Spalding basketball, activity and related equipment

6 reports to CPSC, the latest made Jan 3, 2026. A report isn’t a recall.

Watch it to hear when CPSC publishes new reports about it. CPSC’s own search

Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.

At a glance

From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.

6reports to CPSC
Jan 3, 2026the latest report was made
Apr 3, 2012the earliest
5with the company’s comments

Brand: Spalding
Maker: union underMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
Product: Basketball, activity and related equipmentCPSC’s product type: Basketball, Activity and Related Equipment (code 1205), in Sports and Recreation: Field & Court Sports

Other ways the reports write the brand (2)

“Spalding 54” Acrylic Portable Basketball Hoop. Bac” and “Spaulding”

By month

1 report from February 2025 to January 2026; the most in January 2026, 1. 5 earlier reports, since April 2012, are in the table.

The numbers, as a table

Reports to CPSC by the month each was made, newest first
Month	Reports
January 2026	1
July 2024	1
February 2022	1
December 2016	1
February 2013	1
April 2012	1

How badly anyone was hurt

Emergency room 3 CPSC: Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received
Seen by a doctor or nurse 1 CPSC: Injury, Seen by Medical Professional
No incident, no one hurt 2 CPSC: No Incident, No Injury

As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.

The reports, as CPSC published them

Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.

Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.

CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.

Emergency room
Made Jan 3, 2026, sent to the company Jan 7, 2026, published by CPSC Jan 22, 2026

The product, in the report: Purchased at Academy, list price is $499. SKU: 128987836 ITEM: 6A1068T Details & Specs Set up your home court with the Spalding 54 in Angled Portable Pro Glide Basketball Hoop. The extra-large hoop features an acrylic backboard, an aluminum frame and a steel pole for durability. The Screwjack Infinite Lift adjusts the height from 7.5 to 10 feet, while the breakaway spring-action rim helps prevent damage. Features and Benefits Acrylic backboard Steel Frame enhanced durability Steel pole 7.5’ to 10’ height adjustment in 6” increments with Pro Glide Advanced Lift Breakaway spring-action rim Base holds up to 34 gallons for stability Multi-wheel castors and handle simplify transportation Specifications Manufacturer warranty - parts: 1 year limited Backboard width (in.): 54 Everyday Value: Yes Rim height: 7.5 to 10 feet Batteries Included: No Activity: Basketball Backboard material: Acrylic (Clear plastic) Pole diameter (in.): 3.5 Batteries Required: No Product Type: Basketball Hoops & Systems Assembly Required: Yes Style: Portable Manufacturer warranty - general: 1 year limited What’s in the Box Spalding 54 in Angled Portable Pro Glide Basketball Hoop

-Crushed appendage, thumb -Basketball goal construction, Spalding 54” angled portable pro glide -Me, parent -It was going to be used for my chidren to shoot hoops in the driveway. -The product was being constructed, exactly according to the directions given, from the manufacturer -Yes, a crushed thumb, dominate Hand -Construction was complete, I was about to install the hoop. We were moving the goal into place, when lowered down to the rollers, the main pole collpased and my thumb was caught between the adjustable arm and main pole. The main pole does not have any instructions on clamping or bolting the main pole. It is loose and does not have support to hold the main Frame together. We reached out to the manufacturer and the bolt holes are only used during the manufacturing phase and does not have any mechanism to keep the main pole in tact. It is 3 sections, the top section of the pole is free floating. Thumb got trapped between the Main pole and adjustable arm, which did require emergency intervention. It crushed my thumb with so much pressure, it popped open and my thumb is now numb. Visited a hand surgeon, the tendon is in tact, luckily broke no bone, but did bust all of my nerves in my thumb.

Model
Spalding, Academy SKU: 128987836 ITEM: 6A1068T
Bought from
Academy, www.academy.com
Bought
Dec 24, 2025
Where
Wylie, Texas: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 41, Female
The reporter’s relation to them
Self
As this report names them
Brand Spalding, made or sold by union under
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received

The company’s comments, in its own words

(1/14/2026) union under: We appreciate the consumer bringing this matter to our attention. We place the utmost of importance on the safety of our products. We reviewed the limited information provided, and this appears to be an improper assembly issue. When the proper pole overlap is achieved, the amount of force required to achieve pole separation is substantial.

