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The NBA is testing ‘smart’ basketballs. Here’s how they work

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The NBA is testing ‘smart’ basketballs. Here’s how they work

In a world where everything from refrigerators to toothbrushes can be connected, perhaps it’s unsurprising that smart basketballs are now in the mix. In this year’s NBA preseason, connected basketballs could be coming to a court near you.

This week, the NBA announced it’s experimenting with smart basketballs during select preseason games. (It will also distribute wrist wearables to the officiating crew that will track things such as replay reviews and scoring changes.) But it’s just a test for now. Nothing the balls capture will be used during the games, including to help officials make calls, the NBA says. The hope, however, is that players won’t know whether their basketballs are connected or not.

“We’re running a blind study, so players don’t know whether they’re using the [Wilson X] Connected Basketball or a standard Wilson Official Game Ball, and their feedback tells us whether the technology changes how the ball feels or performs in any way,” Tom Ryan, the NBA’s head of basketball research and development, tells Fast Company.

Wilson Sporting Goods designed the smart basketball, which looks indistinguishable from the outside. The company says it worked closely with the league to integrate sensing technology into the ball while maintaining the same performance, feel, and consistency that players expect.

The ball’s Bluetooth sensor is built into its air valve, and it adds about one gram (0.04 ounce), or just 1/600th of the ball’s total weight, according to the NBA.

The league first tested the ball during the 2025-26 G League season and the 2026 NBA Summer League.


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