If you are tired of playing and practicing basketball in the gym, if you want to play it anywhere and anytime you want, please consider the best outdoor portable basketball hoop.
It can be placed either on your driveway or your backyard.
Among so many types and price levels,
how do you choose the best one?
And what factors you should consider before choosing them?
In this article, we will give you answers on those problems and make a detailed best outdoor portable basketball hoop review for you.
What Is the Best Outdoor Portable Basketball Hoop?
Types of Outdoor Basketball Hoops
In terms of outdoor basketball hoops, there are altogether three types, they are in-ground basketball hoops, wall-mounted basketball hoops, and what we primary talk about in this article, outdoor portable basketball hoops.
In-ground Basketball Hoop
In-ground basketball hoops are cemented on the ground, it is quite sturdy but not movable, perfect for those who have enough budget and do not intend to move it around.
Wall-mounted basketball hoops
Wall-mounted basketball hoops, refer to the type you can hook it up on the outdoor wall, it saves much floor space of course. But one thing that needs attention is that if you hook it up on your backyard wall, be sure to get admission from your neighbors. They are the cheapest type that is available on the market.
Outdoor portable basketball hoops
Outdoor portable basketball hoops can be the most space costing type, it needs a large base to keep sturdiness. But you can place it anywhere you want, and also roll it in your garage for storage. Prices of them lie in the middle level, and many types can be chosen.
For a detailed comparison of the three types, we have made a review and you can find out easily through our review.
Comparison Chart of Best Outdoor Portable Basketball Hoops
How to Choose Outdoor Portable Basketball Hoop
If you decide to buy the best outdoor portable basketball hoop, then followings are some tips that you need to know before buying:
1. Backboard materials
As we know, there are three main backboard materials on portable basketball hoops, including polycarbonate, acrylic and tempered glass. Polycarbonate portable basketball hoops are the cheapest yet the most durable type. They are suitable for beginners and daily recreations.
Acrylic portable basketball hoops are in the middle level among three, they have some rebounding effects in playing, and is also more durable than tempered glass type. If you are an intermediate player or pro player who does not want to pay much on getting a tempered glass one, you can choose acrylic type.
Tempered glass outdoor portable basketball hoops are the most expensive but also the best performance type. Apart from backboard sizes, their overall performances are quite the same as the basketball system in court or in the gym. Thus they are of course the perfect choices for pro players.
2. Size
Outdoor portable basketball hoop sizes range from 44 inches and 60 inches, the most suitable one, and the hottest selling types are 54 inches. The wider size is, the more bank shots it gets. But for small kids play, a small inch backboard is enough. If you are an adult and intend to get competitive races at home, we would like to suggest 54 or 52 inches for you.
3. Price
When it terms of getting the best outdoor portable basketball hoop, the first thing that comes out in mind for most people is, of course, its price. There are normally three levels of hoop price, lowest level ranks from 100-300, middle level ranks between 300-500, while the highest levels rank around 1000. Different levels of basketball hoops represent different performance and backboard materials.
4. Needs
On buying outdoor basketball hoops, you should consider your own needs. If you are beginners or want one for daily recreation, you can try a cheap polycarbonate type. If you are intermediate players who want to get one for practicing shooting skills, an acrylic portable basketball hoop is the best choice. But if you are serious players aiming to improve your basketball skills, you may get a tempered glass type. And of course, for small kids or youth use, we would suggest youth portable basketball hoops for you.
5. Weather
Outdoor portable basketball hoops need to be placed outdoor all the time, facing complicated weather conditions. Therefore, if you are living somewhere with strong wind frequently, you’d better get an in-ground type. If getting an outdoor portable basketball hoop in cold areas or in winter, remember to add anti frozen into water.
Safety Cautions:
- Put it somewhere safe and is not easily tipped down
- Add anti frozen into water or use sand in substitution of water into the base
- Maintain it frequently and check out whether there are some parts need maintaining
- In strong windy weather, adjust the height to its minimum range or roll it into the garage for safety
- Always play it in a safe area
Best Outdoor Portable Basketball Hoops Reviews
1. Best Outdoor Hoop For Driveway – Lifetime 1269 Pro Court Height Adjustable Portable Basketball System
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Backboard Size | 44 inch |
| Backboard Material | Polycarbonate |
| Height | 7.5-10 feet |
| Rim | Classic rim |
This portable basketball hoop is the hot-selling type on Amazon, most people praise its cost-effective performance and well worth price.
Being the best outdoor portable basketball hoop, its sturdiness is, of course, the primary element for consideration. Its 44-inch polycarbonate backboard first guarantees to be virtually unbreakable even when it tips down. The diameter hoop of it is quite big, reaching 19 inches, meets the demand for higher-scoring games. The height-adjustable range of this hoop is from 7.5 to 10 feet with a telescoping adjustment mechanism, and you can adjust it in 6 increments.
All the parts are set all weather-resistant, capable of fitting complicated outdoor weather.
Pros:
- Secure height adjustment system
- Sturdy backboard
- Super easy to assemble
Cons:
- The filler hols is quite small
- The water or sand in the base makes it hard to lift
- Hoop does not have spring, not suitable for dunking
2. Best For Professional – Spalding NBA Portable Basketball System
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Backboard Size | 54 inch |
| Backboard Material | Acrylic |
| Height | 7.5-10 feet |
| Rim | Arena Slam breakaway rim |
| Base | 40 gallons |
The second best outdoor portable basketball hoop, is this Spalding NBA series type. It is more expensive than polycarbonate backboard but overall performance and sturdiness for outdoor use are both brilliant.
