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I’ve been obsessed with basketball since I was a little kid. It was my favorite sport to play during recess and after school, and my favorite to watch. So when I started to compile this list of basketball gifts, I remembered all of the basketball memorabilia in my childhood bedroom that I’d collected over the years: the Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce posters (which I tore out from Sports Illustrated Kids issues), my ticket stub to the Wizards-Celtics game where I saw Michael Jordan play, and the Marquette University drawstring backpack which — my brother claims — Dwyane Wade wore during a photoshoot.
Those nostalgic reminders of my relationship to the sport are indeed the best basketball-related gifts I’ve received, but items tied to special memories are so specific to each person that they’re hard to actually give to someone else. The good news is that there’s no shortage of other great basketball gifts out there, from merchandise, apparel, books, and equipment that will delight fans and players at every level. I talked to other hoops fans and basketball obsessives, including professional players, about the best gifts they’ve given, received, and are secretly hoping to receive this holiday season, and I’ve included them below at different price ranges. If you’re looking for other types of gift inspiration, make sure to check out our main gifting hub, where you’ll find all of our holiday gift guides.
Gifts under $25
This classic mini Nerf hoop was a crucial part of me and my friends’ childhood basketball memories. If they already have one, give them another to create a full court from the bedroom door to the closet.
In 1991, Darcy Frey spent nine months tracing the lives and dreams of four promising basketball players at Coney Island’s powerhouse Abraham Lincoln High. They include a 13-year-old Stephon Marbury, a future NBA All-Star and New York Knick. “This is a basketball book, sure, but it’s really about their lives in the inner city, and how they are failed and exploited by various powers and institutions like the NCAA,” says Grub Street senior writer Chris Crowley.
Artist and Knicks fan Andrew Kuo says that his friends have given him Knicks prayer candles — perfect for lamenting a less-than-average season.
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade recommends this book by his personal chef, Richard Ingraham, who creates “both healthy and delicious meals.” Wade likes the quinoa, sweet potato, and kale with roasted sea bass and mushroom broth.
This mug is perfect for practicing free throws (with breakfast cereal).
Former NBA player JJ Redick and Tommy Alter host the basketball podcast The Old Man & the Three, where they talk about everything going on in the NBA.
In Players First, the University of Kentucky men’s basketball head coach, John Calipari, gives us a look into his unrelenting approach to leadership, coaching, and building a successful team.
This book from Shea Serrano looks back on the sport’s greatest moments, and takes a deep dive into its most debatable topics. It was one of President Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2017.
Gifts under $50
A slightly larger over-the-door hoop is perfect for practicing windmill dunks and championship buzzer-beater threes.
Playa Society makes some of the coolest designs for all things WNBA. I particularly like the design of this shirt featuring the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart, who was named the WNBA 2023 Most Valuable Player.
There are 1,230 total games in the NBA regular season, but not all of them are nationally televised. NBA League Pass gives you access to live and on-demand games and games that are out of market. For the dedicated hoops fan who wants to catch every game — like actor Max Greenfield — League Pass is a no-brainer.
Written and illustrated by the co-hosts of the podcast Cookies Hoops, Ben Detrick and Andrew Kuo, this basketball encyclopedia is peppered with hot takes that are displayed through essays, colorful graphics, illustrations, and charts.
Kuo says the best basketball-related gift he’s ever received was this trophy. “Victor Solomon, that jerk who designs all the NBA trophies, sent me a bootleg mail-order trophy for being the number-one Celtics hater,” he says. “Fantastic. Ten out of ten.”
SB Nation producer Brady Klopfer recommends gifting any work from artist Drakecereal, which he calls his “favorite basketball artist.”
My friend — a new Spurs fan — received this comic-book-style graphic tee as a gift and loves it. It features seven-foot-four Victor Wembanyama, one of the most anticipated NBA rookies since LeBron James.
If they have every Knicks jersey imaginable, these shorts with New York lettering on the front (like LeBron James’s Lakers shorts) should shake up their wardrobe.
SB Nation editorial manager Harrison Faigen says this biography of Giannis Antetokounmpo “makes you feel like you’re walking with him in Greece as he goes from peddling street trinkets for food to working his ass off in dingy gyms to fulfill his NBA dream.”
A callback to the classic video-game series NBA Jam, these shirts showcase iconic duos in the NBA.
Ricky O’Donnell, associate director of programing at SB Nation, says this book by former SB Nation NBA editor Mike Prada is “perfect for understanding the way basketball is now.”
Gifts under $100
This fuzzy tennis-basketball hybrid is one of our favorite unusual holiday gifts.
This net with a magnetic ring can attach to any netless rim, so now they can play with actual swooshes at the park.
Playa Society’s big graphics are always eye-catching, and this pair of sweatpants with a hand-drawn design is no exception.
Plantsketball breathes life into worn basketballs and turns them into hanging planters.
Slam magazine publishes iconic photos on its covers, and this photo of NBA legend Allen Iverson is among their best. This issue features raised gold metal lettering across the cover.
Kuo is a fan of this book by artist David Hammons, based on his exhibition of the same name. “I gave them away to some basketball fans who maybe aren’t art people, but it’s really interesting.”
One of WNBA champion Candace Parker’s favorite things, these sweatpants have a thick, ribbed cuff that make them great for warm ups or just lounging around at home.
O’Donnell recommends this classic Wilson ball, which is approved for play by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
This special edition of NBA 2K pays tribute to the late Kobe Bryant with special playable segments that revisit his career highlight performances.
This basketball shouts out NYC basketball culture with the iconic City of New York Parks & Recreation logo.
Gifts under $200
O’Donnell says you can’t go wrong with a new pair of KD16s, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant’s signature shoe.
The Sabrina 1 — from Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty — is Nike’s first unisex basketball shoe, and has become a popular choice among pro players, including NBA athletes.
This sleek bomber jacket has the classic screen-printed Bulls graphics across the back and front, but in a more subtle black-and-white design.
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