So I read a lot of reviews. A LOT! Not just on this model, but on many. Most stated missing parts. But I found one guy who posted a review that the other parts where in the base. So I made a mental note. So as I had laid out all the parts, emptying the base in the process, and thought I had missing parts. I reach in, used a flash light, and sure enough, there were more parts stuck inside. All were there.Anyways, it took about 3-4 hours to put it together, but it is AWESOME. This one has the bigger base, which I wanted for greater stability (39 gallon compared to most 34 gallon). The back board is good, pretty solid. Love the black and clear coloring, angle is great, size of backboard is solid and big (but not too big), adjusting is easy, rim has nice give to it and spring action. Also, we live in New England and fill the base with sand that way there is never any water freezing and cracking the base.End of the day, I was worried about spending so much money on this and concerned over all reviews. For us, it is PERFECT!

It works as advertised. I bought this for my kids to play in the driveway. At first, I thought it would not stand upright against the slope of the drive; it does that just fine. The water in the base keeps it steady. The height adjusts well for 6 year-olds and 17 year-olds. The backboard is adequate as far as rebounding; not as good as an in-the-ground unit, but as good as any portable unit I have seen.It wasn't the easiest to put up; quite a few missing parts. I had to call the 800 number for several important and a few minor parts. They were shipped out to me within a few days without any question. Because of the delay with the parts, the assembly took longer. It was probably about 4 or so hours of actual assembly. Hints: bring a charged up drill, with an extra battery, and have at least 2 people.My kids play on it for sometimes 2 hours a day, along with neighborhood kids. It has become the favorite of the neighborhood above the other kids' goals so, I guess that means it has the kids' seal of approval. That means, it has mine.I researched and looked at several goals before deciding on this one. I am happy with the decision.I would recommend this.

When I see people having issues with a product that requires assembly, I usually just assume that most people are incompetent and cannot put things together. I bought this hoop for my son for Christmas and when it came time to assemble, this is what happened....1st... the box arrived all damaged, but unlike others, all my parts were there thankfully...The main pole/shaft for the hoop comes in three parts. You have to align a dimple with a slot and then (per the directions) smack the heck out of it on some wood. I did just that. I then continued to assemble and when it was time to put the backboard on, I noticed that the predrilled holes for the hoop all seemed off. I'm not talking 1 or 2 degrees... I'm talking 15-20 degrees. I decided that I was so far along, I'd see how off it really was and installed the backboard. The pictures I'm including are my attempts to illustrate what my horrible articulation is meaning... but as crooked as the pictures look... is how crooked it is in real life.You can see from the two close ups that I have the dimples lined up with the slots. The other pictures are of the whole system. I tried to square up as much as possible... and look how off the backboard is?????? What a frickin mess! I'm not unhandy... heck I just built an 800 sq ft deck attached to my new house. I know what I'm doing here. The big problem... is how do I return this monstrosity? The box was destroyed... but even so... once you put the three main pole parts together (remember... instructions have you smacking it against a wood board to assemble), there's no getting it apart. I am now stuck with a ~9 foot pole that I cannot take apart to ship back. I'm currently on hold with Amazon because I told them that it's impossible for me to take apart the big pole... and I highly doubt UPS will pick up the pole and parts ... in a box that is destroyed. Amazon is confused and doesn't know what to do. Been on hold now for 20 minutes. Oh... music stopped... they are about to answer..... and no... more music. Anyway... stay away from this product.... wait... he's back... and he asked me to put the whole thing in a box!!!! i told him that I don't have a 9 foot box... he then said sorry.... he doesn't like to end calls not helping people. WHAT???? I told him to transfer me to his manager.... so now I'm on hold. I'm thinking now would be a good time to hit submit below... but maybe some of you crooked (see what I did there) minded people enjoy this kind of stuff, so I'm going to wait on hold and update you with this conundrum Marv Albert style (he's a play by play guy)....Dangit... Still on hold... and the beer bottle opener my ex-wife gave me for Christmas doesn't work (figures), but at least it looks kinda cool. Millennium Falcon! Need to find another one to open my beer. I guess with that said... if you buy this hoop... get a sixer ready... you're gonna need it.OK... now we are in business... talking to a manager. He has an American name! Ohhhh....he's hard to understand :( He's at least checking on how I can return this. I guess that's a start. Back on hold!Manager transferred me to a department I never knew existed... "Large Item Returns" Oh... an American name again... and he has no accent. Wonderful! I'm on hold again, but he's processing a return for me.... It looks like he will have it set up that I just have to disassemble the hoop as best possible and a service will come and pick it up and packaging it will be their problem.So this is how the Soap Opera ends. As big of a pain as this was... Amazon themselves still gets 5 stars for making things right. Class act for a company... any issue I've ever had, they've found a way to make it right. Thanks Amazon!

I should have known better after reading several of the reviews here but as I have generally had good experiences with Amazon I decided to go ahead with the purchase.My box arrived with several holes in it. Clearly this box had been opened previously, sent back to Amazon then shipped to me. I quick inventory of the items showed that I was missing 3 key parts. I thought I was missing more but I discovered some parts were loose and other parts had been stashed in the base unit. Clearly the previous owner/Amazon did not think repacking bolts, spacers and nuts was necessary.I called Spalding about the missing parts. They were very friendly and easy to deal with. Eleven days later my replacement parts arrived. But they sent me the wrong parts. I had to call them again then wait another 8 days for the next shipment.Overall assembly wasn't that difficult. I did all of the work by myself except for attaching the springs. There are a few sections of the Instructions that aren't a 100% clear. My suggestion is to read the entire section including a couple pages ahead, study the pictures, and double check the parts before proceeding.Spalding could make assembly easier by better labeling parts, for example parts should be grouped together in the packaging. Spacers could have their part number imprinted on them. Nuts and bolts could be in plastic packaging with their part number.Lastly my base unit leaks. I filled it with water but it only stays full for a day. Going to fill it up with sand this weekend.I do like the basketball hoop. It looks good and my kids are having a great time. Adjusting the height is very easy. Just wish the buying the experience was better.