How do you design a basketball man cave? The first step is to decide whether the man cave will celebrate one team or the league as a whole. Then just follow our furniture guide and add some memorabilia.
The NBA is a star driven league. For that reason, making a man cave around your favorite players and moments of all time should be quite fun. What I like about basketball is the immense star power and insane storybook moments. I love Tom Brady but he is one of eleven guys. He never has been able to make the impact that Michael Jordan can on a basketball game.
A lot of sports have crazy moments you can point to, and the NBA is one of them. Moments like Ray Allen’s Finals shot and Lebron James’ chase down block deserve to be immortalized. A basketball man cave is a great way to have your favorite players and memories celebrated in the comfort of your own home.
This is the third installment of the series where I cover how to design a man cave based on the four major sports. If you want to see the two articles I have already written, click the links below.
Furniture
Furniture is going to play a major role in designing a top notch man cave. A man cave is only as strong as it’s most comfortable couch. If the couch is low quality then you and your guests enjoyment will be capped. The television is the other massive piece of the puzzle. If your man cave has a comfortable seating arrangement and a quality television, you can enjoy the game viewing experience. I highly suggest spending most of your budget on those two items.
Now that I have stressed the importance of man cave furniture, I can share a helpful guide. Instead of repeating the same information twice, here is my comprehensive guide on buying man cave furniture. I broke each type of furniture into budget tiers so you should be able to find the right furniture for your budget.
Basketball Memorabilia
As I aluded to earlier, basketball memorabilia is really special. There are so many true superstars and iconic players throughout the games history. I have a few different types of memorabilia options that look great in a man cave listed below. These are all popular types of sports memorabilia that can give your man cave the boost it needs.
Framed Jerseys
I love framed jerseys in man caves. It has been my number one suggestion for all main sports for a few reasons. They look great hung on the wall and the man cave will actually look better and better as you increase the number of jerseys. Some types of memorabilia look better by themselves or in a small group. Wall to wall jerseys will look awesome.
The second reason framed jerseys are great for man caves is because of how easy it is to set them up well. If you plan on using 50 small items to fill a wall, you will need some interior design skills to put that all together. Lining up a few jerseys only requires a decent eye or a level. If you are not interested in interior design and just want a quality basketball man cave, adding framed jerseys is a simple way to achieve that goal.
Signed Basketballs
Autographed basketballs are a classic look. The good thing about signed basketballs is that you do not need a lot of them. If you were to make a collection of signed baseballs, you would need at LEAST ten to make a solid memorabilia wall. Three basketballs would look even better and cost far less. Autographed basketballs are an extremely popular item for basketball themed man caves.
Perfect Cases Basketball Display Case (4.6 Stars)
If you are going to add some signed basketballs to your man cave, I suggest the Perfect Cases Basketball Display Case. You could use some type of stand as well, but I prefer this option. The reflective case creates a really cool affect that blows normal cases out of the water. You can also get an engraved case that has the player name, team and can even include accolades. This black base option is shown but they also have cherry wood for the base. Cases with UV protection are also available for an increased price if you really want to protect and preserve your memorabilia.
Framed Pictures
Pictures are often used to display epic dunks or historic shots. Using framed pictures to show off those moments is a great idea. It allows you to show off your favorite player, team and moment all in one. If you do have framed jerseys and signed balls, I recommend using pictures to show moments. That way each piece of memorabilia is bringing something slightly different to the table. If there was a play or shot that got you more interested in the sport, put it on the wall. If someone hit a crucial game-winning shot in a playoff or finals game to help win a title, add it to the wall. A sports fan will have a ton of moments come to mind the second they think of their favorite sports moments.
Wrap Up + Bonus Tips
If you have quality furniture then you are already halfway home. However, without memorabilia you have just made yourself another living room. Once you have added memorabilia, you have changed a living room into a basketball man cave. You can officially be proud to invite your friends over to watch some games in your new basketball man cave.
If you would like to expand further, I have a great idea for you. Man cave bars have taken a huge leap in popularity over the years. If you create a man cave bar inside the basketball man cave, your friends will have no choice but to be impressed. I covered how to make a man cave bar in another article, using a bunch of different themes. I covered two sports inside that article, the formula would be the same for basketball.
Mini Basketball Hoop
This is just a little toss in at the end. If you are building a basketball themed man cave, having a mini hoop would be a fun little addition. I toss out the idea of adding a mini basketball hoop for any generic sports man cave as long as it is not made for a specific sport that is not basketball.
Mini basketball hoops are a decoration that actually improves the functionality of a man cave. You can shoot around by yourself or get the whole family involved. You can have contests with your friends on game day, and even place some bets against each other.
7 Awesome Types of Man Cave Decor
Written by Scott Neville in Man Caves
I also gave my top two recommendations for mini basketball hoops to put in your man cave in that article quoted above.
Summary
- Determine what you want with your man cave. Are you going display one team proudly, or your favorite players around the league?
- Spend majority of your budget and decision making on the furniture selection. The game viewing experience is the main reason for a man cave.
- Once the furniture and television are decided on, focus on memorabilia. Showcase your favorite players and moments of all time, which in turn shows guests your personality.
- The man cave is established! If you want to expand further, look into adding a bar.
- On a much smaller scale, a mini basketball hoop would be a nice addition to the man cave as well.
I hope I helped get your mind working as you plan out your man cave design. If you liked this article, check out our man cave page!