NEW YORK – The NBA announced today that it will host the second annual NBA Hackathon Sept. 23-24 in New York City.  Following last September’s inaugural one-day event focused on basketball analytics, this year’s NBA Hackathon will take on an expanded two-day format and add a business analytics track.

The NBA Hackathon provides a platform for undergraduate, Master’s and Ph.D student statisticians, engineers and developers to build tools and develop solutions in basketball and business analytics.  Teams will work for 24 hours and present their solutions to a panel of expert judges consisting of NBA executives, professors and media members.  Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams in each track, with a grand prize that includes a trip to NBA All-Star 2018 in Los Angeles and lunch with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

“We received an incredible response to our first Hackathon and look forward to expanding the concept in year two by adding a track for business analytics,” said Evan Wasch, NBA Senior Vice President, Basketball Strategy & Analytics.  “Analytics continue to play an increasingly important role at the NBA, and I am excited to see the innovative ideas that come from a collection of the brightest young statisticians, engineers and developers.”

Students interested in participating can apply at https://hackathon.nba.com/.  The NBA Hackathon is open to undergraduate and graduate students studying at accredited universities in the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec).  The NBA Hackathon venue will be announced at a later date.

The first-ever NBA Basketball Analytics Hackathon in September 2016 featured 210 students comprising 60 teams from 53 different universities across the United States and Canada.  Finalists presented to a panel of judges, including Boston Celtics Assistant General Manager & Team Counsel Mike Zarren and ESPN reporter Zach Lowe.  The winning team focused on the concept of “hero ball,” analyzing the differences in team-centric vs. individual-based playing style during the regular season and playoffs.