From Balcony Railings To Stylish Glass Backboards

While the purpose of the backboard was to prevent viewers from touching the ball, they also served the purpose of letting players jump higher by hitting their feet to the wall. Backboards then were attached to the wall.

The main purpose of a backboard today is to hold the loop and the rim of the basket. Today, they are placed at a distance of four feet from the wall so the ball can easily fall to the ground. An ideal backboard needs to have a length of three and a half feet and a width of six feet. Backboards have a painted rectangle with eighteen inches in length and twenty-four inches in width, which you find just above the rim of the basket.

The first glass backboard was introduced in the year 1910. Glass backboards were banned about six years later. However, this was not for long as viewers preferred glass backboards that wouldn’t block their view of players from the court.

The first glass backboard was shattered by a player named Chuck Connors. This is the main disadvantage of a glass backboard. However, we do not have to worry about this today as we have glass backboards that are shatterproof and safe to use on the court.

Most players today, prefer to place their baskets on glass boards as they are strong, consistent and not vulnerable to chips or dents that can look very bad on the basketball court. Players also prefer glass basketball boards as they help to rebound with much more ease than with other materials. There are times when you miss a basket while you aimed for it. As glass backboards are transparent, they let you gain possession of the ball much more easily than you would with wood or other material.

One drawback of glass boards is that they can be expensive. So, if you are looking for something economical, then acrylic is what you can go for. These boards are sturdy, tough and very convenient. The main drawback of these backboards is that they do make rebounding easy. This is the reason why acrylic boards are not recommended by the NBA.

Brands like Nivia, Spalding and Lifetime Pro have a range of basketball backboards online. You can read the different features and compare prices before you buy a backboard.