Wilson Basketball

Wilson Sporting Goods is a legendary American brand that has been a staple in the sports world for over a century. Founded in Chicago in 1913, the brand originally started as a subsidiary of the Schwarzchild & Sulzberger meatpacking firm to find uses for animal byproducts before evolving into a global leader in athletic equipment. Wilson is particularly influential in basketball, serving as the official ball provider for the NBA and the NCAA.

While the brand holds deep American roots and maintains its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, the manufacturing process for its basketballs is distributed across Asia. High-performance composite and leather balls are typically produced in specialized facilities in China, Vietnam, and Thailand to meet global demand.

Today, Wilson is owned by Amer Sports, a global sporting goods group based in Finland. Amer Sports itself was acquired in 2019 by a consortium of investors, prominently led by the Chinese sportswear giant Anta Sports. Despite this international ownership through 2026 and beyond, Wilson remains an American-centric brand in its design, marketing, and cultural identity.