Wilson Sporting Goods Co., an American sports equipment manufacturer, has released the Wilson Airless Gen1 3D printed basketball, an innovative, one-of-a-kind basketball that never needs to be inflated. Following the success of the Airless Prototype’s debut last year, the limited-edition Wilson Airless Gen1 basketball will be available for purchase on February 16.
Wilson is the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) official basketball provider, and it unveiled the world’s first 3D printed airless basketball prototype in February of last year.
Wilson Airless Gen1 3D Printed Basketball
The Wilson Airless Gen1 has similar functionality to the prototype, but over the last year, the Wilson Labs team has worked to improve performance and streamline the manufacturing process. The basketball nearly meets the performance requirements of a regulation basketball, including weight, size, and rebound (bounce). While the Wilson Airless Gen1 is designed for play, it is also a highly sought-after, technologically advanced product designed to foster and inspire a new community of innovation enthusiasts and basketball hype curators.
The main updates to the Wilson Airless Gen1 include:
- Improved functionality: A new lattice design provides more consistent performance and bounce. The ball still features the same see-through lattice with eight panel-like “lobes.”
- Streamlined manufacturing: Holes are integrated into the channels to help speed up the manufacturing process, making it easier to create each ball. The basketball remains airless and does not need to be inflated.
- Enhanced customization: Each ball will include a built-in label for customisation as well as the exact, limited number in which it was manufactured.
- Colour variety: In addition to the prototype’s recognisable jet-black colorway, the Airless Gen1 will be available in brown and natural white.
“We were overwhelmed by the excitement from our Airless Prototype, and we knew it was time to bring this rare, first-of-its kind innovation to the world. Wilson has gone where no brand has gone before with the release of the Airless Gen1 basketball, further inspiring the next generation of sports innovation.”
– Kevin Murphy, General Manager, Team Sports at Wilson
The Wilson Labs team used the same game-changing process to develop the Wilson Gen1 Airless basketball with key partners: General Lattice provided computational design services for high-performance optimisation, DyeMansion provided colour and finishing solutions, EOS provided technical oversight and a mass-production roadmap, and SNL Creative served as the primary manufacturing hub for this initial launch.
Beginning Friday, February 16, a limited number of Wilson Airless Gen1 units will be available exclusively on Wilson.com for $2,500. Fans can also try the product at Wilson’s on-site activation at NBA Crossover in Indianapolis on February 16-18.
About Wilson Sporting Goods Co.: Wilson Sporting Goods Co., based in the United States and owned by Amer Sports Corporation, is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance sports equipment, apparel, footwear, and accessories. The Company brings over a century of innovation, history and heritage to a variety of sports, including racquet sports, baseball, softball, American football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and golf.
