Basketball Hoop Assembly

Abstract

A basketball hoop includes a base portion having an enclosed interior cavity. A first aperture is formed in the base portion and extends from an exterior of the base portion to the enclosed interior cavity. An upper portion is secured to the base portion, and a rim is secured to the upper portion and is configured to support a net.

Description

FIELD

Aspects of this invention relate generally to a basketball hoop assembly, and, in particular, to a basketball hoop having a lower portion configured to hold water and an upper portion attached to the lower portion and having a rim attached thereto.

BACKGROUND

Individuals may often play games in and around a swimming pool, including basketball. A basketball hoop may be seated in the pool, or on the edge of the pool for use by those in the swimming pool.

It would be desirable to provide a basketball hoop that can be easily moved to the side of a swimming pool from a remote location, and that cannot be easily tipped over. Particular objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that is, those who are knowledgeable or experienced in this field of technology, in view of the following disclosure of the invention and detailed description of certain embodiments.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present invention may be used to advantageously provide a portable basketball hoop that can avoid being tipped over, and may be easily moved.

In accordance with a first aspect, a basketball hoop includes a base portion having an enclosed interior cavity. A first aperture is formed in the base portion and extends from an exterior of the base portion to the enclosed interior cavity. An upper portion is secured to the base portion, and a rim is secured to the upper portion and is configured to support a net.

In accordance with another aspect, a basketball hoop assembly includes a base portion having an enclosed interior cavity. A first aperture is formed in the base portion proximate a top of the base portion and extends from an exterior of the base portion to the enclosed interior cavity. A second aperture is formed in the base portion proximate a bottom of the base portion and extends from an exterior of the base portion to the enclosed interior cavity. A ball recess is formed in the base portion and is configured to receive a basketball. A pair of wheels is rotatably secured to a bottom of the base portion. An upper portion is releasably secured to the base portion, with a substantially planar portion of a front of the upper portion defining a backboard. A recess is formed in the backboard and defines a shooter's square. A rim is secured to the upper portion, and a net is secured to the rim.

From the foregoing disclosure, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, that is, those who are knowledgeable or experienced in this area of technology, that preferred embodiments of a basketball hoop may provide a significant technological advance that allows the basketball hoop to resist wind and other forces without tipping over. These and additional features and advantages will be further understood from the following detailed disclosure of certain preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a basketball hoop according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a base portion and an upper portion of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an exploded elevation view of a base portion and an upper portion of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, illustrating fasteners used to secure an upper portion to a base portion of the basketball hoop.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, illustrating fasteners used to secure an upper portion to a base portion of the basketball hoop.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the base portion of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is an elevation view, shown partially in section, of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, shown seated on an edge of a pool.

FIG. 9 is an elevation view, shown partially in section, of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, shown seated on a step of a pool.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a bottom of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, illustrating wheels on a bottom of the base portion.

FIG. 11 is an elevation view of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, showing the basketball hoop tilted for movement.

FIG. 12 is a section view of a portion of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, showing a rim attached to an upper portion of the basketball hoop.

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, showing a basketball seated in a recess in the base portion.

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view, shown partially cutaway, of a recess of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 is a front perspective view, shown partially cutaway, of an alternative embodiment of a recess of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 16 is a section view, shown partially cutaway, of the recess of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 17 is a front perspective view of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, shown with an alternative embodiment of an upper portion.

FIG. 19 is a section view, shown partially cutaway, of a rim and upper portion of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view, shown partially cutaway, of a portion of a rim of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view, shown partially cutaway, of a portion of a rim of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1, shown with a net attached to the rim.

FIG. 22 is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the rim of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 23 is a schematic illustration showing one embodiment of securing two portions of the rim of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1 together.

FIG. 24 is a schematic illustration showing an alternative embodiment of securing two portions of the rim of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1 together.

FIG. 25 is a schematic illustration showing another embodiment of securing two portions of the rim of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1 together.

