This is the shocking moment a basketball exploded when a player went to pick it up - sending him running back across the court in fear.

The incident was captured on surveillance video inside the court in Hebei Province, in northern China, on Friday afternoon, February 2.

In the video, a few young boys are seen playing in small groups shooting hoops.

One student, wearing a black tracksuit and white trainers, who was not named in local media, could be seen walking towards a basketball ball with the intent to pick it up and play.

But right before he bent down, he appeared to notice something unusual on the ball.

The next second, he ran off shouting as the basketball unexpectedly exploded with a thunderous bang as if a bomb had gone off, and split into two.

Nobody was injured in the mishap, which is believed to have been caused by the ball being over-inflated and aggressive play that strains the internal construction.