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NBA

Shark Tank meets NBA: A look inside league's initiative to use technology to improve product

An ankle brace that acts as a seat belt, aiming to prevent or limit ankle injuries. A virtual reality training platform for NBA referees. AI-powered technology that can help players improve their shots. A device that can be sewn into clothing that helps measure load and help a player return from injury. A wellness app with science-backed breathing exercises for youth basketball players that help with stamina, calm, sleep, energy and anxiety.

Those are the products the NBA selected for its inaugural Launchpad program, a league initiative aimed at sourcing, evaluating, and piloting emerging technologies that advance the NBA’s top basketball priorities across all levels of the game.

In June, the league unveiled Launchpad, calling on entrepreneurs, startups, academics and health care and workplace professionals to submit products that could improve the game in these areas: innovative ankle injury prevention and recovery; elevating health and wellness in youth basketball; enhancing elite youth player performance; and advancing referee training and development.

“We were very curious to see what reaction we would get from the market given that the priority areas we were tackling were pretty specific and targeted at elite basketball,” NBA vice president of basketball strategy Tom Ryan told USA TODAY Sports.

The NBA received hundreds of submissions – 60% domestic, 40% international – accompanied by a video pitch and marketing and sales materials. The list was whittled to about 20 by a team of team and league executives.

The finalists presented their product in-person to the selection committee. It was the NBA’s version of Shark Tank.

The league picked these five companies – essentially startups in various stages of fundraising – and their product:

BetterGuards, an ankle-protection system designed to prevent injuries.

Breathwrk, a health and performance app that provides science-backed breathing exercises.

Nextiles, a materials science company that quantifies movement by merging sewing technologies with flexible electronics.

Rezzil, a virtual-reality program training, rehab and game analysis platform and the NBA will use it in referee operations.

Uplift, an artificial-intelligence technology that uses tracking and 3D analysis to enhance health and performance.

Over the next six months, the NBA will work with these companies, providing a team of advisors to help with their product.

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic returned to the lineup on Jan. 2 against the Thunder after missing 10 straight games with an ankle injury.

Ankle injuries are the No. 1 injury accounting for games missed by players, and 25% of players sustain an ankle injury during the season, according to the league. BetterGuards provides a more sleek ankle brace that’s integrated into the shoe and sock, and the company says its product can provide “adaptive protection in milliseconds,” similar to the way a seatbelt protects passengers.

“It can have a significant impact not just on the NBA but all levels of basketball,” Ryan said.

Rezzil’s VR technology is employed by soccer clubs, and former French soccer star Thierry Henry is among the companies investors. The NBA wants to apply the technology to referee training and development. Using skeletal tracking data, Rezzil can replicate a play on VR and “take the training environment to the next level,” Ryan said.

The NBA envisions referees using Rezzil to review plays and showing them how a play would look if they were a foot to the right or left. “We can really work with referee advisors to work on their mechanics,” Ryan said.

Elite youth performance, both domestically and international, is another area of strong interest to the NBA.

Uplift has the ability to help fine-tune jump shots using biomechanics and 3D technology. The league is interested in learning how players, especially with NBA’s G League Ignite and NBA Academy participants, are improving their shots and helping them do so through this technology.

There is not one perfect jump shot, so the Uplift catalogs different shot archetypes that lead to success. You can take a player whose shot falls into one of the archetypes and point to 3-4 different aspects of shot mechanics that can lead to improved shooting.

“Now, on a weekly basis we’re going to measure you over time to see how you’re actually performing,” Ryan said. “We don’t care at this time if you’re missing the shots, but we want make sure you’re improving your mechanics and the outcomes will come later with reps. It’s a pretty bold project.”

Nextiles is different than most wearable technologies in that the electronic circuitry is sewn into fabric – such as socks, shirts, shooting sleeves – and still measure data using wireless technology for real-time data. This can be used to gauge an athlete’s return from injury, measuring if the player is loading on one leg differently than the other.

Nextiles also has a flexible force plate that can be used for talent identification, especially in Africa and India. Beyond standard talent evaluation, the force plate can provide data, such as how much power an athlete generates. That kind of information might indicate a physical upside that is ahead of basketball skills but worth exploring further at the league’s Basketball Without Borders camp or NBA Academy.

The NBA has a strong interest in the youth health and wellness space for all players regardless of talent level. Breathwrk is an accessible app requiring just a smart phone or tablet.

“They have evidence-based breathing exercises that are potentially less of a barrier than a 10-15 meditation,” Ryan said. “These exercises can be done in a minute or two minutes and they can have a real impact on your performance, your mood, your ability to sleep, on your anxiety.”

Though early in the Launchpad project, the NBA is pleased with early returns – from the number of submissions to the products selected for the six-month program.

"On an annual basis, we will go through the exercise of determining the 3-5 most critical priority areas across all levels of the game," Ryan said.

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