Basketball Hoops

Basketball hoops are driveway staples on houses from Miami to Anchorage, from Palos Verdes to Portland, Maine. Basketball may not be America's national pastime, but it is arguably the most populist and democratic of all sports. Anyone with a few bucks to buy a ball and a bike pump to fill it can hoop it up just about anywhere, and at any time. The same can't be said of sports like baseball, tennis, and golf, which require the requisite real estate and a fair share of expensive equipment.

The great thing about hoops is that even if you have no room for a pole and a court you can simply fasten your hoop to the side of your house or apartment building. You don't even need any friends or neighbors to raise your game. You can develop a Larry Bird jump shot or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sky hook on your own, then take your skills with you to a public court and put together your own personal highlight reel.

Affordable Basketball Hoops

Sure, you could cough up 500 dollars for an NBA-approved glass backboard, 500 more for a powder-coated break-away rim, and several hundred on top of that for the right mounting equipment. Or you could buy an all-in-one package that's fully self-contained and easy to install. All you'll need is a basic tool kit with a hammer, screwdriver, and a few other everyday contraptions.

Basketball hoops give youngsters a great way to get exercise as well as develop skills and self-confidence. It's much more important that they have encouraging parents who will join them for a game of HORSE than a full court with a painted key, three-point line, and paved surface. If your young athlete is spending more time at the ping pong table or swing set than on the playing field, a hoop, a net, and a ball is one way to entice him or her to branch out and develop new skills.