NBA unveils third edition of Launchpad program

 

The NBA always seems to be ahead of the curve in its attempts to integrate technologies into its system.

And in keeping in step, the league announced earlier this month its third installment of NBA Launchpad, its initiative to source, evaluate, and pilot emerging technologies that could advance its top basketball and business priorities.

The NBA Launchpad is also the league's foray into improving its direct-to-consumer efforts. One such case is how they reimagined the NBA App and NBA ID membership program that was introduced just before the start of the 2022-23 season.

This year's edition of said program is also set to collaborate with the WNBA to introduce such technologies onto women's basketball.

Entrepreneurs and companies big and small can submit their respective innovations to NBA Launchpad, with the emphasis targeting six priority areas, split equally between game-related matters and fan experience ones:

Centering on the former are: Advancing Women's Basketball, Identifying Future Stars in Asia, and Improving Player Availability and Well-Being. Fitting the latter description are: Building Immersive Experiences, Enhancing the NBA Content Library, and Uncovering Next-Gen Fan Insights.

However, proposals that fall outside the priority areas will also be entertained, as well.

Once they meet the evaluation process, the ones selected will have a six-month research and development project within the NBA's ecosystem. They would be able to secure access to the league's resources, hands-on support, and other incentives that can help develop their technologies.

At the conclusion of the program, these recipients will have the chance to make their presentations to NBA executives, strategic partners, and investors during Demo Day scheduled within the 2024 edition of NBA Summer League.

The league shared specific details pertaining towards their priority areas as well in making this announcement.

The Game

Advancing Women’s Basketball: Over the past five seasons, the WNBA has experienced significant growth in viewership, attendance and player popularity, yet female athletes continue to face various challenges, including higher rates of dropping out of youth sports, increased risk of injury and underinvestment in health and performance technologies specifically designed for women.

To enhance the women’s basketball experience, the NBA and WNBA are seeking solutions that will increase basketball participation, decrease risk of injury or improve performance for female athletes.

Identifying Future Stars in Asia: The NBA is a global league, with 120 international players from 41 countries and six continents on 2022-23 opening-night rosters. As basketball continues to grow globally, the NBA is looking to ensure that players from all around the world, including in regions less represented in the NBA, can be evaluated and discovered.

While the NBA continues to grow the game in these regions, there is an opportunity to leverage AI and consumer technology to help identify high-potential players from Asia earlier in their athletic careers. To execute this vision, the NBA is seeking scalable and accessible technologies that can democratize talent discovery for youth athletes.

Improving Player Availability and Well-being: Over the past several years, there has been an increase in the number of games that star players miss each season. As teams continue to manage injuries and player participation, single-game absences are also on the rise.

To promote player wellbeing and participation over an 82-game season, the NBA is seeking technologies that can help predict and mitigate injury risk, assist in injury prevention and management, and aid in injury diagnosis and treatment. Possible solutions include biomechanical analysis software, AI-enabled injury risk forecasting models and precision sensing technologies.

The Fan Experience

Building Immersive Experiences: As a league with a young, tech-savvy fanbase, immersive and mixed reality experiences have become increasingly important to the league’s fan engagement efforts, helping to bring fans across the globe closer to the game. Developments in this space such as real-time 3D player and ball tracking data advancements have unlocked new and reimagined fan-facing experiences that allow fans to engage with on-court action like never before.

The NBA is seeking technology that can power 3D applications of NBA data in immersive environments on digital platforms, particularly on the NBA App. Potential areas of interest include animation engines, 3D asset creation and user capture and creator tooling.

Enhancing the NBA Content Library: The NBA has an industry-leading content archive with dozens of petabytes worth of files stretching back more than 75 years.

To enable fans to experience the NBA’s rich history and compelling storylines in new and innovative ways, the league is seeking partners and technologies that can analyze and enhance video in this vast media database.

Uncovering Next-Gen Fan Insights: The NBA and WNBA have more than 1 billion fans globally. As with all sports, though, the leagues’ relationships with fans are evolving. Fans are increasingly captivated by the intersection of sports and culture and are engaging with NBA and WNBA content and athletes through a multitude of platforms.

In response, the NBA and WNBA are seeking technologies to analyze fan behaviors, uncover predictive insights to drive personalization, and identify new touchpoints (e.g., cross-platform content, customizable merchandise and opportunities for direct content creation).