Hey, good news for Anthony Parker (sorry, couldn't resist)
“The new ball is virtually identical, to the eye, to the old one. It has the same laces and markings including our stripes. But it is made of a slightly harder leather. Our partners at Wilson say that allows it to hold its pebbles better.”
The new ball may also be just a tiny fraction larger. It is the same length as the old one. But Wilson provides a range for what constitutes an acceptable circumference upon inflation and that could be up to an eighth of an inch larger for the new ball.
Each team had samples of the new footballs throughout 2017 – distributed in April and kept highly secretive – that were made to the same standards as pigskins used in the NFL. Sources say the move makes the balls easier to throw and catch, which should improve scoring.
http://www.3downnation.com/2018/03/1...ved-footballs/