Wilson Sportings Goods
Wilson Airless Gen1 basketball
Wilson Sporting Goods has announced the release of the Wilson Airless Gen1, the first-of-its-kind 3D printed airless basketball, that does not need to be inflated. Wilson revealed the prototype of the product in 2023, and showcased it at multiple additive manufacturing trade shows, including RAPID+TCT in Chicago, and it received a lot of interest from inside and outside the AM industry.
The limited-edition Wilson Airless Gen1 basketball will be available for purchase on February 16, 2024.
“We were overwhelmed by the excitement from our Airless Prototype, and we knew it was time to bring this rate, first-of-its-kind innovation to the world,” said Kevin Murphy, General Manager, Team Sports at Wilson. “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.”
The Wilson Airless Gen1 has similar functionality to the prototype, however over the last year, the Wilson Labs team has taken steps to increase performance and streamline the manufacturing process according to the company. The basketball nearly fits the performance specifications of a regulation basketball, including its weight, size, and rebound.
Wilson says that although the Wilson Airless Gen1 is crafted for play, it is a technology-infused product meant to create and inspire a new community of innovation enthusiasts and basketball hype curators alike.
Wilson Sporting Goods
The main updates to the airless basketball from the prototype include improved functionality, with an upgraded lattice design for more consistent performance and bounce. The ball still includes the same see-through lattice with eight panel-like lobes.
The ball also features holes integrated within the channels to help speed up the manufacturing process, making it faster to create each ball.
Further upgrades include enhanced customisation, with each ball featuring a built-in label that will feature the exact limited number in which it was produced, as well as colour variety, which the choice of brown and natural white in addition to the recognisable jet-black colourway of the prototype.
As with the prototype, the Wilson Labs team worked with General Lattice for computational design services, DyeMansion for colour and finishing solutions, while EOS provided technical oversight and a roadmap for mass production. SNL Creative joined the team to be the primary manufacturing hub for this first launch.
Limit units of the Wilson Airless Gen1 will be available exclusively on Wilson.com beginning Friday, February 16, for the price of 2,500 USD. Fans can also experience the product at Wilson’s on site activation at NBA Crossover in Indianapolis from February 16 to 18.
TCT spoke to the creators of the airless basketball in March 2023, taking a deep dive behind the scenes of the innovation.
