The National Basketball Association and Amazon Web Services Inc. today entered a multiyear partnership in which AWS will serve as the official cloud artificial intelligence provider for the NBA and all its affiliates, which includes the NBA G League, WNBA and Basketball Africa.
The partnership centers on using the NBA’s data and AWS AI to transform the game experience for fans. The NBA is launching a new basketball intelligence platform powered by AWS called Inside the Game. The platform analyzes 29 different player body points using AWS AI and machine learning capabilities. It then turns the player tracking data into insights and interactive features, which will appear in live broadcasts and across the NBA App, NBA.com and the league’s social channels.
“Being able to contextualize what you’re seeing through data is going to be really fun to see,” said Kristin Shaff, global director of strategic partnerships at AWS. “We’re working with the NBA across a variety of different dimensions, focusing first on engaging fan experiences. We view this as the tipoff of a game-changing era of basketball innovation, not just across the NBA, but their affiliate properties as well.”
The partnership with the NBA began by creating novel ways for fans to consume the game experience, according to Shaff. Starting with the 2025-26 season, AI will be used to analyze player stats that have not been previously measured. One of the new stats being introduced is the defensive box score that shows which player was guarding whom, while also capturing details such as ball pressure, double-teams and defensive switches.
Another stat is shot difficulty, measuring how tough each attempted shot will be. It’s determined using factors such as a shooter’s setup, the defender’s pressure and the player’s position on the court. The third stat is gravity, which looks at how much attention a player gets from defense and how that creates space for teammates. AWS calls it a “revolutionary system” that can process optical tracking data 60 times per second, using custom neural networks to show how defenders react to certain players.
The platform will also introduce a feature called Play Finder that can instantly analyze player movements from thousands of games. It will allow live broadcasters to add richer context and compare historical plays. Over time, Play Finder will evolve into a more fan-facing feature, where users will be able to interact with the plays directly.
“We have a strong vision for the future in terms of the personalization and customization of the experience we can deliver to fans globally through AWS AI,” said Shaff. “It’s exciting — we’re building the foundation for so many innovative technology projects that are very important to the NBA, which shares our passion for innovation and for delivering customized, personalized experiences to fans.”
AWS’ NBA partnership is like what it already does with the National Football League and Thursday Night Football, where broadcasts include more detailed data and insights than traditional coverage. NBA fans can expect a comparable experience, as new stats and more context are added during live broadcasts.
There is also an opportunity to make broadcasts more relevant to fans in different regions, since basketball has a large global audience. AWS has done this in golf by enabling the PGA TOUR to provide coverage around local players. The NBA could take a similar approach by not only offering broadcasts in multiple languages, but also highlighting international players who matter most in specific markets. This would help make the viewing experience feel more personal for fans around the world.
“Two billion fans worldwide are consuming the game across a variety of different platforms, and we’re a part of delivering that experience to fans globally,” said Shaff. “This is the foundation for a lot of work to come, and innovation that we will be behind.”
The timing of this partnership aligns with Amazon’s broader push into basketball, as Prime Video begins its 11-year media rights deal this season. Sixty-seven regular-season games will stream on Prime globally starting October, with a doubleheader featuring the Celtics against the Knicks and the Lakers against the Timberwolves.
The infusion of AI into sports can have a big impact helping leagues expand their audience. There are many casual fans that do not understand the intricacies of a sport like the hard-core fan. AI democratizes expertise and can help everyone better understand what to watch for and how difficult certain plays were. This improves an understanding of a sport, which leads to greater viewership, driving up league revenue. AWS has had a big impact with the NFL, PGA TOUR, F1, Bundesliga Soccer and other sports and now it’s bringing AI to the NBA.
