reviewBody":"We ordered two for my son to train with outdoors. When taken out of the box, I dribbled both and while the texture / feel was good, it hit the ground with a “thud” and didn’t have that bounce you’d expect to get from a quality indoor ball. I tried to fill it up more but no luck. Guess it’s not a bad thing to have your kid la learn to pound / pound their dribble but in purposefully paid mor a mid to high priced indoor / outdoor ball to get a better quality. Disappointed for sure."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"4.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"A***R"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2020","name":"4.0 out of 5 stars\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n This is great\n \n","reviewBody":"The bounce on this ball is perfect not too bouncy like a rubber ball not as dull as the spalding game replica. The replica is a great ball but does not have as much bounce as this, also the grip on this ball is great but if your hands are sweaty or if it’s wet in general it gets slippery. You can’t just push the ball down with no force but you don’t have to use all of your strength, the ball is perfect 22 ounces and 29.5 inches remember to inflate it to 8.5 psi it’s perfect"},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"4.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"N***N"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2021","name":"4.0 out of 5 stars\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Decent Ball but deflate very quickly\n \n","reviewBody":"I like this basketball, it has a good grip and okay feel to use for both indoor and outdoor. However, it gets deflated quickly, and I have to pump it up again after a week or so. Don't know if it is just my ball or it is the way it was designed"},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"5.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"E***9"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in Mexico on July 14, 2022","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n excelente compra\n \n \n","reviewBody":"perfecto para jugar en outdoors"},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"4.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"B***K"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2021","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Ok\n \n","reviewBody":"Good ball.. but it doesnt come as shown in the picture. It comes as the spalding gold series logo layout and zi/o written instead of gold series."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"4.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"C***E"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in Canada on February 9, 2020","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Great price and good value\n \n","reviewBody":"So far it’s a great piece of sports equipment. The texture/finish is smoother than expected but once it gets more use I’m anticipating it’ll improve. Bought a second one for a gift and I hope the recipient enjoys it as well."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"4.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"M***H"},"datePublished":"Reviewed in Australia on December 15, 2020","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Great on clean courts\n \n","reviewBody":"Very tacky so it's awesome on clean courts, but on dirty courts, it's a dust magnet. Not sure if that gets better in time as I've only had played with it a few times."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":"4.0"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"T***."},"datePublished":"Reviewed in Canada on May 15, 2021","name":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n as described\n \n","reviewBody":"as described"}],"aggregateRating":{"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":4.153846153846154,"bestRating":5,"ratingCount":13}}