The partnership will showcase how cloud and AI can reimagine the game of basketball, says AWS
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a multi-year deal for AWS to become the official cloud and cloud AI partner of the NBA and its affiliate leagues, including the WNBA, NBA G League, Basketball Africa League and NBA Take-Two Media.
As part of the partnership, the NBA and AWS will launch NBA Inside the Game powered by AWS, a new basketball intelligence platform that will turn billions of data points into insights and interactive experiences.
Built on AWS’s AI infrastructure, the platform will introduce a suite of features that enhance live broadcasts and elevate fan experiences across the NBA App, NBA.com, and the league’s social channels.
“Partnering with AWS provides us with an opportunity to elevate the live game experience through innovation and offer fans a deeper understanding of the game of basketball for years to come,” said NBA executive vice president and head of media operations and technology, Ken DeGennaro. “AWS has a proven track record of delivering unique statistical insights and offering transformative experiences that will resonate with NBA fans around the world.”
“At AWS, we’re excited by the NBA’s vision to push the boundaries of what’s possible in sports,” added Francessca Vasquez, vice president of professional services & agentic AI at AWS. “This partnership will showcase how cloud and AI can reimagine the game of basketball - from generating new insights to creating experiences that bring fans closer to the game they love. Together, we’re delivering technology that not only enhances live broadcasts and digital platforms, but also transforms how players, coaches, and fans understand basketball.”
The NBA will leverage AWS’s AI capabilities to provide fans with live stats and comprehensive analytics during games. This new advanced statistics platform processes the NBA’s player tracking data, which analyses the movements of 29 data points per player using machine learning and AI to contextualise in-game developments and generate real-time insights.
Fans will be able to access new statistics via the NBA App, NBA.com and during live NBA games, including during NBA on Prime broadcasts.
Throughout the 2025-26 season, the NBA and AWS will introduce new AI-powered stats that capture aspects of basketball performance that have not been measured previously, starting with:
Defensive Box Score – This quantifies individual defensive contributions. AI algorithms detect which defender is responsible for each offensive player in real-time. Once the primary defender is determined, the traditional box score can now be enhanced by identifying the defender at the time each stat was recorded. Additional new metrics like ball pressure, double teams and defensive switches can now be viewed and tallied as well.
Shot Difficulty – This evaluates every aspect of each shot attempt. The difficulty of attempted shots will be quantified with new stats such as Expected Field Goal % which takes into account various factors such as the shooter’s orientation and setup, defensive contest details related to pressure, interference, and each player’s positioning on the court. This new statistic gives fans a deeper appreciation for the skill and strategy behind every scoring attempt.
Gravity – This measures the level of attention a player receives from the defense, including how closely they’re guarded with or without the ball, to quantify the amount of space they create for their teammates. This system processes optical tracking data 60 times per second, using custom neural networks to analyze how defenders react to specific players, while factoring in real-time game context and historical data.
NBA Inside the Game will also feature a technology called Play Finder, which uses AI to analyse and understand player movements across thousands of games.
Utilising AWS services such as Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker, the feature will enable instant search and retrieval of similar plays, laying the foundation for future generative AI integrations built on player tracking data.
A real-time alert system within Play Finder will enable commentators to instantly provide historical context and strategic insights.
NBA teams will also have direct access to the ML models powering Play Finder to improve their front office and coaching workflows.
Future iterations of Play Finder will allow fans to explore basketball strategy with unprecedented depth on the NBA App.
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