Portable basketball hoop

A portable basketball hoop comprising:

• a hemispherical base having a bottom surface with a perimeter, a plurality of weight-receiving openings circumferentially positioned and equally spaced around at least a portion ⅔ of the perimeter adjacent to the bottom surface, and an upper surface with a centrally-located opening;
• a post comprising:
• a bottom segment having a bottom portion which engages the hemispherical base at the opening of the upper surface, and a body portion comprising a plurality of locking structure-engaging areas arranged in at least two rows, wherein each of the rows includes the same number of locking structure-engaging areas and each locking structure-engaging area in one of the at least two rows has a corresponding locking structure-engaging area in the second of the at least two rows, thereby forming a plurality of pairs of locking structure-engaging areas wherein the locking structure-engaging areas of a given pair are at the same height,
• at least one middle segment having a body portion comprising a plurality of locking structure-engaging areas arranged in at least two rows, wherein each of the rows includes the same number of locking structure-engaging areas and each locking structure-engaging area in one of the at least two rows has a corresponding locking structure-engaging area of the second of the at least two rows, thereby forming a plurality of pairs of locking structure-engaging areas wherein the locking structure-engaging areas of a given pair are at the same height,
• an upper segment having an upper portion having a back plate, wherein the back plate includes at least one securing structure, and
• at least two locking structures, each locking structure corresponding to one of the pairs of locking structure-engaging areas of the bottom segment and the at least one middle segment;
• a backboard comprising two outer sections hingedly connected to a middle section, the two outer sections and middle section each having a front surface, wherein the two outer sections are hingedly moveable relative to the middle section such that the backboard has an open position and a folded position, wherein the front surfaces of the two outer sections and middle section are coplanar the backboard is in the open position, and wherein the middle section includes at least one attachment point corresponding to the at least one securing structure of the back plate;
• and
• a rim comprising at least one attachment point corresponding at least one of (i) the at least one attachment point of the middle section of the backboard, and (ii) the at least one securing structure of the back plate;
• wherein the locking structure-engaging areas are openings and the locking structures are opening-engaging structures;
• and
• wherein the body portions of the bottom segment and at least one middle segment include four rows of openings, wherein each of the rows has the same number of openings and each opening in one of the four rows has a corresponding opening in each of the remaining three rows, thereby forming sets of openings each containing four openings wherein each of the four openings of a set of openings is at the same height.

A portable basketball hoop comprising:

• a hemispherical base having a bottom surface with a perimeter, a plurality of weight-receiving openings circumferentially positioned and equally spaced around at least a portion ⅔ of the perimeter adjacent to the bottom surface, and an upper surface with a centrally-located opening;
• a post comprising:
• a bottom segment having a bottom portion which engages the hemispherical base at the opening of the upper surface, and a body portion,
• at least one middle segment having a body portion,
• an upper segment having an upper portion having a back plate, wherein the back plate includes at least one securing structure,
• a backboard comprising two outer sections hingedly connected to a middle section, the two outer sections and middle section each having a front surface, wherein the two outer sections are hingedly moveable relative to the middle section such that the backboard has an open position and a folded position, wherein the front surfaces of the two outer sections and middle section are coplanar the backboard is in the open position, and wherein the middle section includes at least one attachment point corresponding to the at least one securing structure of the back plate;
• and
• a rim comprising at least one attachment point corresponding at least one of (i) the at least one attachment point of the middle section of the backboard, and (ii) the at least one securing structure of the back plate;
• wherein the back plate comprises a plurality of securing structures,
• wherein the middle section of the backboard comprises a plurality of attachment points, wherein at least one of the attachment points corresponds to at least one of the pluralities of securing structures of the back plate, and
• wherein the rim comprises at least two attachment points wherein at least one of (i) the at least two attachment points correspond to at least two of the plurality of attachment points of the middle section of the backboard other than the at least one attachment points of the middle section of the backboard corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of securing structures of the back plate, or (ii) at least two of the plurality of attachment points of the middle section of the backboard correspond to at least two of the plurality of securing structures of the back plate and the at least two attachment points of the rim correspond to the at least two of the plurality of attachment points of the middle section and the at least two of the plurality of securing structures of the back plate.