Giant Basketball Gas Tank in River Rouge/Detroit, Michigan

Some roadside attractions are built from scratch to mimic whatever the artist wants them to be. Others make use of what already exists to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary. Such is the case with this giant basketball gas tank on the highway outside of Detroit, Michigan.

An oil tank on I-75 in River Rouge, Michigan, is painted to look like a giant basketball. It’s decorated on one side with the Detroit Pistons logo (celebrating their 2004 championship) and, on the other, with the WNBA Detroit Shock team logo. It’s the perfect use for the large, spherical tank at the Marathon oil refinery that might have otherwise been an eyesore.

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

I saw this big ball on a road trip through Michigan where I also stopped to see a cow on a roof of a convenience store and plenty of Big Boy statues. Seeing this Michigan roadside attraction along the way was a slam dunk!

Now, where’s the world’s largest basketball hoop?

Giant basketball painted with the Detroit Pistons and WNBA Detroit Shock team logos, outside of Detroit, Michigan.
Giant basketball painted with the Detroit Pistons and WNBA Detroit Shock team logos, outside of Detroit, Michigan.
Giant basketball painted with the Detroit Pistons and WNBA Detroit Shock team logos, outside of Detroit, Michigan.
Giant basketball painted with the Detroit Pistons and WNBA Detroit Shock team logos, outside of Detroit, Michigan.

Giant Basketball Oil Tank

Location: Off of I-75 near the River Rouge/Detroit Border
Cost: Free to see.
Hours: Always visible
Date: May 30, 2009

Pin this Michigan roadside attraction:

An oil tank on the highway outside of Detroit, Michigan, painted to be a giant basketball celebrates the Detroit Pistons and WNBA Detroit Shock teams. See this weird roadside attraction from the highway on a Michigan road trip or add the big basketball to your travel itinerary and bucket list of places to visit on a Michigan road trip.
#MichiganRoadsideAttractions #MichiganRoadsideAttraction #RoadsideAttractions #RoadsideAttraction #RoadTrip #MichiganRoadTrip #weirdroadsideattractions
An oil tank on the highway outside of Detroit, Michigan, painted to be a giant basketball celebrates the Detroit Pistons and WNBA Detroit Shock teams. See this weird roadside attraction from the highway on a Michigan road trip or add the big basketball to your travel itinerary and bucket list of places to visit on a Michigan road trip.

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Valerie Bromann

Founder & ROad Trip Expert

Valerie Bromann is a a website manager, content creator, and writer from Chicago, Illinois (currently living in Dallas, Texas). As an avid road tripper who has visited hundreds of roadside attractions, Val always pull over for a world’s largest thing. Founder of Silly America and author of The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book, she visits, photographs, and writes about all the weird tourist destinations she visits and offers road trip planning advice and inspiration based on her own travels so you can hit the road for yourself.

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Last modified: July 5, 2020
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The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

BY Valerie Bromann

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.