How to Choose the Best Basketball Hoop

With so many options available choosing the best hoop can be an overwhelming task and a large investment but My goal is to be your guide in choosing the best hoop for your needs. This post will be geared more towards a home hoops set up.

Here are the factors that I consider when thinking about the hoop I will get. 

• What is my budget?
• What space will the hoop occupy?
• Style of hoop 
• Build Quality

Budget

One of my favorite things about the sport of basketball is that as long as you can find a hoop to shoot at you can play basketball. If you are happy with this fact you can stop reading and go play and work on your game! If you still want a hoop to call your own you will have to think about how much money you can invest. Hoops come in a wide variety of prices and the amount you’ll spend depends on your particular circumstance. You will want to determine the amount of money you’re willing to spend before you fall in love with any particular hoop.

Location of the hoop

There are a few considerations to make regarding where you will install your hoop. You will have to determine if the hoop will be indoor or outdoor, in-ground or movable, wall mounted or roof mounted and the list could go on. Having a great place to play basketball makes a world of difference when you’re actually using your equipment. An ideal situation would be to have a hoop indoors on a private basketball court but that is not accessible for everyone. If your hoop is going outdoors then Ideally you would have a dedicated court but that may not be realistic either. You may consider a garage mounted system over a driveway, patio, or alley. You always have the option to find a telephone pole and nail a milk crate to it for some alley ball action! 🏀

Style of hoops 

Stand Alone, In Ground: The hoop is affixed to the ground permanently, I stands on its own. The hoop has a lever system to adjust the height. Hoops of this style tend to be more expensive and higher quality.

Stand Alone Portable Hoop: The can be moved on wheels that are installed at the base , It stands on its own and typically has a tank at the base to be filled with a counter weight of some sort (eg: sand, water, concrete. The hoop can have a lever system to adjust the height some models are fixed height. Hoops of this style can vary in price but tend to be moderately affordable. Sometimes quality can be low and dunking or rough play is not recommended.

Wall Mount:  The hoop is affixed to a wall or other stable structure an that provides its stability. The hoop can have a lever system to adjust the height some models are fixed height. Hoops of this style can vary in price but high quality models tend to be expensive.

Build Quality

When buying a hoop you must consider build quality. This is a piece of equipment that will be used extensively and must withstand constant use and abuse. If you are a newer or more casual player you may find that moderate build quality is fine. A person that is more of a serious player will need to consider a higher level of quality to withstand thousands of shots and rim grabs.

Conclusion

These are a few considerations when it comes to thinking about buying a basketball hoop! My advice is to try the least expensive option first and move forward from there.