Well now, let me tell ya somethin’ about them basketball floors, the ones they use for the big games, like that FIBA thingamajig. You know, the fancy basketball.

First off, they got this here wood they use, sometimes it’s maple, real strong wood they say. But there’s this other wood too, called Hevea, somethin’ like that. Sounds fancy, but it’s just rubberwood, from them trees where they get that rubber stuff. They say it’s good for the earth, ’cause they use the trees after they ain’t no good for rubber no more. Ain’t that somethin’? Waste not, want not, I always say.

Now, these floors ain’t just slapped together like my old porch. They come in big pieces, like, already put together, they call ’em panels. And they got these little strips of wood on the bottom, battens they call ’em, already nailed on. Makes it easier to put the floor down, I reckon.

I heard tell they gotta be real careful about these floors, ‘specially for them big-time games. FIBA, they got rules, ya know. Like, the floor gotta be just so, or they won’t let ya play on it. They got this Level 1 thing, means the floor is top-notch, good enough for the best players. Gotta be bouncy just right, not too slippery, not too sticky. Goldilocks woulda liked it, not too hard, not too soft, just right.

• They use all sorts of stuff for basketball floors, not just wood.
• Sometimes it’s that plastic stuff, PVC or vinyl they call it.
• Sometimes it’s them tiles, like in my bathroom, only bigger.
• And sometimes, they just use plain old concrete, or that blacktop stuff like on the road.

But for the good games, the real fancy ones, they mostly use wood. And that maple, that’s the best, they say. But this Hevea stuff, that’s gettin’ popular too. Saves them trees, I guess. And it’s strong, gotta be strong to hold up to all that runnin’ and jumpin’ them fellas do.

Now, I seen some of them basketball courts, on the TV, ya know. Shiny and smooth, lines all painted on ’em. Pretty as a picture, some of ’em. But I bet they ain’t easy to put down. Gotta line everything up just right, make sure it’s all level. Otherwise, the ball might roll funny, and them players would be complainin’, I betcha.

And they gotta keep ’em clean, too. All that sweatin’ and runnin’, gotta make a mess. I bet they got special mops and cleaners for them floors. Can’t be usin’ just any old thing, no sir. Gotta keep ’em lookin’ good for the TV cameras.

So, there ya have it. A little bit about them basketball floors. More than you ever wanted to know, probably. But it’s interestin’, ain’t it? All the stuff that goes into makin’ somethin’ look so simple. Just a bunch of wood, or plastic, or whatever, but it’s gotta be just right. Otherwise, them basketball fellas wouldn’t be happy, and nobody wants that.

One last thing, I heard tell that vinyl floors is the most popular now. Easy to clean, I guess. But for the real high-class games, the ones with all the fancy players, they still like that wood. Maple mostly, but that rubberwood is comin’ up. Just goes to show ya, things are always changin’, even in basketball.

And that is all I know about them basketball floors.