All outdoor basketball hoops are not created equal – and that can actually be a good thing! It means you can find a basketball hoop with the right combination of features to meet your unique needs.
For example, an Adjustable Basketball Hoop gives you the ability to easily raise or lower the backboard (no tools required) so players of all ages, heights, and skill levels can easily play on the same system.
As a parent, I highly recommend buying an adjustable basketball hoop because it can “grow” with your child. My teen son raises the hoop to full height when he plays, and lowers it back down for our younger kids.
I also recommend choosing one of the Lifetime brand basketball hoops. My family has had a Lifetime portable basketball hoop for several years. It has held up amazingly well through all the neighborhood kids use plus every kind of weather condition. We even moved it across town with us!
What to do BEFORE you buy an outdoor basketball hoop:
Before you buy outdoor basketball hoops, decide where you will place your basketball hoop. This will help you narrow down if you want a Portable Basketball Hoop, an Inground Basketball Hoops, or a Wall/Roof Mount.
Each type of outdoor basketball hoops is defined below, along with our Slam Dunk picks for the best hoop system from each category. Click on the photos to learn more and/or buy at Amazon.
Type #1: Portable Basketball Hoops are a popular choice for most driveways. Easy to set up, portable hoops have wheel systems to help them move around. The base is filled with water or sand to provide stability. You do not use cement with this type of basketball system.
Best Portable Basketball Hoops:
Type #2: Inground Basketball Hoops are a great option for larger driveways, designated court areas, and high intensity players. They take up less space than a portable basketball hoop because instead of having a base, inground basketball hoops are installed in cement. This also means inground basketball hoops are permanently placed once the concrete has set, unless you use a “ground sleeve.”
Best Inground Basketball Hoops
54 inch Shatterproof Backboard, Adjustable from 7.5 to 10 feet, Slam-It Pro® Rim for dunking, and Powder-coated Steel Pole. Universally loved by reviewers! One owner review sums it up, saying, “It’s sturdy, can take a lot of dunking, hanging, swinging, etc without any bending of the rim. It looks as good and works as good as the day we purchased it.”
Type #3: Wall/Roof Mount Basketball Hoops consist of the backboard and rim only. A nice option when you are tight on space. These hoops can be installed on a wall or over a roof, or they can be used to replace worn out backboards on existing poles.
Best Wall/Roof Mount Basketball Hoops
Let me know which one of the outdoor basketball hoops works best for you! Do you already have one of them at home? Let us know what you like (or don’t) about it.