Wilson Sporting Goods has released the Wilson Airless Gen1, a first-of-its-kind 3D-printed basketball that never needs to be inflated. It builds off the success of the Airless Prototype that debuted last year.

The Wilson Airless Gen1 has similar functionality to the prototype; however, over the last year the Wilson Labs team has taken the steps to increase performance and streamline the manufacturing process. The basketball nearly fits the performance specifications of a regulation basketball, including its weight, size and rebound (bounce).

“We were overwhelmed by the excitement from our Airless Prototype and we knew it was time to bring this rare, first-of-its kind innovation to the world,” says Kevin Murphy, GM of Team Sports at Wilson. “Wilson has gone where no brand has gone before with the release of the Airless Gen1 basketball, further inspiring the next generation of sports innovation.”

The main updates to the Wilson Airless Gen1 include:

• Improved functionality: Upgraded lattice design for more consistent performance and bounce. The ball still includes the same see-through lattice with eight panel-like “lobes.”

• Streamlined manufacturing: Holes integrated within the channels to help speed up the manufacturing process, making it faster to create each ball. The basketball remains airless and does not to be inflated.

• Enhanced customization: Each ball will have a built-in label for customization and will feature the exact, limited number in which it was produced.

• Color variety: In addition to the recognizable jet-black colorway of the prototype, the Airless Gen1 will also be available in brown and natural white.

The Wilson Labs team leveraged the same game-changing process to create the Wilson Gen1 Airless basketball with key partners: General Lattice provided computational design services for elevated performance optimization, DyeMansion provided color and finishing solutions, EOS provided technical oversight and a roadmap for mass production, while SNL Creative was the primary manufacturing hub for this first launch.

Limited units of the Wilson Airless Gen1 will be available exclusively on Wilson.com beginning Friday, Feb. 16 for $2500. Fans can also experience the product at Wilson’s on-site activation at NBA Crossover in Indianapolis from Feb. 16-18.