Halo Ball: Game-changing new sport takes basketball anywhere with 'floating hoop'

GLENVIEW, Ill -- A college sophomore's business idea quickly gained tens of thousands of fans on social media and created an entirely new sport.

"The core of the game is you can play basketball anywhere," said Halo Ball partner Chris Bauman. "We don't know what it's going to turn into but right now. We do know that it's a lot of fun."

The idea for Halo Ball came to its inventor Brandon Ng in his college dorm room at the University of Houston in April of this year. Ng needed to start a business in order to be accepted into the school's entrepreneur program and was inspired to create Halo Ball to help reduce injuries that happen at the base of outdoor basketball hoops.

"Why does the pole have to be there all the time? I just thought of the idea, no pole and let's have strings on the side," says Ng. After a creating a prototype, Ng partnered with his long-time friend, Kevan Bauman, to help design the game and create the rules. With Bauman and his brother Chris's help, Halo Ball's first batch of units quickly sold out.

"All of us at Halo Ball are huge sports guys," Bauman said. "I think our hope is that the world takes it and does something great with it."

To play Halo Ball, all someone needs is two sturdy trees on which to attach the hoop's ratchet line. One-hoop and two-hoops sets are available on the Halo Ball website.