To find the volume of a sphere, you can use the formula:
\[ V = \frac{4}{3} \pi r^3 \]
where \( V \) is the volume and \( r \) is the radius.
- Find the radius: The diameter of the basketball is 9 inches, so the radius \( r \) is half of that:
\[ r = \frac{9}{2} = 4.5 \text{ inches} \]
- Plug the radius into the volume formula: Using \( \pi \approx 3.14 \):
\[ V = \frac{4}{3} \times 3.14 \times (4.5)^3 \]
- Calculate \( (4.5)^3 \):
\[ (4.5)^3 = 4.5 \times 4.5 \times 4.5 = 20.25 \times 4.5 = 91.125 \]
- Now substitute this back into the volume formula:
\[ V = \frac{4}{3} \times 3.14 \times 91.125 \]
- Calculate \( \frac{4}{3} \times 3.14 \):
\[ \frac{4}{3} \times 3.14 \approx 4.18667 \]
- Now multiply by 91.125:
\[ V \approx 4.18667 \times 91.125 \approx 381.5 \]
So, the volume of the basketball, rounded to the nearest tenth, is:
\[ \boxed{381.5 \text{ in}^3} \]
This matches the option: 381.5 inches cubed.