This basketball has tech that tracks every shot and the NBA might actually use it in 2026
Published on Aug 03, 2025 at 11:13 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Jul 31, 2025 at 3:04 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Some basketballs just bounce. This data-tracking basketball keeps receipts.
Duncan Robinson – Miami Heat sniper – has been putting up shots with a ball that doesn’t just swish or brick. It takes notes. It knows how fast he gets the ball up, how much it spins, and even the arc.
Now that same stat ball is dribbling toward the NBA, where it might change how games are called, tracked, and how we watch them at home.
Half the 2025 Summer League games already tipped off with it, and the players didn’t even notice. That’s the ultimate no-look pass.
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The NBA’s new data-tracking basketball
The smart basketball by SIQ is sneaky. Its sensor hides inside the valve stem, so it bounces like a normal ball – no weird spins, no extra dead spot.
Basically, it’s a regular ball… except it’s secretly snitching to the cloud.
During Summer League, it tracked ‘touch events’ in real time: when someone’s holding it, when it’s on the floor, when it’s circling the rim.
Across 58 games and 550 player surveys, the NBA got zero complaints. Nothing but net.
That’s a massive upgrade from 2019’s first attempt, which was an airball. Those early test balls were heavy, off-balance, and the pros were less than impressed.
If the league pulls the trigger on this tech, it could do more than feed stat enthusiasts. Imagine instant replays for last-touch calls or goaltending getting resolved in seconds.
Even casual fans would feel like they’re courtside with a clipboard.
Robinson’s already a believer: “It feels like a regular basketball… and then all of a sudden you connect it to your phone and you’re getting this live-time feedback.”
What’s next for the SIQ smart ball?
The league’s next step is a G League season-long test before rolling it out on the big stage.
Sync that data with Hawk-Eye cameras and suddenly the NBA can pinpoint the exact fingertip that knocked the ball out of bounds.
Refs get the data they need, and every play has receipts.
But the NBPA is the final defender here.
NBA vets are picky about their gear. If they give it the thumbs-up, get ready for a new stat-padding era where every bounce, brick, and swish lives forever on your screen.
If the SIQ smart ball makes the roster, every tiny movement will be tracked from the first dribble to the last buzzer – turning the whole game into a highlight reel.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