FIG. 26 is a schematic illustration showing yet another embodiment of securing two portions of the rim of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1 together.

FIG. 27 is a top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the rim of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 28 is a bottom perspective view of the rim of FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a bottom perspective view of yet another alternative embodiment of the rim of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 30 is a bottom perspective view, shown partially cutaway, of the rim of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view, shown partially cutaway, of a drain aperture in the recess of the basketball hoop of FIG. 1.

FIG. 32 is a section view, shown partially cutaway, of the drain aperture of FIG. 31.

The figures referred to above are not drawn necessarily to scale and should be understood to provide a representation of a basketball hoop, illustrative of the principles involved. Some features of the basketball hoop depicted in the drawings have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to facilitate explanation and understanding. The same reference numbers are used in the drawings for similar or identical components and features shown in various alternative embodiments. Basketball hoops as disclosed herein would have configurations and components determined, in part, by the intended application and environment in which they are used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention may be embodied in various forms. An embodiment of a basketball hoop 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. For convenience, terms such as upper, lower, top, bottom, front, and rear may be used herein to differentiate between the upper and lower ends and front and rear sides of basketball hoop 10 and particular components of basketball hoop 10. It is to be appreciated that such terms are used only for ease of description and understanding and that they are not intended to limit the possible spatial orientations of the basketball hoop or its components during assembly or use.

The term “substantially”, as used herein, is meant to mean mostly, or almost the same as, within the constraints of sensible commercial engineering objectives, costs, manufacturing tolerances, and capabilities in the field of basketball hoop manufacturing and use. Similarly, the term “approximately” as used herein is meant to mean close to, or about a particular value, within the constraints of sensible commercial engineering objectives, costs, manufacturing tolerances, and capabilities in the field of basketball hoop manufacturing and use.

Basketball hoop 10 may include a first lower or base portion 12 and a second or upper portion 14 secured to base portion 12. As described in greater detail below, upper portion 14 may be releasably secured to base portion 12 so that it can easily be removed from and again secured to base portion 12. Having basketball hoop 10 formed of two separate portions helps make shipping basketball hoop 10 more convenient.

A front surface 16 of upper portion 14 may be substantially planar and define a backboard 16 for basketball hoop 10. A rim 20 may be secured to upper portion 14, and a net 22 may be attached to and hang down from rim 20.

It is to be appreciated that base portion 12, upper portion 14, and rim 20 may be formed of any material. In certain embodiments, base portion 12 and upper portion 14 may be formed of plastic, and rim 20 may be formed of a metal. In other elements, base portion 12, upper portion 14, and rim 20 may be formed of plastic. In certain embodiments, base portion 12, upper portion 14, and rim 20 may be formed of high density polyethylene (HDPE). Other suitable materials for base portion 12, upper portion 14, and rim 20 will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

In embodiments where elements of basketball hoop 10 are made of plastic they may be formed by molding, such as injection molding, blow molding, or rotational molding (“roto-molding”), for example. In other embodiments they may be computer numerical control (“CNC”) milled.

A backboard recess 24 may be formed in front surface 16 of upper portion and define a shooter's square 26. Backboard recess 24 may be a groove formed in front surface 16 and have a substantially rectangular shape.

A ball recess 28 may be formed in a front of base portion 12. Ball recess 28 may be shaped and configured to receive a basketball, as described in greater detail below.

As noted above, upper portion 14 may be removably secured to base portion 12. As illustrated in FIGS. 3-7, upper portion 14 and base portion 12 may be configured such that they nest together in interlocking fashion, as seen best in FIG. 5. In the illustrated embodiment, a flange 30 may extend downwardly from a bottom 32 of upper portion 14 thereby defining a horizontally extending upper shoulder 34.

A mounting recess 36 may be formed along a rear 38 of base portion 12 proximate a top 39 of base portion 12, and defining a horizontally extending base shoulder 34. When upper portion 14 and base portion 12 are mated together, shoulder 34 of upper portion 14 may be seated on a top surface 40 of base portion 12, and flange 30 of upper portion 12 may be received in mounting recess 36 of base portion 12.

