By: Brendan Winters

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! You can read what we are thankful for if you missed our latest blog post. But with Thanksgiving now over, and Christmas less than a month away, it’s time to start getting our Christmas gifts squared away. I know I still have a lot of work to do, so it got me thinking about, “What are the best basketball Christmas gifts for basketball players, parents, and coaches?” With that question in mind, I wanted to give everyone a useful guide in my opinion of the 5 best basketball Christmas gifts.

5 Great Basketball Christmas Gifts for Players, Parents, and Coaches

1. “Smart” Basketball

Of course a normal basketball is an obvious basketball gift, and young players can never have too many basketballs. To save you money on your next basketball purchase during the holidays, here is 10% off coupon from Dick’s Sporting Goods on a normal basketball. But if the player you are buying a gift for is serious about basketball, you should consider purchasing a “smart” basketball.

Smart basketballs have a bluetooth sensor inside them that pairs with your smartphone to send stats and data to the player or coach’s phone. These types of basketballs are a great tool to get kids to see the arc or rotation on their shot, their dribble power, and a few other things. These smart basketball works because it is no longer “your opinion” about their shot. It is pure physics and science! This type of visualization will change their perspective of their game.

The two brands I would recommend you look into are 94fifty, which we occasionally use when we do private training with players, and the new Wilson X. I can’t speak for the Wilson X, but the 94fifty ball has been awesome, and we’ve seen great results with the players we’ve used it with!

2. Bleacher Chair

This is a perfect, simple basketball gift for parents or an AAU coach like myself who gets around to a ton of high school games during the winter season. I can’t express enough how uncomfortable those hard bleachers are! You can go to Dick’s or Amazon to find a ton of different styles and prices.

3. Basketball Shoes

In my experience, basketball players love shoes, so of course a pair of basketball shoes would make a awesome Christmas gift for any young player. Right now, I’m partial to Under Armour and would recommend the Steph Curry II if you want a high-top (not to mention, he’s the best player in world!) or the Clutchfit Drive Low 2 for a low-top shoe. You can also use this Dick’s coupon for 10% off your next pair of basketball shoes.

4. Deuce Brand Watch – 25% OFF

The Deuce Brand watch is an inexpensive must have for all basketball trainers and coaches. It’s a cool looking, thin rubber watch that doesn’t get in the way when you are working with players. In addition, you can keep an eye on the time so you can stick to your itinerary. I wear and use mine all the time when training and coaching!

Parents, there is also a nice option for you, similar to a “fit bit”. Go to Deuce Brand website here, and check out what they have to offer! Also use code BALL25 to get 25% off your order!

5. Christmas Basketball Camp

I honestly think a Christmas basketball camp is one of the best gifts you can give to a young basketball player. This gives them something productive and active to do during their holiday break, so they aren’t just sitting around eating food and playing video games!

Not to mention they can get better at basketball and stay sharp, so when tryouts start back up again they’ll be ready. We’re offering 4 Christmas Basketball Camp options here in North Carolina. We have 3 camps in Lake Norman and Charlotte NC, and 1 camp in Greensboro NC. We’re also having Christmas Basketball Camps in Boston MA, Denver CO, and Philadelphia PA. Click here for our entire list of camps, and sign up today! If there isn’t one in your city, Google it, and see if a legitimate camp option is available for your child there!

Conclusion

I hope the Christmas basketball gifts listed here have sparked light bulbs for you before your start Christmas shopping this year. We’d love to see you at one of our many Christmas Basketball Camps, but if not, we sincerely hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Brendan Winters is a former Davidson Wildcat and European professional basketball player as well as the co-founder of Pro Skills Basketball and co-director of Pro Skills Basketball Charlotte.