Amazon Web Services is introducing a new AI-powered basketball intelligence platform called “NBA Inside the Game,” set to launch for the 2025–2026 NBA season. The system will deliver advanced, real-time analytics to fans through live broadcasts, the NBA app, and the NBA website, offering deeper insights into player performance and game dynamics. Powered by AWS’s AI and sophisticated motion-tracking technology, the platform will monitor 29 distinct body parts of each player as they move across the court—though AWS has not disclosed the specific body parts or the exact tracking methodology. This granular data will feed into AI models designed to capture previously unmeasured aspects of basketball, providing fans with a more nuanced understanding of the game. One of the standout new metrics is Expected Field Goal Percentage, which estimates a player’s likelihood of making a shot by analyzing factors such as shooting posture, defender positioning, and body orientation. This allows for a more accurate assessment of shot difficulty beyond simple make-or-miss outcomes. Another innovation is the “Gravity” stat, which quantifies a player’s on-court influence by measuring how their movements create space for teammates. It evaluates how closely defenders are guarding a player and how effectively they open up opportunities through positioning and off-ball motion. Defensive performance is also getting a major upgrade with the introduction of the Defensive Score Box. This tool breaks down defensive contributions on a play-by-play basis, offering detailed metrics on blocks, rebounds, and other defensive actions, helping to better evaluate the impact of individual defenders. For fans who want to dive even deeper, a new feature called Play Finder enables searching through NBA game footage at the level of individual plays. Users can quickly locate specific moments based on player actions, defensive schemes, or game situations. This marks a significant expansion of the long-standing partnership between the NBA and Amazon. In 2024, the two organizations signed an 11-year media rights deal, bringing 66 regular-season NBA games annually to Prime Video, with the first broadcast scheduled for October 24. The agreement also designates AWS as the official cloud and cloud AI partner for the NBA and its affiliated leagues, including the WNBA. While live analytics are already used in sports like the NFL and MLB—where systems like Sony’s Hawk-Eye track balls and pucks—Amazon’s entry into NBA data analytics brings a new level of AI-driven depth. The integration of real-time, player-level insights reflects a broader trend in sports technology, where data is transforming how fans experience and understand the game.