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

The NBA is testing two types of technology ahead of the upcoming season, according to a statement released on Monday. One innovation involves a smart basketball equipped with a Bluetooth sensor that gathers data for future use in real-time officiating decisions. This information, developed by Wilson, will remain strictly for research purposes and will not impact any calls made during the games.

Additionally, officials in specific exhibition games will be equipped with wrist wearables to enhance communication with the replay center in certain situations such as replay reviews, scoring changes, and clock malfunctions. The NBA unveiled the success of the wrist wearables pilot program during the summer league. However, the technology will not be incorporated into the regular season.