Sports data firm goes all out for NBA fans

Data has become such a huge part of sports nowadays, and fans just can’t seem to get enough of it!

It was extensively used initially in baseball where every player’s performance is literally broken down, and used to analyze every facet of the game.

American football, the NFL does something similar, and it has helped coaches and players better prepare for upcoming matches.

Now basketball is following suit.

I had a nice chat this week with Ben Turner of Sportradar, a corporation that collects and analyzes sports data for various sports federations like the NBA, and also for media companies.

Q: Please talk about how the NBA is leveraging your platform from coaches, players, media and the fans.

Turner: Here at Sportradar, we are one of the world’s leading sports data and technology companies, and we are investing heavily in player tracking to enhance the experience and the data that is available for leagues, teams, players, coaches, for the front office, and ultimately for the fans. 

The fans are at the center of everything we do. We obsess about the fan. We want to create experiences that drive them to new levels of engagement and understanding of the game.

We’ve launched a new player tracking solution with the NBA for the current season, the 2023-24 season that just started. It’s great the NBA is back and I’m sure that you and your readers are big fans, probably of Jordan Clarkson. 

So what we’ve been able to do is upgrade to a 3D Data Capture, now we’re capturing 29 data points on every player, on every movement on the floor. And what those 29 data points enable us to do is to leverage AI machine learning and computer vision to break down every game like never before.

So we are able to break down drives, shots, picks or screens, isolations, post plays, as well as analyze speed load across every play of the NBA season.

Q: So that will help in everyone’s preparation for the next game.

Turner: Exactly! All of the data is available by the Synergy Sports platform, which is a business that Sportradar acquired two years ago, and it’s been used by NBA teams for over twenty years. We’re making the player tracking data all linked to their existing box score and play by play data, and most importantly linked to video. So coaches and players will be able to find the insights and the analytics that are important for them to break down the game, to talk about the upcoming opponent, to scout their own team, to recruit players, and to link that all to video to enhance how they are performing. 

Q: Do you think this will help shape the future of basketball here in Asia? 

Turner: The NBA has been the leader, they have been an innovator. 

At Sportradar, we are proud to help the NBA innovate and the NBA has taken steps throughout its history, whether it’s in broadcast, in on field performance, or fan engagement to be an innovator. Basketball leagues from across the world, including here in Asia have a great opportunities to learn from them and follow the lead that the NBA is doing.

This will help media and fans to understand the game to a new level, and anytime we can talk about the game, and create stories around it, that helps grow the game of basketball that we all love. 

Where can people find out more about Sportradar?

Turner: Yes, people can check us out on sportradar.com, it has a wide range of information about the solutions we provide to the world of sport. We really provide a significant amount of technology to sport and it’s all focused around data and using data to create new fan experiences, as well as using data to enhance performance on the court.