One or more anchoring projections 42 may be formed on one of base portion 12 and upper portion 14, and one or more mating anchoring recesses 44 may be formed in the other of base portion 12 and upper portion 14. In the illustrated embodiment, anchoring projections 42 are formed on upper portion 14 and anchoring recesses 44 are formed in base portion 12. Naturally, anchoring projections 42 could be formed on base portion 12 and anchoring recesses 44 could be formed on upper portion 14.

In the illustrated embodiment, there are two anchoring projections 42 and two mating anchoring recesses 44. It is to be appreciated that there may be any number of anchoring projections 42 and mating anchoring recesses 44.

Upper portion 14 may be releasably secured to base portion 12 with one or more fasteners 46. In the illustrated embodiment, fasteners 46 are screws that that extend through upper apertures 48 formed in upper portion 14 and are received in threaded base inserts 50 that are seated in base portion 12. One or more washers 52 may be seated on each fastener 46. As illustrated here, two washers 52 are seated on each fastener 46, but it is to be appreciated that any number of washers 52 may be employed.

In the illustrated embodiments, four sets of fasteners 46, washers 52, upper apertures 48, and threaded base inserts 50 are used to secure upper portion 14 to base portion 12. It is to be appreciated that any number of fasteners 46, washers 52, upper apertures 48, and threaded base inserts 50 may be used to secure upper portion 14 to base portion 12.

It is also to be appreciated that any type of fasteners could be used to removably secure upper portion 14 to base portion 12, including mating nuts and bolts, for example. Other suitable fasteners for securing upper portion 14 to base portion 12 will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7-9, base portion 12 may define an enclosed interior cavity 54 that may be at least partially filled with water to provide ballast and stability for basketball hoop 10, thereby reducing the chances of basketball hoop 10 tipping over from wind or being bumped into by users.

As seen in FIG. 7, a filling aperture 56 may be formed in base portion 12, and may be positioned proximate top 39 of base portion 12. Filling aperture 56 may be used to fill base portion 12 at least partially with water, another liquid, or other materials. A threaded filling plug 58 may be mate with internal threads 60 formed in filling aperture 56. In the illustrated embodiment, filling aperture 56 is formed in the rear 38 of base portion 12. However, it is to be appreciated that filling aperture 56 may be formed at any location on base portion 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, filling aperture 56 is formed in the rear 38 of base portion 12. However, it is to be appreciated that filling aperture 56 may be formed at any location on base portion 12.

In certain embodiments, base portion 12 may be inverted and the water can be drained out of base portion 12 through filling aperture 56. In other embodiments, a drain aperture 62 may also be formed in base portion 12, and may be positioned proximate a bottom 64 of base portion 12. Drain aperture 62 may serve to allow water to be drained from base portion 12. A threaded drain plug 66 may be mate with internal threads 68 formed in drain aperture 62. In the illustrated embodiment, drain aperture 62 is formed in the rear 38 of base portion 12. However, it is to be appreciated that drain aperture 62 may be formed at any location on base portion 12.

As seen in FIG. 8, basketball hoop 10 may be seated on coping 70 at an edge of a swimming pool 72. With internal cavity 54 of base portion 12 at least partially filled with water 74, the center of gravity of basketball hoop 10 is low, thereby helping prevent basketball hoop 10 from tipping over when subjected to external forces such as wind, or users banging into basketball hoop 10 while playing.

As seen in FIG. 9, basketball hoop 10 may be positioned on a step or ledge 76 formed in swimming pool 72 such that a portion of the bottom 39 of base portion 12 is partially submerged in water 75 within swimming pool 72. The water 74 in base portion 12 helps prevent basketball hoop 10 from tipping over when subjected to external forces such as wind, or users banging into basketball hoop 10 while playing.

