FIBA Basketball Size vs NBA Basketball Size
FIBA and the NBA use balls of the same official size. The difference is in who makes them, what they are made of and how they feel.
Both are size 7 balls. The NBA ball is 29.5 inches (about 75 cm) around; see our page on the official size of NBA basketballs. FIBA’s rule gives a small range instead of a single number, 749 to 780 mm, and the NBA ball falls inside it.
Weight is the same story. An NBA ball weighs 22 ounces (about 624 grams). FIBA allows 567 to 650 grams.
Here are 5 differences between FIBA vs NBA basketballs:
- Brand: The NBA ball is made by Wilson, which took over from Spalding at the start of the 2021-22 season. FIBA’s official ball is made by Molten.
- Material: The NBA still plays with genuine leather, which has to be broken in before it grips well. The Molten ball is composite leather and feels the same out of the box.
- Panels: The NBA ball has the classic eight panels. The Molten ball has 12, which gives it more seams for the fingers to find.
- Color: The NBA ball is plain orange. The Molten ball is two-tone, orange with lighter panels, so that its spin is easier to see.
- Inflation: The NBA specifies a pressure, 7.5 to 8.5 psi. FIBA specifies a bounce: dropped from about 1.8 meters, the ball has to come back up to between 1.2 and 1.4 meters.
NBA ball vs FIBA ball: circumference
Millimeters. FIBA allows a range; the NBA ball is a fixed 29.5 inches.
Show the data behind this chart
Ball
Circumference
Weight
NBA (Wilson)
29.5 in (749 mm)
22 oz (about 624 g)
FIBA size 7
749 to 780 mm
567 to 650 g
FIBA size 6
724 to 737 mm
510 to 567 g
What do NBA players think about FIBA basketballs compared to NBA basketballs?
It comes up before every Olympics and World Cup. NBA players spend all season with a leather Wilson (and before 2021, a leather Spalding), then have a few weeks of training camp to get used to a composite ball with different seams. Most describe it as an adjustment in feel, mainly for shooters and ball-handlers, and one that goes away with repetitions.
It works the other way too. European players who arrive in the NBA have to get used to a leather ball that is slicker when new and changes as it wears in.
Basketball sizes by age
Circumference in inches. Size 7 is the men's and NBA ball.
Show the data behind this chart
Size
Circumference
Typical weight
Common age guidance
3
22 in
10 oz
Ages 4 to 8
4
25.5 in
14 oz
Ages 5 to 8
5
27.5 in
17 oz
Ages 9 to 11 (USA Basketball: 7 to 8)
6
28.5 in
20 oz
Women and girls 12+, boys 12 to 14 (USA Basketball: 9 to 11)
7
29.5 in
22 oz
Men and boys 15+
Which Company Makes NBA & FIBA Official Basketballs?
Wilson makes the official ball for the NBA, the WNBA and the G League, and has long supplied the NCAA tournaments. Spalding was the NBA’s supplier for more than 30 years before that, which is why many fans still think of it as the NBA ball. Molten supplies FIBA competitions, including the Olympics and the World Cup, and many national leagues outside the United States.
