How to Choose a Portable Basketball Hoop

How to Choose a Portable Basketball Hoop

While there is large variety of portable basketball hoops to choose from, there really are just a few factors you should consider in deciding which hoop will meet your needs. Once you have narrowed down your selection using these criteria, selecting your hoop will be much easier.

How Much Room Do You Have for the Base

Consider where your hoop will be located and how much room, front to back, you will have for the base. For smaller hoops, only a few feet may be required. But if your hoop will be used in an indoor gym setting such as a school or church gym, you may need more room. For competitive settings, you likely will want the backboard to extend four feet in from the baseline – that is the regulation distance. You may be ok with the front of the base sitting just off the baseline, but even in that case you may still need five or six feet between the baseline of the court and the wall to accommodate the base of the hoop. If your gym will be used for higher levels of competition, you probably want the base at least 18 inches to two feet off the baseline (actually, four feet is required for high school play, and even more for higher levels). The base itself could easily be five to eight feet long, so for the higher level portables, you may need as much as ten or 11 feet between the baseline and the wall. You can download the specs for most of our hoops, which will show you the base and backboard-to-base dimensions. Definitely consider your space requirements before deciding which hoop will work for you.

What Backboard Material Should You Get

Professional, college and high school arenas generally use tempered glass backboards. The bounce of the ball off tempered glass is the crispest and truest of any material, as glass does not flex and has the least vibration. However, while tempered glass is very strong and will generally hold up to normal basketball play, it can break if hit with a baseball, rock or other hard object. So if your hoop will be used in an environment where there is a risk of flying objects, you might want to consider acrylic. Acrylic has the clear look of glass, but is virtually unbreakable. However, acrylic will get a little cloudy over time, especially if it is sitting outside in the sun and other elements.

What Size Backboard Do You Want

Standard backboard sizes are 42 X 72 inches, 36 X 60 inches, 36 X 54 inches and 36 X 48 inches. A regulation size basketball backboard is 42 X 72, although older boards can be 48 inches high rather than 42. So if you want to have regulation size equipment you would choose a hoop with a 72 inch backboard. A 60 inch also is fine for an institutional setting, whereas a 60 inch, 54 inch or 48 inch would be more appropriate for a residential setting (as would a 72 inch if you are planning to invite over LeBron James and his pals).

Hoops We Offer at TopHoops

At TopHoops we have a huge selection of residential and institutional portable hoops, with a variety of backboard sizes and materials. Our First Team residential hoops are designed with the weight in the base further back from the post than many of their competitors, providing for greater safety and stability. We also offer college and high school quality portables from First Team and Gared Sports. To find the hoop that is perfect for you, simply input your preferences into our Hoop Finder and we will narrow your options down to the specific hoops that fit your needs.

Bottom Line

While choosing a portable hoop can seem overwhelming, using the criteria above and our Hoop Finder you can narrow your selection and find the hoop that is perfect for you. At TopHoops, we have a huge selection of portable hoops, all high quality and with free shipping, and we are here to make your hoop-buying process as easy as possible. Don’t hesitate to call us if you need a hand figuring out what you need to buy a portable basketball hoop.