Size 7 (29.5 cm or 75 cm) is the official size for all adult basketball and is appropriate for male basketball players 12 years old or older. Size 5 balls are the sweet spot for most youth basketball players aged nine to 11 and, says Darren Anderson, are the preferred size for U12 tournaments (which still typically use size six balls). For everyone, male or female, aged 9-11, the recommended ball size is 27.5 inches; the size ball is used most often in youth basketball leagues.
Sometimes called the “Junior Ball,” this basketball is typically used in youth basketball leagues for children younger than the age of 9. For boys and girls ages 4-6, the three-sized basketball is recommended to hold mini-basketball sessions at schools or community sports centers. Size 3 10 ounces (0.63 pounds or 0.28 kilograms) 22 inches (56 cm) This is known as mini basketball and is recommended for boys and girls ages 4-8.
Notes on the Size of a Woman’s Basketball
The women 28.5 size basketball is sometimes also called mid-size basketball, and due to its smaller size, it is also used in boys and girls youth leagues for players ages 9-12 who are still developing their games or may not yet reach full body size. The 28.5 – “Women’s Basketball has a circumference of 28.5 inches, which is only an inch smaller than that used in the NBA. The 7 is the rolled size used by men and boys ages 15 or older, which is the size you will find thrown at every NCAA, NBA, or Olympic basketball game.
One inch smaller than a pro men’s ball, size six balls are used by girls and women in high school and college programs and professional competitions for FIBA and the WNBA. Professional, college and high school women play a size 6, an inch smaller in circumference, two ounces lighter. The WNBA, women’s colleges, girls high schools, and boys and girls high schools, however, play a different size, playing with balls measured 28.5 inches in circumference, sometimes called a size 6.
The NBA’s official basketball size is 29.5 inches in circumference, a standard used throughout men’s college and boys’ high school basketball. Four standard basketball sizes are used in games; 29.5 inches, 28.5 inches, 27.5 inches, and 25.5 inches.
On the Colors of Basketballs Across Divisions
The basketballs used generally have two different colors and are more extensive, with the male balls having a 30.7-inch circumference while women’s balls have a 29-inch rim. Basketballs usually vary, ranging from small promotional items measuring just a few inches (a few centimeters) across, to huge balls almost two feet (60 cm) across, used for practice drills.
Boys and girls aged four to eight use basketballs 22 inches to 24.5 inches in circumference, depending on individual hand size, which the coach or parents may determine by measuring from the base of an individual’s palm to the tips of their middle fingers.
The WNBA uses a slightly smaller basketball in circumference than the NBA, with 28.5 inches (size 6) but weighing as much as an NBA ball, weighing 20 ounces; this makes them more comparable in size with FIBAs official International Standard of 28.5 inches across, adopted by many women’s leagues beyond their rules for the highest-level competition such as the EuroLeague Women’s League or Japan Basketball League (JBL).
The difference in size is because WNBA players are generally smaller and lighter, with smaller arm spans than NBA players, making a 28.5-inch female basketball an ideal size. The 28.5 women basketball, or the six basketball, is the official ball size of most professional women’s basketball associations, including the WNBA, the women’s collegiate,l, and high school basketball leagues.
Important Basketball Metrics Vary Across Age Groups
This is the official site of the NBA, men’s NCAA, and boys’ high schools. The official basketball used is a hybrid between the Size 6 and the Size 7 balls: it has a six circumference, but it weighs just like the 7. A size 7 is a 29.5-inch circumference ball weighing around 22 ounces (just under 1.5 pounds) — and has no business on most youth basketball courts.
Large enough to feel like the pros, yet small enough for younger kids to handle, the size is not used by any formal basketball associations but is the go-to option for moms and dads with kids between the ages of five and eight who are anxious to get them a good ball to work out on.
A lighter ball, at just 17 ounces, a Size 5 basketball is perfect for kids who are working on shooting, passing, or dribbling, without getting frustrated with a giant, heavier ball that is harder for smaller hands to hold, potentially leading to poor habits and lost interest in the game. If you are looking to get a younger child into basketball, the size 3 is perfect for ensuring that they have a ball that is not heavy enough to be unsafe and is the type of ball they will be using for their sports classes in school.
If your child is pretty confident about playing sports, you may want to opt for a smaller or medium-sized ball instead of the youth-sized ball. If you play basketball competitively and regularly using a 7-size ball, you are headed in the right direction. Using a proper-sized basketball can make you feel more confident and improve your game, so you must spend time understanding which basketball size you need.