NBA to Provide an Assist to the Refs

NBA To Implement Hawk-Eye Tracking System Beginning In 2023/24
by Luke Adams

The NBA will begin using Sony’s Hawk-Eye tracking system during the 2023/24 season, the league announced on Thursday in a press release. The technology, which can capture movement in three dimensions, will be used to track both the players and the ball.

While the league’s announcement doesn’t specify exactly how that tracking data will be used during the ’23/24 season, one stated goal is to improve the on-court basketball analytics available to teams.

Perhaps more notably, another one of the NBA’s goals is to use the technology to “enhance officiating by increasing the accuracy of calls and the speed of gameplay.” According to the release, Hawk-Eye may eventually be used to automate the calls for goaltending and out-of-bounds plays, among others.

The Hawk-Eye system is already employed by a number of other sports, including soccer and tennis. Soccer’s most recent World Cup in Qatar used Hawk-Eye to review offside calls, while many tennis tournaments have replaced line judges with automated line calls by Hawk-Eye.

According to Thursday’s announcement, the league has been testing Hawk-Eye at Summer League and at a handful of NBA arenas since 2019. Based on that data collection, the league is satisfied that the system “meets the accuracy and latency needed to provide best-in-class ball and pose tracking to the NBA.”