Molten GL7 Official FIBA Olympic Leather Indoor 29.5 Basketball

by Molten

Product Features

• Molten GL7 FIBA Olymipic Official Leather game basketball of the 2008 Beijing summer games
• FIBA approved official 12 panel 2 tone design
• Official 29.5, size 7
• Top grain leather cover
• This is the official FIBA 2008 Olympic Basketball. When you first get it, it will feel stiff, even a little slippery. This is a leather ball and must be broken in just like a leather baseball glove or leather jacket .The amount of time it takes to break in the ball will depend on how often you use it.

Product Description

When the International Basketball Federation had to decide which ball is worthy enough to be handled by the best basketball players in the world, the choice was clear. Molten GL7 Official FIBA Olympic Leather Indoor 29.5 Basketball is completely designed to handle world class play. Its top grain leather cover and flat pebble surface is built to specifically meet the performance demands of the players participating in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 11 x 11 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000GF2VBU
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,326 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than Meets the Eye..., April 8, 2009

By 

JMC ""Afficionado"" (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molten GL7 Official FIBA Olympic Leather Indoor 29.5 Basketball (Misc.)

This basketball will deceive you when you first receive it because it does feel like a cheap, synthetic outdoor ball. It will also be very slick; I guarantee you that on more than one occasion it will slip right out of your hands when going up for the shot, especially if your hands are sweaty. And nobody will want to play pick-up games with it either.

That being said however, one must remember that this is a leather basketball and it must be broken in. My brother has the NBA ball and when it was new, it was just as slick and "cheap" feeling as the Molten ball. But once these balls are broken in, they're the best basketballs you'll ever play with. Leather basketballs are practically the opposite of synthetic balls -- a synthetic ball feels great when new, but becomes hardened and slick over time; a leather ball feels hardened and slick when new, but ends up feeling great over time. Even better than great: the more you use it, the more it is bounced and played with, the more the ball absorbs the properties of the gym, the better it becomes.

So here's my advice if you get this ball: go to the gym and work on your dribbling and work on your shot. Ironically, because it lacks the grip of synthetic balls (until it's broken in), it actually forces you to properly shoot and dribble the ball. And once it's broken in, you'll wonder how you ever played the game all those times with the synthetic balls.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best basketballs you will play with., January 27, 2012

By 

The DoCC (VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Molten GL7 Official FIBA Olympic Leather Indoor 29.5 Basketball (Misc.)

I have a blog about review the research on products that I recently purchased and one of my latest entries is about The Top Indoor Basketball Ball. At the time I have never played with a Molten ball but just yesterday I got my chance to play with one and I must say it is definetly one of the best balls on the market. I still think the Wilson Evolution is the best ball for indoor basketball but the Molten GL7 is up there with the Evolution.

To check out my list of Top Indoor Basketballs please check out my blog:

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5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Let the Gripe Fool You, December 26, 2011

By 

natshuck - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Molten GL7 Official FIBA Olympic Leather Indoor 29.5 Basketball (Misc.)

I received this item at the end of November 2011. Fantastic packaging, secure. I was concerned about the ball being warped in transit.

When you first open and handle the Molten GL7 Indoor Leather Basketball 29.5, you it feels like it's a fake because it is so slick. You search all over the internet for reviews and images to vet it's authenticity.

After that, I decided to give it a try and shoot with it. I have spent a month practicing with it 3 to 4 times a week. Needless to say, I have grown accustomed to the feel and I love it. I have read where it has been described as a 'shooters ball' and I tend to agree with them. It has 12 panels instead of 8 which allows your finger tips the extra channels to increase the rotation. It doesn't have the tac that new micro composite basketballs have, but I agree with one reviewer and this ball forces you to shoot correctly (using your legs with elbow in and high release with the extra rotation that the extra channels provide).

With all this said, I still haven't convinced any groups that I play with twice a week to try it in our pick up games.