Your son sounds like an extremely bright, well-adjusted child. I don't think that playing with toys necessarily has any impact on how a child "turns out". There are many different types of play, and I think your son's love of sports is the way that he plays. Encourage him to truly enjoy basketball. Give him a lifelong love of the activity that will be with him long after he realizes that the NBA draft is probably not gonna come calling.

I played with toys as a child - mostly stuffed animals and dolls. I loved books. Actually, my earliest favorite toy were the little spice bottles and jars that my mother kept in the kitchen cabinet. I pretended they were little people and spent hours imagining an entire village of "spice people", as odd as that may sound. I went through a period when all I wanted to do was go outside and dribble a basketball. During that time, I was "writing stories" in my head. I spent hours doing that, and to anyone looking on it may have seemed quite strange that a little girl of 9 or 10 was constantly dribbling, dribbling, dribbling - but there was something very cathartic and nourishing about the physical act combined with the adventures my mind raced off on.

Imagination, creativity, intelligence - those things are absolutely not dependent upon what one finds in the aisles of Toys R Us, so I wouldn't worry about your son. He sounds perfect just as he is. :-)

My now 23 year old son was also (still is) a sports, especially basketball nut. I remember finding him in the family room when he was about 5 crying because the Bulls lost a game. He went on to play in Middle and High School, but didn't have the size or talent to play in college. One of his Middle school teammates is playing in the NBA. He did play with toys a bit when he was very young, but at your son's age it was all about sports. He also wasn't much of a reader, but enjoyed sports stories.
He is very well rounded now. He just graduated with triple majors in Business, International Studies and Spanish, and started working immediately after graduation. He has tons of friends, and a girlfriend of 2 years.
As far as reading material, how about books like On the Court with...LeBron James, by Matt Christopher?

Normal. Heck, Derek thought puzzle pieces were frisbies. Both boys were total sports freaks at your sons age. If I wanted to buy them something they would love, I'd head for the Sports Store, wait in line for an autograph or spring for a set of sports cards. I remember buying a box of cards at Christmas. Lol

We bought my daughter a dollhouse. She arranged the furniture, painted it, etc. Never really "played with it." Later, MIL purchased an American Girl Doll for her. She braided the hair from time to time and dressed it, but that was about it. Now at 11, she prefers to build bird's nests, bird watch, and create.

Of my 4 children, only 1 has really done any imaginary play with toys. My other kids did some imaginary play, but it involved more things like competing restaurants where they designed their own menus, price wars, etc. They are too young to know what they will be like as adults, but I am not worried. I figure that it is okay for them to be who they are and to be comfortable with that. I try to encourage that because more than anything, I think that will help them to be happy and secure as adults.

I definitely played with Barbies and other dolls. I also had books, paper dolls, etc. I was the youngest out of 5, so I was almost like an only child compared to my siblings who are closer in age. So, if my parents went to friends or relatives to play cards, etc., I had to entertain myself. I still have most, if not all, of my Barbie dolls.

I remember my nephews, who are now early 30's, playing with Transformers and other similar toys. They were also very much into sports like bowling, baseball, soccer, and tennis (too small to play football).

I'm just curious, if he doesn't play with toys, what does he do with his free time? Say it's a rainy day at home and he can't go outside and throw a ball around?

My kids all played with toys but all differently. Oldest DS (now 20) was always, always creatively playing -- building with Legos, drawing, etc. He also loved first the little Fisher Price people, then action figures. He'd have them act out very elaborate scenarios. Any wonder he's an aspiring filmmaker? He also never, ever watched TV, and still doesn't. I mean TV shows specifically. He watches only movies.

Younger DS had totally different interests: cars, trains, trucks, and any kind of ball he could throw around. Barely touched any of the stuff older DS played with. He stopped playing with toys earlier than my older DS did, because he was really into sports...and video games. He has always been one of those kids who'd zone out for hours in front of the TV if you'd let him. Now he's mostly too busy. He's 16 and still totally different from his brother! Very math and science oriented but also plays two instruments and plays sports so he's pretty well rounded. DS #1 never played a sport in his life and didn't have the patience to learn an instrument.