In certain embodiments, as seen in FIGS. 7, 10, and 11, at least one wheel 78 may be rotatably mounted to basketball hoop 10 at bottom 39 of base portion 12. In the illustrated embodiment there are two wheels 78, but it is to be appreciated that any number of wheels 78 may be rotatably secured to basketball hoop 10.

Each wheel 78 may be supported on an axle 80 that may be mounted to base portion 12. Each axle 80 and a portion of its corresponding wheel 78 may be seated in a wheel recess 82 formed in the bottom 39 of base portion 12. A cover 84 may be seated in each wheel recess 82. Each cover 84 may include a notch 86 through which a wheel 78 protrudes when cover 84 is secured to base portion 12. A plurality of cover fasteners 88 may releasably secure each cover 84 to base portion 12. Cover fasteners 88 may be screws or any other suitable type of fastener.

As seen in FIG. 11, when basketball hoop 10 is tilted and supported on wheels 78 it can easily be moved along a surface, such as a pool surround.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, rim 20 may include a base plate 90 that is used to secure rim 20 to upper portion 14. One or more rim fasteners 92 may be used to secure rim 20 to upper portion 14. Rim fasteners 92 may be screws or bolts that extend through apertures 94 in base plate 90 and are received in mating threaded recesses 96 formed in upper portion 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, a basketball 98 may be received in ball recess 28 in base portion 12. It is to be appreciated that ball recess 28 may be shaped and sized to fit a particular sized basketball. For example, basketball 98 may be a small size 3 and ball recess 28 would then be dimensioned such that the size 3 basketball would fit in the recess. It is to be appreciated that ball recess 28 can be sized to accommodate a basketball having any desired size.

As illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, one or more projections or nubs 100 may project upwardly from a lower surface of ball recess 28. Nubs 100 serve to help retain basketball 98 when it is seated in ball recess 28. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 14, a single nub 100 is positioned in ball recess 28, while in other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 15, two nubs 100 are positioned in ball recess 28. It is to be appreciated that any number of nubs may be positioned in ball recess 28.

As illustrated by the arrows D in FIGS. 14 and 15, any water that gets into ball recess 28 will drain around nubs 100, out of ball recess 28, and down the side of base portion 12. In certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 16 a bottom surface of ball recess 28 may be angled downwardly toward a front of base portion 12 to help water drain out of ball recess 28. The bottom surface of ball recess 28 may be angled downwardly at an angle α. In certain embodiments, angle α may be between approximately 1° and approximately 3°, and in other embodiments, angle α may be approximately 2°.

In certain embodiments, a user may want basketball hoop 10 to have a backboard 18 with a different size. FIG. 17 shows upper portion 14 as illustrated in FIG. 1 secured to base portion 12. In certain embodiments, upper portion 14 may have a width W of between approximately 30″ and approximately 35″, and a height H of between approximately 20″ and approximately 25″. In certain embodiments, width W may be approximately 32.5″ and height H may be approximately 23″.

FIG. 18 illustrates an additional upper portion 14′ secured to base portion 12, with upper portion 14′ having a size that is different than that of upper portion 14. In the illustrated embodiment, upper portion 14′ is larger than upper portion 14. In certain embodiments, upper portion 14′ may have a width W′ of between approximately 36″ and approximately 40″, and a height H′ of between approximately 26″ and approximately 28″. In certain embodiments, width W′ may be approximately 38″ and height H′ may be approximately 27″.

Having two or more upper portions 14 that can be releasably secured to base portion 12 may provide the user with the flexibility to use basketball hoop 10 in different environments that may have more or less room than other environments, and can be used by players of different abilities.

FIG. 19 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the attachment of rim 20 to upper portion 14. In this embodiment a rim projection 102 extends outwardly from a rear of rim 20 and may be seated in a backboard recess 104 formed in upper portion 14. Backboard screws 106 may extend through backboard apertures 108 that extend through upper portion 14 from a rear of upper portion 14 to backboard recess 104. Backboard screws 106 may be received in threaded rim inserts 110 that are received in corresponding rim recesses 112 formed in rim projection 102.

