Basketball enthusiasts are poised to experience the game from a fresh perspective. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is partnering with the NBA to introduce sophisticated, AI-enhanced statistics for broadcasts, apps, and online platforms in the upcoming 2025–26 season. The new analytics system, known as “NBA Inside the Game,” aims to dissect plays and player performance in unprecedented ways for fans. Historically, basketball analysis has largely revolved around conventional stats such as points, rebounds, and assists. However, with the integration of AWS’s artificial intelligence, fans will gain access to detailed insights regarding shot difficulty, defender impact, and the space players create on the court. “These stats capture previously unmeasured aspects of basketball,” the company asserts.
Central to this innovative system is motion tracking technology, which will monitor 29 body parts of each player as they navigate the court, although AWS has not disclosed the specific parts being tracked or the methodology behind it. This information will be processed by the AI engine, enabling it to evaluate elements such as shooting posture and defensive positioning. One standout feature is the Expected Field Goal Percentage (xFG%), which predicts a player’s likelihood of making a shot by assessing their stance, orientation, and the positioning of defenders. Rather than merely tracking whether Steph Curry or LeBron James makes a shot, fans will now understand the true difficulty of the attempt.
Another advancement is Gravity, which measures the advantage generated by a player on the court. By examining how defenders respond to a player’s presence—whether the player is in possession of the ball or not—Gravity illustrates how stars like Curry and Luka Dončić create opportunities and space for their teammates through defensive attention alone. Additionally, defensive play will receive enhanced analysis through the Defensive Score Box. This tool goes beyond basic block or rebound statistics, offering a breakdown of defensive contributions for each play, rewarding players who alter shots, pressure opponents, or disrupt passing lanes, even if they do not achieve a steal or block.
For dedicated fans, AWS and the NBA are also launching Play Finder, a search feature that enables users to sift through NBA footage down to specific plays. This tool complements the new statistics, allowing fans to analyze particular possessions and view the associated advanced metrics. Fans can anticipate these AI-driven insights during live game broadcasts as well as on the NBA app and website. While sports like football, baseball, and tennis have already adopted advanced camera and AI technologies, basketball is now venturing into new realms by examining movement and difficulty with such precision.
This partnership enhances the NBA’s ongoing collaboration with Amazon, which in 2024 signed an 11-year media rights agreement bringing 66 regular-season games to Prime Video, commencing October 24th. Alongside these broadcasts, AWS became the official cloud and AI partner for the NBA and its associated leagues, including the WNBA. For fans, this signifies a shift towards a more interactive, measurable, and insightful experience of the game they cherish.