Abstract: A ball retainer for ball bearings comprises a one-piece generally cylindrical member molded of reinforced plastic material. A plurality of ball receiving pockets are circumferentially-spaced substantially equidistantly from one another around one axial side of the cylindrical member. The ball receiving pockets have pocket entrance openings which open outwardly generally axially of the cylindrical member. A first plurality of the pockets have first entrance openings narrower than the diameter of spherical balls received in such pockets and the first entrance openings for the first plurality of pockets are defined between outwardly yieldable opposed fingers. The fingers yield to allow balls to move into the pockets and then close around the balls when they move past the fingers into the pockets.