DD is 11 and hasn't played with a "toy" in probably 2+ years. She was into Am Girl dolls for a few years, but seemed more about accumulating them and admiring them than about actually playing with them, unless a friend came over with a doll and they'd then play together. She played with Barbies a handful of times maybe, and Polly Pockets a bit. She is more like my older DS, I guess, in that she is more artsy and spent a lot of time playing dressup when she was younger. These days ALL she does is arts and crafts. And she loves to cook. And watches design shows and cooking shows. I keep saying she's going to be the next Martha Stewart.

Kids are all so different!

I'm just curious, if he doesn't play with toys, what does he do with his free time? Say it's a rainy day at home and he can't go outside and throw a ball around?

My kids all played with toys but all differently. Oldest DS (now 20) was always, always creatively playing -- building with Legos, drawing, etc. He also loved first the little Fisher Price people, then action figures. He'd have them act out very elaborate scenarios. Any wonder he's an aspiring filmmaker? He also never, ever watched TV, and still doesn't. I mean TV shows specifically. He watches only movies.

Younger DS had totally different interests: cars, trains, trucks, and any kind of ball he could throw around. Barely touched any of the stuff older DS played with. He stopped playing with toys earlier than my older DS did, because he was really into sports...and video games. He has always been one of those kids who'd zone out for hours in front of the TV if you'd let him. Now he's mostly too busy. He's 16 and still totally different from his brother! Very math and science oriented but also plays two instruments and plays sports so he's pretty well rounded. DS #1 never played a sport in his life and didn't have the patience to learn an instrument.

DD is 11 and hasn't played with a "toy" in probably 2+ years. She was into Am Girl dolls for a few years, but seemed more about accumulating them and admiring them than about actually playing with them, unless a friend came over with a doll and they'd then play together. She played with Barbies a handful of times maybe, and Polly Pockets a bit. She is more like my older DS, I guess, in that she is more artsy and spent a lot of time playing dressup when she was younger. These days ALL she does is arts and crafts. And she loves to cook. And watches design shows and cooking shows. I keep saying she's going to be the next Martha Stewart.

Kids are all so different!

As long as he's healthy, well adjusted and doing good in school then I wouldn't worry. He's making entertainment choices that will give him exercise and help him develop as he grows. Nothing wrong with that!

sueb, that is exactly the problem sometimes! When he's unable to go outside because of raining or whatever, he's bored. Although, we play board games, which he does like, and he plays the sports-related video games, or now he is hooked on the movie "Rise of the Planet of Apes".

sunny, that is SO cute about the spice jars, and what an imagination! I quess that is what I am kind of worried about, he doesn't really use his imagination, except imagining he's Russell Westbrook!

terriks, we went to Barnes and Noble the other day to find him a book, and was looking in the sports section. I will check out the book about LeBron James, of course, another favorite player of his!

goldust, yes, we ALWAYS find something at Academy Sports he likes!

tish, that was what I am a little concerned with, is that, his friends use their "minds" (imagination) and my son never really did, or does that. It does seem that most kids that do that, are very intelligent. Don't get me wrong, DS is pretty smart, but not to the degree of most of his friends.

sciencechick, I bought transformers, just knew he loved those, NOT! HA! I remember when my brother and I were young, he's play with the plastic army guys, FOREVER!

I have to admit, I am relieved after hearing your stories! I am from a family where sports has always been important, so I guess, I'm not too surprised my son is the same. But, I just felt he missed that one factor of not using his imagination or mind enough in other things. My brother was a big-time football player (not pro), I was a cheerleader in highschool and college, my nephews are football players, one just got a full scholarship. But, my son, is on the smaller side, and I wish he'd use his brain for more important things, IMO! Glad to know he should turn out well-round though!

