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NBA Smart Ball Tests Open a New Data Frontier

Source The NBA has started experimenting with Wilson basketballs fitted with Bluetooth sensors, giving the league another way to examine what happens during a game. The initial interest is in officiating, where details such as ball movement and timing can…

Published: Friday, 6 November 2026 at 7:13 AM
NBA Smart Ball Tests Open a New Data Frontier
Key Things to Know
  • The NBA began testing Wilson basketballs embedded with Bluetooth sensors during October 2026 preseason games.
  • The smart ball data was collected strictly for research and did not influence live refereeing decisions.
  • NBA Commissioner Adam Silver suggested smart-ball technology could be implemented in NBA games as early as 2027.
The Story in 60 Seconds

The NBA has begun testing Wilson basketballs equipped with Bluetooth sensors during selected preseason games in October 2026. The research experiment, which also included wrist-worn devices for game officials, aims to collect precise tracking data on ball movement and timing primarily to evaluate technology-assisted officiating.

The sensor data did not affect live refereeing calls during testing and was gathered strictly for research purposes. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver indicated that smart-ball technology could potentially be introduced in competitive games as early as 2027, with future applications possibly extending to advanced performance analytics and betting markets.

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