The first purpose-built basketballs were made from panels of leather stitched together with a rubber bladder inside. A cloth lining was added to the leather for support and uniformity. A molded version of the early basketball was invented in 1942. For many years, leather was the material of choice for basketball coverings, however in the late 1990s, synthetic composite materials were put forth and have rapidly gained acceptance in most leagues, although the NBA's game balls still use real leather (outside of a brief experiment with a microfiber ball in 2006 that was not well received).