Take it to the hoop — Gottlieb’s Basketball is an electromechanical single-player that brings the fast-break thrill of the hardwood to the flippers, and it comes from the legendary team of designer Wayne Neyens and artist Roy Parker, one of the most beloved creative partnerships of pinball’s golden woodrail age. With light-based scoring and a confirmed run of 1,200, it’s a handsome early Gottlieb celebrating America’s favorite indoor sport.
The layout is elegantly focused in the classic Gottlieb tradition: two flippers, two pop bumpers, and two kick-out holes. There are no drop banks or spinners here, just the honest, chiming pleasures of keeping the ball alive, working the bumpers, and chasing the captured-ball awards of those kick-out holes. It’s the kind of clean, approachable design that defined pinball’s formative years, when the fundamentals of the flipper game were still being refined, and it rewards a player who keeps the ball moving and plays the bumpers and holes with care, all in service of the beloved basketball theme.
Basketball is a lovely showcase of the celebrated Neyens-and-Parker team’s craft, pairing an evergreen sports theme with a clean, approachable layout and Parker’s warm artwork. The basketball motif was a perennial favorite, universally appealing and easy to enjoy, and this machine translates it into simple, chiming fun. For the collector who loves the golden age of EM pinball and its greatest creative teams, it’s a rewarding find. Ride those bumpers, work the kick-out holes, and drive to the basket. Sometimes the simplest machines are the most satisfying, and this Gottlieb hardwood classic scores a clean bucket every time. Take the shot and drop a coin.