I just made my first Animated Gif.

Add a background to get rid of the white.
The Perkforum background is #c1c1c1
i think..
not too sure. last time i used it was a week or so ago.

Background wont do anything.

OP, you can try using the video timeline instead of the frame animation, and convert the basketball to a smart object, and transform over frames.

Look up "how to animate a transformation" on youtube and you will find tutorials on how to do this.