It is to be appreciated that in this view only one backboard screw 106 and associated elements are shown here. It is to be appreciated that two or more backboard screws 106 and associated elements may be used to securely fasten rim 20 to upper portion 14.

FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrate the attachment of net 22 to rim 20 in certain embodiments. A plurality of net recesses 114 may be formed in an upper surface 116 of rim 20. A net aperture 118 may be formed within each net recess 114 and extend through rim 20. A pair of strands 120 of net 22 may extend up through each net aperture 118, and a knot 112 may be formed at ends 124 of strands 120 to retain net 22 on rim 20. In certain embodiments, twelve net recesses 114 and mating net apertures 118 may be formed in rim 20. It is to be appreciated that a different number of net recesses 114 and mating net apertures 118 may be formed in rim 20 to accommodate different sized and type nets 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 22, rim 20 may be formed of an upper half 126 and a lower half 128. Each of upper half 126 and lower half 128 may have a substantially U-shaped cross section defining a channel 130, and may include a plurality of ribs 132 seated within channel 130 in order to provide additional strength and structure to rim 20.

FIGS. 23-26 illustrate different ways of securing upper half 126 to lower half 128. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 23, ultrasonic welding may be performed with a piston 134 that applies pressure and vibrations to upper half 126 and lower half 128 to secure them to one another.

As illustrated in FIG. 24, one or more male pins 136 may be formed on and extend upwardly from lower half 128 and be received in one or more mating female pins 138 formed on upper half 126. Male pins 136 and female pins 138 may be pressure fit to one another.

In other embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 25, one or more snap hook fasteners 140 may be used to secure upper half 126 to lower half 128. Each snap hook fastener 140 may include a first portion 142 extending downwardly from upper half 126 and a mating second portion 144 extending upwardly from lower half 128. First portion 142 may include a first tab 146 that engages a second tab 148 on second portion 144 in interlocking snap-fit fashion.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 26, a plurality of rim screws 150 may extend through rim screw apertures 152 formed in lower half 128 and be received in mating threaded rim screw inserts 152 that are seated in rim screw recesses 154. It is to be appreciated that in other embodiments, the threaded rim screw inserts 154 and rim screw recesses 156 could be formed in lower half 128 rather than upper half 126.

Other suitable means for securing upper half 126 to lower half 128 will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

In certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 27 and 28, rim 20 may be formed of a single, monolithic, unitary piece of material, such as plastic. Such a rim 20 may be formed by injection molding, for example. In such an embodiment, rim 20 may have a substantially U-shaped configuration with a downwardly facing channel 158. A plurality of ribs 160 may be seated within channel 158 in order to provide additional strength and structure to rim 20.

In certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 29 and 30, the single, monolithic, unitary piece of material used to form rim 20 may include a plurality of net posts 162 seated in net recesses 164 formed in an upper surface 166 of rim 20. A net aperture 168 may be positioned within each net recess 164 and extend through rim 20. A net strand 120 may extend through each net aperture 168 and be wrapped about a corresponding net post 162 thereby allowing net 22 to hang from net posts 162.

In such an embodiment, rim material recesses 170 may be formed in upper surface 166 between adjacent net recesses 164. Rim material recesses 170 may serve to reduce the material used to form rim 20, thereby helping reduce its weight. Rim material recesses 170 may be formed by milling, for example.

As illustrated in FIGS. 31 and 32, a recess drain aperture 172 may be formed at a bottom of ball recess 28. Recess drain aperture 172 may allow water to drain from ball recess 28 as illustrated by arrow B. As seen in FIG. 32, recess drain aperture 172 may extend through base portion 12 from a bottom surface of ball recess 28 to a bottom surface of base portion 12.

Various embodiments of a basketball hoop have been described herein, which include various components and features. In other embodiments, the basketball hoop may be provided with any combination of such components and features. It is also understood that in other embodiments, the various devices, components, and features of the basketball hoop described herein may be constructed with similar structural and functional elements having different configurations, including different ornamental appearances.