Would love to hear other stories also!

When I was a young child, my parents would take me the toy store to buy me a present and I wouldn't be able to find anything I wanted. I never played with dolls although I enjoyed dressing them and fixing their hair. I remember begging my mother for a baby doll that wet and she told me I wouldn't like it or play with it. She was right.

It wasn't until Mom latched onto "crafts" as toys that I found a niche. She didn't know she had a young Martha/Betty Crocker on her hands but the toy ovens, plastic melting squiggles, jewelry, painted wood Christmas ornaments, paint by numbers, Spirographs, wood burning sets, macrame, the entire range of art supplies, needlepoint, embroidery, ..really the list is almost endless. I did it all for years. (still do!) But I never "played".

The biggest "toy" was when I took over all the family cooking at age twelve. I already knew how to do most everything but then I officially had to make dinner every night for which I got ten dollars a week allowance. I loved it. I made fried chicken once a week.

Anything that heated up, melted or otherwise transformed raw materials were my favorites.
Toys seem insipid and to cautionary to me now for kids. In the kids art classes I teach, rarely have any 10 year olds ever used anything hot like a glue gun before.

I turned out fine although I still don't enjoy the things most people like.

Bumble, Did you have a Vac-U-Form? I loved playing with that thing! I'm sure that it would be considered too dangerous today.

Wow terriks! That looks fun! I had something that melted rubber into shapes but nothing that involved.

BB, I do not do a lot of crafts but my daughter does. Her spelling is atrocious but the way her mind works, my goodness. She made an origami astronaut, and made a backpack/air balloon or something for him and made it float in the air by stringing it to the ceiling. Once at the age of 5 she drew an arm reaching out to grab a wine bottle. She amazes me.

I was thinking that she would like a hot glue gun but I have no idea of what to look for. Can you give me some ideas?

I was thinking with sadness the other day about how I didn't enjoy the toys my mother chose for me: an origami set, a thing called showboat where, I guess, you were supposed to imagine putting on musicals. The first was too hard and the second required an imagination that I had not, at that point, cultivated. I wish I had been encouraged to develop skills through these toys. They were just given to me without encouragement or assistance, and I gave up too easily, and to this day I am still trying to develop my spatial skills and imagination.

They have hot glue guns that are made for kids and are relatively cool and use low temperature glue. It's still a hot tip but everybody gets burned once or twice, it's not a big deal and helps you learn how to use it. Like using a toaster, you learn, if she won't burn herself with a toaster she would be fine.

I was literally frying chicken in an electric skillet at a young age but I was supervised.
The fear I see in ten year olds of an IRON of all things, they should fear a big pile of wrinkled clothes, not the iron.
I had a small, working iron of my own as a kid. So I could learn early how to iron, lol!

The array of crafts for kids today is mind boggling and so many exciting options.

Bumble, you might be my DD's biological mom LOL. Her (self imposed) goal this summer is to cook more "real meals." She already bakes a lot, with some supervision, and makes pancakes independently. Her real obsession these days is duct tape. She has made a variety of wallets, purses, etc. She usually makes at least one a day. She has probably 25 rolls of various colors and patterns at the moment. I honestly don't think I could make one of those wallets myself, and I'm fairly crafty...or used to be!

She has her own glue gun.

Tish, like you say, she's not a great speller or much of a reader but she can read complicated directions or a recipe and figure it out no problem, so she's all set!

Sue, in the art camp I taught last week, one of the other classes was duct tape fashion. I was blown away by the creativity and finished projects. Shoes, Suits of Armour, Grass Skirts, Hats, .... and I did NOT know duct tape came in so many patterns or was so versatile!

As an adult, I am thinking of getting a microscope, for fun.

BB, we homeschool and my oldest will need a microscope probably next year. I cannot tell you how many slide sets I want to purchase just because I am curious.

You'll have a good time!