CPSC report 20260103-C3422-2147324930. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No incident, no one hurt
Made Jul 21, 2024, sent to the company Jul 24, 2024, published by CPSC Aug 7, 2024

The product, in the report: Spalding 54” Acrylic Portable Basketball Hoop. Backboard Size: 54” Steel board frame 3.5 Apex Angle Oval Steel Pole The stability base fills with 34 gallons of water or sand Base Dimensions: 53” x 32” x 7.5” Two wheels Designed for outdoor residential play. this portable basketball hoop system has a durable polycarbonate 54” backboard. It comes with arena-style padding and a steel breakaway rim, which you can adjust from a height of 7.5 feet to the regulation 10. The easy to sedge oval pole allows for faster pole alignment during assembly. This portable system gets its stability from a 34-gallon base equipped with two wheels.

Spalding 54” Acrylic Portable Basketball Hoop. We set it up in the backyard and filled with water. Even with full water, we felt it’s not stable and that it’s wiggling. We put additional pavers around it for support. However, it looks like the base had an invisible leak and it drained all water and made the entire pole fall on the ground. It was about to fall on my daughters head. luckily she escaped from her injuries. It is unsafe and hazard to other kids life. It is highly danger for anyone to use it. This is poor design and it is built top heavy and the base is relatively weaker.

Model
TCIN: 11450048
UPC
689344336619
Serial number
TCIN: 11450048
Bought from
Target.com
Bought
Mar 20, 2023
Where
United States: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 15, Female
The reporter’s relation to them
My Child
As this report names them
Brand Spalding 54” Acrylic Portable Basketball Hoop. Bac, made or sold by union under
How badly, in CPSC’s words
No Incident, No Injury

CPSC report 20240721-4492E-2147337829. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
No incident, no one hurt
Made Feb 17, 2022, sent to the company Feb 22, 2022, published by CPSC Mar 8, 2022

The product, in the report: Spalding Accuglide 46” Basketball Hoop

The metal handle that is used to lower and lift the basketball hoop broke in half, leaving very sharp edges and almost injured my son.

Model
73964Q
UPC
8934436504
Where
Marietta, Georgia: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 9, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
My Child
As this report names them
Brand Spalding, made or sold by union under
How badly, in CPSC’s words
No Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(2/28/2022) union under: This customer had contacted our Customer Service department. She advised that there was no injury; she provided photos as requested. We sent the replacement part. For clarity, this product is a “Quickglide” handle and not our “Accuglide” handle as stated in the complaint. We appreciate the customer bringing this matter to our attention; we take all claims seriously. We have a robust quality and testing program. We have never encountered a claim of this nature.

CPSC report 20220217-F8C55-2147357544. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
Emergency room
Made Dec 15, 2016, sent to the company Dec 23, 2016, published by CPSC Jan 10, 2017

The product, in the report: Spalding 54 inch Acrylic Portable Basketball System

I bought the portable basketball system called “Spalding 54 inch Acrylic Portable Basketball System” on June 08th 2015 from Academy Sports and Outdoor located at 2320 Highway 6 HOUSTON,TX 77077 and self-assembled the hoop precisely following the steps illustrated in the manual that came with the system. On February 06th 2016, my 10 year old was playing under the system on our driveway when, suddenly, the heavy metal rim fell on his face severely damaging his jaw, front teeth and gum. My son was lucky that the rim did not fall on his head that could have resulted in major head injuries including death.The product was placed on the market without warning the users that the nut could come off or break due to pressure from spring 53 or otherwise come apart causing the rim to fall and strike the ultimate users of the product. I am a Master degree holder in Mechanical Engineering and it is a clear design defect issue. Similar product manufactured by the competitors of Spalding systems are designed very carefully and right types of nuts and fasteners are used by for example, [REDACTED] basketball system. Spalding falied to consider the well know mechanical phenomenon called “Self Loosening of the Nuts” due to vibratory loading. Also the only nut they used is called Special Nut 54 is incorrect type of nut for this application while [REDACTED] is using proper type as recommended by [REDACTED] and used 4 of them.

Bought from
Academy Sports + Outdoors
Bought
Jun 8, 2015
Where
Houston, Texas: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 9, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
My Child
As this report names them
Brand Spalding, made or sold by union under
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received

The company’s comments, in its own words

(1/18/2017) union under: There is not a defect in the design of this product. This product was designed in 1984, has been vetted by other engineers, and over the past 32 years of continuous production this is the first and only accident of this nature of which the company is aware. In approximately 2003 the product was thoroughly tested, and it passed. Mr. [REDACTED] admitted that there is a tradeoff between the “bending capability” of the rim (the breakaway characteristic) and a “far more secure installation” to the board, however that is precisely the spectrum of features desired by our customers. Mr. [REDACTED], as a “Masters Degree holder in Mechanical Engineering,” obviously chose a product with a feature he deemed satisfactory, despite having other options, which he, in particular, would have been able to identify. The warnings that come with the product require inspection before each use for loose hardware or instability. Based on testing data and the duration of ownership, and the information provided by Mr. [REDACTED], assembly/maintenance error is the likely cause of the accident.

