The National Basketball Association (NBA) is exploring a new use of technology to transform officiating and expand the possibilities for analysing professional basketball. The US league is testing a smart basketball capable of tracking movement, rotation and changes in trajectory, providing information that could help resolve plays that are difficult to assess with the naked eye. Following trials in the Summer League, the G League and the preseason, commissioner Adam Silver is considering introducing the technology into official game officiating as early as 2027.
Developed in partnership with Wilson, the NBA’s official ball supplier, the system incorporates a Bluetooth sensor weighing approximately one gram into a ball that weighs around 620 grams. During the trials, the league stated that the data collected would be used exclusively for research purposes and would not influence officiating decisions. For now, the technology will not be used during the upcoming regular season, as evaluations of its capabilities and potential application in real-game situations continue.
How the smart basketball could change NBA officiating
The sensor’s main advantage lies in its ability to detect variations in the ball’s behaviour that may go unnoticed by referees. A change in rotation, for example, could reveal whether a player’s finger brushed the ball before it went out of bounds. Similarly, changes in its trajectory could provide additional information to assess possible interference with a shot. These records would offer supplementary evidence for reviewing plays that are difficult to determine visually, particularly when an official’s perception alone is not enough to establish what happened.
The proposal also aligns with the NBA’s strategy of automating decisions based on objective facts while reserving referees’ intervention for plays requiring more complex interpretation. Silver had previously advocated the use of cameras and artificial intelligence to resolve situations such as out-of-bounds calls, following a development path that includes technologies similar to Hawk-Eye. Speaking to CNBC, the commissioner said the smart basketball could begin being used to officiate official games in 2027, although its implementation still depends on further evaluations. The goal is to integrate data quickly and accurately without disrupting the natural flow of the game.
The NBA’s smart basketball also opens up new business opportunities
One of the fundamental requirements for implementing this innovation is that players must not notice any difference in the ball’s weight or behaviour. According to Silver, tests involving balls with and without the sensor revealed no differences that players could identify, an important condition for preserving the feel of shooting, passing and dribbling. The technology must provide useful information without altering the equipment’s characteristics or interfering with players’ performance.
Beyond officiating, the system could create new opportunities for training and sports analysis. Data from hundreds of shots could help examine the relationship between shooting accuracy, release angle and ball rotation, giving players and coaches additional tools to refine their techniques. Silver has also highlighted the commercial potential of data generated by the basketball, although exploiting it would still require several years of development. The technology could therefore expand the ball’s value beyond its sporting function, turning it into a source of information for performance analysis and learning.
Football’s precedent drives the use of sensors in professional sports
The use of sensors in balls already has precedents in international football. During the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Adidas used a ball equipped with a sensor that transmitted data to the video assistant referee (VAR) system up to 500 times per second. By combining this information with player positioning and artificial intelligence tools, referees could access additional data to analyse close calls, particularly in offside situations and potential handball incidents.
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Trionda ball also incorporated a 500-hertz motion sensor embedded in one of its panels. These experiences demonstrate how data generated directly by the ball can complement camera footage and help reconstruct plays with greater precision. The NBA is now examining how to adapt this technology to the specific demands of basketball, where ball contacts, interference with shots and plays near the court boundaries present distinct officiating challenges.
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