1. Measure the driveway, then pick the board
Goalsetter's buying guide matches board size to space: a 54 or 48 inch board for a one-car driveway, 60 or 54 for two cars, 72 or 60 for three cars or a dedicated court. Goalrilla gives the same advice. Measure the width of the concrete you will actually play on, not the lot.
Bigger is not automatically better. A 72-inch board makes bank shots easier and looks great, but on a narrow driveway it dominates the space. Our size guide has the full numbers.
2. Choose the board material
Tempered glass is the standard for home in-ground hoops; Goalsetter says it gives "the truest, most authentic ball rebound". Thickness varies: 1/2 inch on Pro Dunk THOR, 3/8 inch on Goalrilla and Goalsetter, 5/16 inch on Goaliath and Silverback SB60. Acrylic (Spalding U-Turn 54) and polycarbonate (Silverback NXT 60) are lighter and cheaper, and rebound softer.
See every glass model in our tempered glass ranking.
Pro Dunk THOR Gold
It passes all six checks for a two-car driveway: 60-inch glass, 1/2 inch thick, a 6 inch 5-gauge pole, 4 ft overhang, a 5 ft rim and a lifetime warranty.
9.4/10Excellent · $2,399 at Pro Dunk, checked Nov 12, 2026
3. Look at the pole, not just the board
The pole is what keeps the board still after a hard shot. Sizes in our comparison run from 3.5 inch round to 8 by 6 inches. Goalsetter recommends 6 by 6 or 5 by 5 inch poles for large play areas and 5 by 5 for two-car driveways. When a maker publishes the steel gauge, read it: 5-gauge (Pro Dunk) is thicker than 7-gauge (Goalsetter). One-piece poles avoid a joint in the middle; the Goaliath Ignite uses a two-piece pole with a lock.
4. Check the overhang
Overhang is how far the board sits in front of the pole. Goalrilla's overhang guide recommends about 2 to 4 ft, and explains why more is not always better: past 5 ft the board's weight far from the pole adds shake. In practice, 3 to 4 ft lets players finish layups without meeting the pole. Our hoops range from 2 ft (Goaliath) to 4 ft (Pro Dunk THOR, Goalsetter MVP, Goalrilla FT72).
5. If you have little kids, check the lowest height
Every hoop reaches the regulation 10 ft; the bottom of the range is what differs. Most stop at 7.5 ft. Goalsetter's Signature models go down to 6 ft with the mechanism inside the pole, and Pro Dunk's THOR comparison chart shows the THOR Gold reaching 5 ft. If your youngest is under eight, this check matters more than any other. Our adjustable ranking weighs it at 30%.
6. Read the warranty and the mount
Lifetime warranties come from Goalrilla (including the glass on GS models), Goalsetter and Pro Dunk (which names dunking and hanging as covered). Goaliath and Silverback give five years. Lifetime and Spalding do not state the warranty on the pages we read, so ask.
The mount matters if you might move. Anchor kits (Goalrilla, Goaliath, Silverback SB60, Pro Dunk's pier kit, Lifetime's Anti-Flex) bolt the pole to threaded anchors; Goalrilla says you can unbolt and move the hoop. A direct-bury pole like the Silverback NXT stays with the house.
Set the budget last, not first
It sounds backwards, but deciding the size and the must-haves first stops you from overpaying for a big board you do not have room for, or underpaying for a hoop your teenager will outgrow in two seasons. On November 12, 2026, the hoops we compare cost:
- $769.95 to $999.95 for an entry in-ground hoop (Silverback NXT 60, Goaliath Prodigy and Ignite, Spalding U-Turn);
- $1,099.95 to $2,049.95 for the middle (Silverback SB60, Goalrilla GS54C and GS60C, Lifetime Mammoth 72);
- $2,399 to $2,999.99 for the premium hoops (Pro Dunk THOR, Goalrilla GS72C and FT72, Goalsetter).
Add concrete and, if you hire it out, about $500 to $700 of installation (Pro Dunk's figures).
How we use these checks
The six checks are the criteria of our scoring formula, with a weight each: price 20%, backboard 20%, pole 20%, warranty 15%, overhang 10%, lowest rim height 10% and mounting 5%. Every hoop gets one score from what its maker publishes, and anything not published scores low. The full method is on our how we score page, and Goalsetter's buying guide is a good second opinion from a maker.
Red flags on a product page
When a figure is missing, ask why. On the pages we read, some makers skip the overhang (Spalding U-Turn), the warranty (Lifetime Mammoth 72, Spalding U-Turn) or the glass thickness (Lifetime). That does not make the hoop bad, but it makes it harder to compare, and our formula scores what is not published as low. Ask the seller in writing before you order.
Watch the price date too. Prices on in-ground hoops move with seasonal sales; Pro Dunk's THOR prices on November 12, 2026 were Black Friday prices ending November 27. Every price on our site carries the date we read it.
The 60-second checklist before you click buy
Print this, or keep it open in a tab while you compare. If a hoop fails two of these, keep looking.
- Price, dated. Write down the price and the day you saw it. Hoop prices move with seasons and sales (Pro Dunk's THORs were on a sale price when we checked on November 12, 2026).
- Board. Tempered glass, and at least 3/8 inch thick if the maker says it. 60 inches if your driveway allows it.
- Pole. 5 x 5 inches or more for regular play; 6 x 6 inches if teens play hard. A published steel gauge is a good sign.
- Overhang. 3 ft or more if players drive to the basket.
- Lowest height. 6 ft or lower if kids under ten will play; 7.5 ft is fine for older players.
- Mounting. An anchor kit lets you level the hoop and take it with you if you move.
- Warranty. Read what is excluded. Lifetime is common at the top; 5 years is common under $1,100.
That is the same list our score uses, weighted the way it is published on our methodology page. If you want the shortcut, the comparison tool puts three hoops side by side and ticks the best figure on every row.
Our shortlist after the six checks
- Two-car driveway, kids of all ages: Pro Dunk THOR Gold, $2,399 on its November sale.
- Big driveway, older players: THOR Platinum ($2,699) or Goalrilla GS72C ($2,399.95).
- Around $2,000 with a lifetime warranty: Goalrilla GS60C.
- About $1,000: Goaliath Ignite.
Or put three side by side in the comparison tool.
Our three picks for this guide
Scores come from our published formula; the full list is in the ranking.