Unlike light polycarbonate material, it uses the acrylic backboard and is covered by a protective pad. A clear backboard gives you the feeling of playing in the gym. Angled pole design also increases stability, especially in windy weather. The protective front pad formed a triangle with an angled pole, increases steadiness, and also protects players in playing. If you want to adjust goal height, there is a screw jack system you can use to turn in a specific direction. For hoop base, its 40 gallons large capacity meets your demand for filling with enough water or sand.
The large item may cost much space in your backyard or on the driveway, but its super sturdiness makes it pretty safe to be put outdoor even in bad weather conditions.
Pros:
- Quite stable, no hanging on the rim
- The hoop is solid in all sorts of bad weathers
- Easy to lower or raise through the crank
- Great quality, no wobble
- Nice instructions
Cons:
- Requires two person on installing and takes about 4-5 hours
- Difficult to move once filling in with water or sand
- Difficult to pull the main pole together
3. Best Adjustable – Spalding NBA Hybrid Portable Basketball System
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Backboard Size | 54 inch |
| Backboard Material | Acrylic |
| Height | 7.5-10 feet |
| Rim | Arena Slam breakaway rim |
| Base | 40 gallons |
The reason on recommending this portable hoop is for its special designed base. In complicated weather conditions, having a stable base is an important thing to do.
It is named as hybrid portable basketball hoop because of its hybrid base. Unlike other types that fill in with singly water or sand, it combines two together. On the lower part, you can fill in enough water, and on the upper part, you get 200 lbs sandbag or gravel. It increases sturdiness and also makes moving it away pretty easy. The lid of the base can also be put front to serve as a rebounder. Like Spalding NBA hoop, this one also adopts angled pole for sturdiness. The breakaway rim allows for infrequent dunking movement.
Pros:
- Equipped with breakaway rim, enabling monstrous dunk
- Shake just slightly
- Sturdy and has nice bounce to it
- Nice quality
- Height adjustment crank works pretty well
Cons:
Bad instruction
4. Best Advanced – Silverback NXT Portable Basketball Hoop
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Backboard Size | 54 inch |
| Backboard Material | Polycarbonate |
| Height | 7.5-10 feet |
| Assemble Time | No more than 90 minutes |
This is an innovative type of outdoor portable basketball hoop, its delicate design makes it super suitable for outdoor use.
The main advantage of this type lies in its Stabili-Frame steel on steel connection between steel chassis and main pole, with such a link, the whole hoop is closely connected as one. For increasing
rebounding and also increasing rigidity, it has Infinity Edge Backboard that folds backward. A large wheel and kickstand behind help to balance weight on the base, and also makes moving it easier. The height adjustment mechanism is also made easy, even small kids can do it under the monitoring of adults. Assembly takes less than 90 minutes.
The rebounding effects of it is of course not as good as acrylic or tempered glass, but as for outdoor portable basketball hoop, it is a perfect choice especially for beginners.
Pros:
- Polycarbonate material
- Backboard and base is quite sturdy, do not have any give
- Height adjustment is quite simple, one kid can do it by himself
- Easy assembling
- Instructions are pretty thorough
- High quality constructions
Cons:
Some of the parts are mislabeled
5. Best For Youth – Lifetime 90022 Outdoor Basketball Hoop
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Backboard Size | 32 inch |
| Backboard Material | Polycarbonate |
| Height | 5.5-7.5 feet |
| Base | 10 gallon |
| Rim | 15-inch folding rim |
This is a youth portable basketball hoop, meet the demand of kids under 10 years old use for outdoor playing.
Its backboard is pretty small, only 32 inches, suits kids use perfectly. Polycarbonate material makes it super durable. As it is a hoop for kids’ use, the backboard is printed by colorful graphics, but they are all UV protected and fade resistant. Even for a long time use outdoor, it still keeps new. 10 gallons base needs to be filled with sand or water, it is pretty sturdy in playing, if you feel it not stable enough, you can also put extra sandbag or stone on the base. The height adjustment system ranges from 5.5 to 7.5 inches in 6-inch increments.
Pros:
- High density polyethylene backboard makes it possible of being unbreakable
- graphics are screen-printed with UV-protected inks that lasts pretty long for outdoor use
- Three-piece round steel pole
- Easy to assemble
- Can be used both indoor and outdoor
Cons:
- The maximum height is only 7.5 inch, which is only suitable for youngsters around ten years old children
- Filler hole is quite small
- Bad instructions
- Mainly for recreational play
6. Best Affordable – Spalding 66291 Pro Slam Portable Basketball System
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Backboard Size | 54 inch |
| Backboard Material | Acrylic |
| Height | 7.5-10 feet |
| Rim | Pro Slam breakaway rim |
| Base | 34 gallons |
This is another Spalding portable basketball hoop that worth recommending. It has 54 inch acrylic backboard, and is covered by authentic steel board pad.
Connected with 3 pieces 3.5 inches round angled pole, this pole is pretty stable in outdoor conditions. With 34 gallons capacity base, you can fill in enough water or sand for stability. If you want to adjust hoop height, you can adjust it from 7.5 to 10 feet in 6-inch increments. Its clear backboard gives you a good view of outdoor sights, no matter you put it in your backyard or your driveway.
All weather-resistant materials on the hoop make it capable enough on facing different weather conditions.
Pros:
- Excellent quality
- Heavy-duty, stable
- Portable and height adjustable
- Easy to raise
Cons:
- None of the hardware is labeled
- Takes about 6 hours on assembling
Summary
Among all the six recommended best portable basketball hoops, we would like to highly suggest Lifetime 1269 Pro Court Portable Basketball System for you. It is a perfect one for beginners and family entertainment.
Both of the performance in playing and price is suitable, of course, you can not expect it to be such brilliant as expensive acrylic or tempered glass type, but I am sure its quality is totally worth its price.
If you want to know more details on product specifications or price details, please check out on Amazon directly.
