July 31, 2025 – At the start of this month, during the NBA Summer League held in Las Vegas, roughly half of the games featured basketballs equipped with built – in smart tracking chips. The NBA is now seriously considering a full – scale deployment of this technology in its future events.
As reported by TechSpot today, companies like SportsIQ (SIQ) and Kinexion are at the forefront of developing smart ball technology. They have successfully managed to implant micro – sensors into basketballs and footballs. These sensors are capable of recording and transmitting crucial parameters such as speed, angle, and release time.
Consumers are not left out of this technological wave. Smart basketballs are now available for purchase in the market. Players can use a corresponding mobile app to view detailed data about their personal performance. They can even enhance their skills by taking on challenge tasks through the app. It’s worth noting that during the 2022 World Cup, Kinexon and Adidas took the lead in using such smart footballs.
Kinexon highlights that the integration of sensors has significantly broadened the scope of data. This benefits not only players, coaches, and referees but also the media and fans. With this technology, more in – depth game information can be obtained, including when the ball enters the game, whether a foul has occurred, changes in shooting accuracy, and the number of passes. It essentially offers a comprehensive recreation of every moment on the court.
However, embedding sensors into basketballs during the manufacturing process is no easy feat. The latest chips add less than 1 gram to the weight of a ball that typically weighs around 600 grams. Nevertheless, Kinexon admits that the process of inserting and connecting the sensors may still introduce minor but unavoidable changes to the ball’s performance.
For standard basketballs, when they bounce from the position of the air valve, there is a slight difference in their motion trajectory due to a small imperfection caused by the valve. Players have long been accustomed to this phenomenon. But adding an additional small dent, even if it’s extremely tiny, could potentially affect the ball – handling feel. To address this issue, manufacturers are experimenting with inserting sensors through the air valve to avoid making extra holes.
On the other hand, SIQ is highly optimistic about this technology. Over the past month, smart basketballs have been used in 550 games, and no player has reported any discomfort. The company has plans to integrate the sensors with the NBA’s existing Hawk – Eye camera system in the future. This integration would enable the tracking of individual player movement data. Currently, Major League Baseball (MLB) is also evaluating whether to officially introduce the Hawk – Eye system.
