We were true to the game before the game was invented. Synonymous with sport: true believers; dedicated disciples; loyal to ball before there were buckets, only peach baskets and square boxes. We were there before the fans, before the franchises. There before the hype, there before the hoop, before the free throws, the hook shots and the give and go. Before there was a three-pointer, a lay-up, a dunk; before there was hang time, there was hard work.

When we developed the first basketball in 1894, we didn’t follow the competition, we set the standard. We didn’t just create a ball; we built a business, a reputation, a legacy. We did not blindly stumble upon success, didn’t settle for average. We didn’t forget where we started or what we stood for, learning from our past while planning for the future. We never stopped innovating; never stopped searching for opportunities to improve; always adapting to meet the changing needs of the player and the game.

We didn’t just take a shot. We took the shots, took them until we made them, made them until we called them. We didn’t just sit on the sidelines studying the playbook; we hustled, set goals, made moves. We never buckled under pressure, were never afraid to challenge any call. We didn’t make the rules, we made the ball.