Revolutionizing Basketball Analysis: The NBA’s Embrace of AI and Detailed Movement Tracking

Get ready, basketball fans! The upcoming 2025-2026 season promises a game-changing experience, thanks to Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) innovative use of AI. The rollout of the new platform, “NBA Inside the Game,” brings more in-depth player statistics, offering unprecedented insights into each player's performance on the court. Uncovering Hidden Aspects of Basketball The AI system…

Written by Christian King
03 October 2025 | 5 minute read

Uncovering Hidden Aspects of Basketball

The AI system will track 29 body parts of every player, revealing previously unmeasured aspects of basketball play. Although AWS remains tight-lipped about specific tracking methods, expect a wealth of granular data, such as monitoring individual defenders during offensive plays and quantifying the effort required for each shot attempt.

Difficulty Ratings and Expected Field Goal Percentage (eFG%)

The new technology allows for ballers to be analysed beyond simply whether they made the shot or not. By evaluating the difficulty of shots attempted, the eFG% can predict the odds of making that particular shot based on factors like shooter’s orientation, pose, and defenders’ positions.

Gravity and Defensive Score Box

A new stat called “Gravity” aims to quantify each player’s impact on the court by analysing their movements with and without the ball. This includes tracking how closely players are guarded and creating advantageous space for teammates. The Defensive Score Box, on the other hand, provides detailed breakdowns of defensive stats such as rebounds or blocks for each play, focusing solely on the actions of defensive players.

Play Finder and Detailed Game Footage Analysis

For diehard fans seeking even more in-depth analysis, the new Play Finder tool allows searching through NBA footage at an individual play level. This information will be available alongside the new statistics on NBA Inside the Game.

Live Analytics Across Multiple Platforms

The new stats will be displayed during live NBA game broadcasts, as well as on the NBA app and website. While live analytics aren’t a novelty in sports, this partnership between the NBA and AWS takes things to a whole new level.

Previous Collaborations and Future Prospects

This isn’t the first collaboration between the NBA and Amazon. In 2024, they signed an 11-year media rights deal to stream 66 regular-season NBA games per year on Prime Video. The inaugural game airs on October 24th. This partnership has now expanded further with AWS becoming the official cloud and cloud AI partner for the NBA and its affiliate leagues, including the WNBA.

Embrace the future of basketball analysis as we dive deeper into the action than ever before! With AI-driven insights at your fingertips, every play could be a learning experience. Are you ready to make informed decisions based on these detailed stats? Dive in and uncover the secrets hidden within the game.