NBA is experimenting with smart basketballs and official wrist wearables in select preseason games

Read the original at Toronto Star ↗
Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-05 · by The Associated Press

Quick Summary

The NBA is testing smart basketballs and official wrist wearables in some preseason games to gather data for potential future use in real-time officiating. Developed by Wilson, these connected balls won't influence game decisions during the trials. Additionally, officials are using wrist wearables to communicate with the replay center for situations like scoring changes or clock malfunctions; this technology was successfully tested during summer league events but will not be used in the regular season.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

The NBA is testing new technologies ahead of its upcoming season by incorporating smart basketballs in select preseason games. These Wilson-developed balls are equipped with Bluetooth sensors to gather data for potential real-time officiating decisions, though this information won't influence game calls during these trials. Additionally, the league is experimenting with wrist wearables for officials to communicate with the replay center during specific scenarios like review requests and scoring adjustments. This technology was previously tested successfully during the summer league but will not be used in the regular season just yet.

Written for “NBA Smart Basketball Trials” on 2026-10-05, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
6
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 6 hedged
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Correction & hedging signals
63.1
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-10-05 · how these are computed

Story

📰 NBA Smart Basketball Trials
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

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Who wrote this

The Associated Press
918 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Harmon will miss a minimum of four weeks, a significant blow to a defense that’s given up several big plays in the run game through the season’s opening month.
🔮 All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey also will sit out.
🔮 Select exhibition games will include a smart basketball that has a Bluetooth sensor in it and can collect data for future use in real-time officiating decisions.
🔮 Charlotte Hornets point guard Coby White suffered a left calf strain during training camp and will miss the entire preseason, the team announced.
🔮 TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona leading receiver Tré Spivey will miss the remainder of the season with a broken foot suffered against Cincinnati on Saturday.
🔮 Democrats meanwhile are expressing confidence that Trump’s redistricting efforts will backfire.
🔮 ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin said Monday that his 22nd season in the NHL will be his last, beginning the farewell tour for the longtime Washington Capitals captain who holds the league’s career goal-scoring record.
🔮 Hastert allegedly touched other wrestlers in a locker room after saying he would give them massages.
🔮 Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed Afridi for the failure of the talks, warning that he would be held responsible for any loss of life during the planned march.
🔮 Her nationality was not clear, and an attorney who represents her could not be determined.
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by The Associated Press
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 918 articles by The Associated Press →

Topics

NBA NEW YORK

Subjects

NBA ORG · 2× NEW YORK GPE · 1× Wilson PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Officials in select games will also use wrist wearables to communicate with the replay center in designated situations, including replay reviews, scoring changes and clock malfunctions.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-05
🔮 Select exhibition games will include a smart basketball that has a Bluetooth sensor in it and can collect data for future use in real-time officiating decisions.

Claims (6 extracted, 0 hedged)

The NBA is experimenting with two pieces of technology in the leadup to the season, the league announced Monday. asserted
league → experiment → season
Select exhibition games will include a smart basketball that has a Bluetooth sensor in it and can collect data for future use in real-time officiating decisions. asserted
that → include → decisions
The league said the information from the Wilson-developed connected balls will be for research only and not affect calls made during those games. asserted
information → say → games
Officials in select games will also use wrist wearables to communicate with the replay center in designated situations, including replay reviews, scoring changes and clock malfunctions. asserted
Officials → use → reviews
The wearables went through what the NBA called a successful pilot program during the summer league. asserted
NBA → go → league
The technology will not extend into the regular season. asserted
technology → extend → season
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