A MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES PLAYER grips the new leather basketball during a timeout in their game against the Charlotte Bobcats. The NBA returned to the traditional leather ball Monday.

Charlotte, N.C. ? Before every NBA game, the officials meet with a player from each team. One of the things they do is pick the game ball.

The meeting probably never got more attention than it did Monday night before Minnesota faced Charlotte, marking the return of the leather ball – an unprecedented midseason equipment change to appease players and coaches.

The ball chosen? A newer-looking ball, more colorful than some of the more worn balls used in pregame warmups.

And with that the microfiber era – the NBA’s version of New Coke – ended.

The Bobcats won the opening tip, and rookie Adam Morrison hit the first shot of the game, a runner in the lane that officially ended an embarrassing period for the league.

The NBA decided to abandon the ball it used for the past 35 years in favor of a microfiber composite ball at the start of the season.

The grumbling started immediately. Players said it had too much grip when dry and then would get too slippery when it got soaked in sweat. Others complained of getting cuts on their fingertips.

The players union went as far as to file an unfair-labor-practice charge against the league, prompting commissioner David Stern to decide to switch back to the old ball for games starting Monday.