CPSC report 20161215-0E75A-2147409348. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
Seen by a doctor or nurse
Made Feb 26, 2013, sent to the company Mar 7, 2013, published by CPSC Mar 28, 2013

The product, in the report: Portable Basket Ball Hoop meant for backyard/street play, consisting of black plastic base with two wheels that is filled with sand or water, full size basketball pole, backboard and rim

We purchased a Spalding Portable Basketball hoop with a black plastic base December 2008. We keep it in our backyard and use it frequently. On December 20, 2012, my 13 year old son and his friend were playing basketball when the plastic base cracked, and the pole came crashing down, delivering a glancing blow to my son’s friend. It wasn’t that that the whole pole tipped, base and all. The Base itself actually cracked to the point that the pole, backboard and basket separated from the base and fell over. The child it hit was also 13 years old. No unusual play - such as dunking, hanging or other unreasonable activity was occurring when this happened. His father was at our home and saw it happen before his eyes. Our son’s friend went to urgent care, and fortunately, his shoulder is bruised but he continued to have pain and treatment for almost 30 days. This is designed to be an outdoor product. It should be able to withstand Southern California weather without compromising its structural integrity. There is no way this should have cracked to this extent. The injury could have been SO much worse. I think this is a safety hazard. We did file a complaint with Spalding, but their analysis was that it was not a product defect. We STRONGLY disagree with their assessment. This is defective and can cause much more serious injury. Since Spalding doesn’t accept responsibility, we must report this to the CPSC to protect other consumers.

Model
Cannot Identify
Serial number
pictures sent to vendor
Bought from
Big Five or Toyrs R Us, California
Bought
Dec 1, 2008, about then
Where
Moreno Valley, California: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 13, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
My Friend / Neighbor / Co-worker
As this report names them
Brand Spaulding, made or sold by union under
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Injury, Seen by Medical Professional

The company’s comments, in its own words

(3/15/2013) union under: The Company conducted an on-site investigation and, after speaking with the owners of the basketball goal and reviewing the photographs, the evidence strongly suggests that the product was not defective, but instead the goal was improperly maintained and was ballasted contrary to the assembly instructions. We have a comprehensive product testing and safety program with strict procedures in the manufacturing and distribution of our products. We appreciate your bringing this matter to our attention for our investigation. However, based on our investigation and the facts available, we have concluded that this product failure did not occur from a manufacturing defect or lack of quality construction.

CPSC report 20130226-65F0B-2147458441. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov
Emergency room
Made Apr 3, 2012, sent to the company Apr 11, 2012, published by CPSC May 2, 2012

The product, in the report: In-ground basketball system. 60” adjustable height. Sku 15532773

An 11 yr old neighbor boy was injured when slam dunking a ball on a Spalding in ground basketball hoop. The supporting vertical pole broke in two and the top half fell off , including the rim, backboard, and pole. The boy was struck in the face by the heavy glass backboard and sustained many injuries including broken teeth and jaw. We had it professionally installed in hopes of avoiding anything like this.

Model
60” in ground basketball goal
UPC
15532773
Bought from
Academy
Bought
Mar 26, 2011
Where
Cypress, Texas: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Age 11, Male
The reporter’s relation to them
My Friend / Neighbor / Co-worker
As this report names them
Brand Spalding, made or sold by union under
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received

The company’s comments, in its own words

(4/17/2012) union under: We take all customer complaints seriously and have contacted the customer in order to conduct a full investigation. We do not have any reason to believe this product is unsafe for use by consumers. This product may require some assembly, and proper assembly is critical to the product’s integrity and durability. We have a comprehensive product testing and quality control program. Our products meet or exceed applicable safety laws and standards.

CPSC report 20120403-AA591-2147468716. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov

CPSC’s disclaimer

Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.

Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.

Sources

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.

Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.

Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.

Spalding basketball, activity and related equipment

At a glance

By month

How badly anyone was hurt

The reports, as CPSC published them

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources

How to read a record

Every fact names its source.

A number never stands alone.

What needs attention is marked.

The public record comes first.