Those having skill in the art, with the knowledge gained from the present disclosure, will recognize that various changes can be made to the disclosed apparatuses and methods in attaining these and other advantages, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As such, it should be understood that the features described herein are susceptible to modification, alteration, changes, or substitution. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or steps which perform substantially the same function, in substantially the same way, to achieve the same results are within the scope of the embodiments described herein. Substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated. The specific embodiments illustrated and described herein are for illustrative purposes only, and not limiting of that which is set forth in the appended claims. Other embodiments will be evident to those of skill in the art. It should be understood that the foregoing description is provided for clarity only and is merely exemplary. The spirit and scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, but is encompassed by the following claims.

Claims

1. A basketball hoop assembly comprising: a base portion having an enclosed interior cavity;a first aperture formed in the base portion and extending from an exterior of the base portion to the enclosed interior cavity;an upper portion secured to the base portion; anda rim secured to the upper portion and configured to support a net.

2. The basketball hoop assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second aperture formed in the base portion.

3. The basketball hoop assembly of claim 1, further comprising: at least one projection on one of the base portion and the upper portion; andat least one recess in the other of the base portion and the upper portion that mates with the at least one projection.

4. The basketball hoop of claim 3, wherein the at least one projection comprises a pair of projections on the upper portion and the at least one recess comprises a mating pair of recesses formed in the base portion.

5. The basketball hoop of claim 1, further comprising a pair of wheels rotatably secured to a bottom of the base portion.

6. The basketball hoop of claim 1, further comprising a ball recess formed in the base portion and configured to receive a basketball.

7. The basketball hoop of claim 6, further comprising at least one nub formed on a bottom surface of the recess and configured to help retain a basketball within the recess.

8. The basketball hoop of claim 6, wherein a bottom surface of the recess is sloped downwardly toward a front of the base portion.

9. The basketball hoop of claim 6, further comprising a recess drain aperture formed in a bottom surface of the ball recess.

10. The basketball hoop of claim 9, wherein the recess drain aperture extends through the base portion from a bottom surface of the ball recess to a bottom surface of the base portion.

11. The basketball hoop of claim 1, further comprising an additional upper portion, the additional upper portion having a width and height that is different than a width and a height of the upper portion.

12. The basketball hoop of claim 1, wherein a portion of a front surface of the upper portion is substantially planar and defines a backboard.

13. The basketball hoop of claim 12, and further comprising a recess formed in the backboard that defines a shooter's square.

14. The basketball hoop of claim 1, wherein the rim is releasably secured to the upper portion by a pair of screws received in a mating pair of threaded inserts seated in a pair of rim mounting recesses formed in the rim.

15. The basketball hoop of claim 1, wherein the rim comprises an upper half and a lower half secured to the upper half.

16. The basketball hoop of claim 15, wherein the lower half is welded to the upper half.

17. The basketball hoop of claim 15, wherein the lower half is secured to the upper half by a plurality of snap hook fasteners.

18. The basketball hoop of claim 15, wherein the lower half is secured to the upper half by a plurality of rim screws received in mating threaded inserts seated in rim recesses formed in the rim.

19. The basketball hoop of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of net apertures formed in the rim.

20. A basketball hoop assembly comprising: a base portion having an enclosed interior cavity;a first aperture formed in the base portion proximate a top of the base portion and extending from an exterior of the base portion to the enclosed interior cavity;a second aperture formed in the base portion proximate a bottom of the base portion and extending from an exterior of the base portion to the enclosed interior cavity;a ball recess formed in the base portion and configured to receive a basketball;a pair of wheels rotatably secured to a bottom of the base portion;an upper portion releasably secured to the base portion, a substantially planar portion of a front of the upper portion defining a backboard;a recess formed in the backboard that defines a shooter's square;a rim secured to the upper portion; anda net secured to the rim.