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When was the first basketball made for the sport instead of using a soccer ball?
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Basketball
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls leaping into the air during the slam-dunk competition at NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago, February 6, 1988.
The first basketball specifically designed for the sport was marketed in 1894. Prior to this, a soccer ball was used for the game's first two years.12
This initial basketball was a laced ball that measured approximately 32 inches (81 cm) in circumferenceāabout 4 inches (10 cm) larger than a soccer ballāand weighed less than 20 ounces (567 grams). Over time, the design evolved, and by the 1948ā1949 season, a laceless, molded ball with a circumference of about 30 inches (76 cm) became the official standard.1