WNBA, Second Spectrum Sign Player, Ball-Tracking Data Deal
Three-dimensional player and ball-tracking data is coming leaguewide to the WNBA this season in partnership with Genius Sports’ Second Spectrum division, the two sides announced Tuesday.
Coaches and front office decision-makers will have access to analytical tools—including shot quality, maximum speed and defensive matchup data—through Genius’ basketball insights engine.
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“The system capabilities are far more comprehensive than anything before seen in the WNBA and will greatly enhance strategic planning across the league,” New York Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said in a statement.
Last year, Genius and the NBA announced a multiyear partnership agreement for Second Spectrum as the league’s official basketball analytics provider for teams, while Sony Sports’ Hawk-Eye Innovations took on responsibility for optically tracking player and ball movements. The refinement of these camera-based tools has led the NFL to experiment with using similar technology to measure first downs.
“We are delighted to partner with the WNBA to help them unlock the next generation of data analytics through our revolutionary optical tracking capabilities,” Genius Sports CCO Jack Davison said in a statement. “For the first time ever, every WNBA team will have access to our groundbreaking suite of analytics, video production tools and our advanced tracking system that underpins the basketball ecosystem.”
In a release announcing the deal, both sides committed to having the necessary cameras arranged in each WNBA arena.
As women’s sports have seen massive leaps in fan interest, renewed demands are being put on leagues to up their technical infrastructure, from coaching tools and injury prevention technology to player travel standards and publicly available information.
“Technology continues to fundamentally change the sports landscape,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “Deploying state-of-the-art optical tracking technology through Genius Sports will deliver rich data to our teams that they can leverage to enhance player performance while informing in-game strategy and enable a new wave of insights and media elements for fans.”
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