The National Basketball Association has announced a multi-year partnership with Amazon Web Services to utilise artificial intelligence and cloud technology for developing a new basketball intelligence platform.
The agreement involves AWS becoming the official cloud and AI partner not only of the NBA but also the WNBA, NBA G League, Basketball Africa League and NBA Take-Two Media. This partnership is expected to support league-wide technology innovation and influence how games are both played and experienced worldwide.
Data-driven insights
One of the central provisions of the partnership is the creation of NBA Inside the Game powered by AWS, a platform designed to process billions of data points to improve analysis and accessibility for coaches, players, broadcasters, and fans. This system, underpinned by AWS infrastructure, will be integrated across key digital channels including the NBA App and NBA.com.
Ken DeGennaro, NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Media Operations and Technology, said:
“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. AWS has a proven track record of delivering unique statistical insights and offering transformative experiences that will resonate with NBA fans around the world.”
The partnership will also see the introduction of advanced statistics using AI and machine learning for player tracking during live games. These new metrics aim to provide a more comprehensive analysis of both player performance and in-game events to a global audience.
Francessca Vasquez, Vice President of Professional Services & Agentic AI at AWS, commented on the purpose of the collaboration:
“At AWS, we’re excited by the NBA’s vision to push the boundaries of what’s possible in sports. 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.”
AI-powered statistics introduction
During the 2025-26 NBA season, the league and AWS will introduce several AI-derived basketball metrics. These include:
Defensive Box Score: This system uses AI algorithms to identify which defender is matched to an offensive player in real time. It enhances the traditional box score by connecting defensive assignments directly to statistical events and introduces new metrics such as ball pressure, double teams, and defensive switches.
Shot Difficulty: This statistic evaluates all aspects of a shot attempt, moving beyond simple outcomes. It incorporates factors like player orientation, defensive pressure and positional context to produce a new metric called Expected Field Goal Percentage, offering further insight into shooting skill and decision making.
Gravity: This metric quantifies the impact a player has on defences by measuring the attention they receive with or without possession of the ball. It aims to reflect how players create opportunities for their teammates, using data processed at 60 frames per second by custom neural networks. Real-time action and historical trends are included to contextualise this effect.
Play Finder and machine learning models
The NBA Inside the Game platform will incorporate a new feature called Play Finder, which employs AI to analyse and classify player movements across large datasets of historical games. Using AWS services like Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker, Play Finder allows instant search and comparison of specific plays, enabling both fans and basketball professionals to explore offensive strategies in depth as well as review advanced analytics paired with play results.
A real-time alert system within Play Finder will provide broadcasters with immediate strategic context and historical insights during live broadcasts. The machine learning models underpinning Play Finder will be made available to NBA teams for use in their coaching and front office processes. Planned updates to Play Finder will extend its utility for fans, allowing detailed exploration of basketball strategy via the NBA App.
Expanding global fan engagement
Digital services including the NBA App, NBA.com, and NBA League Pass will operate on AWS cloud. The aim of this integration is to provide more interactive and personalised content to fans, with features such as in-language content and the opportunity for deeper analysis of team strategy and performance. The partnership will also support the acceleration of basketball’s global reach by introducing additional interactive features on Prime Video, where 67 NBA regular-season games will be streamed each season under a new 11-year deal.
The collaboration reflects an expansion of the NBA’s relationship with Amazon, with the new agreement poised to introduce a range of digital tools and analytics to enhance both broadcasts and fan-facing platforms during and beyond the 2025-26 season.