Patent ID: 8251846

Claim:
A basketball having an outer surface and comprising: a first set of channels formed into the outer surface of the basketball, the first set Of channels defining a first pattern; a bladder; a carcass covering the bladder, the carcass having an outer surface defining a second set of channels; and a cover panel positioned over the carcass and extending over at least one of the channels of the second set of channels, the cover panel generally conforming to the shape of the outer surface of the carcass such that the cover panel defines at least one groove in the outer surface of the basketball corresponding to the at least one channel of the second set of channels, the depth of the groove being greater than or equal to 0.7 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm, the at least one groove defining a second pattern that is different from the first channel pattern, the cover panel being a thin coating selected from the group consisting of a sprayed-on cover, a painted-on cover, an electro-statically painted-on cover, a brushed-on cover, a dipped-on cover and combinations thereof.