NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced a strategic partnership and equity stake with NEX Team Inc., a leading mobile artificial intelligence company and the developer of HomeCourt, a mobile basketball training application that uses advanced machine learning and computer vision to unlock potential in every player.

The partnership will leverage HomeCourt’s technology to develop and train players at all skill levels and will be an integral part of the NBA’s youth basketball development initiatives around the world.  By giving players everywhere access to HomeCourt’s technology, the NBA has the opportunity to identify and discover basketball talent globally with just a mobile phone.

Launched in July 2018, HomeCourt combines proven training concepts with advanced artificial intelligence to provide real-time analytics that help players of any skill level advance their game. HomeCourt calculates shot accuracy, progress over time, and key performance metrics such as speed, vertical jump, release time and ball handling.  Most importantly, HomeCourt creates an entirely new basketball experience that is fun, engaging, and accessible.

LAUNCH VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqtcMQRWaPU&feature=youtu.be

“We are incredibly proud to be partnering with the NBA to bring the HomeCourt experience to a global basketball audience,” said David Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of NEX Team.  “Together, we look forward to designing innovative experiences that bring together the digital and physical worlds that will build community and engage basketball players at every level, everywhere.”

With the HomeCourt app, players will feel like they are in their own real-world video game.  Along with original HomeCourt drills, contests, and challenges, players of all ages and levels will be able to compete in NBA-themed challenges and share their progress with the app’s global basketball community.

Beginning today, HomeCourt will offer three NBA challenges, including a shooting contest, ball handling contest, and achievement badges.  Additional interactive training drills, challenges and joint initiatives will be developed in partnership with the NBA and its teams during key events throughout the NBA season.  HomeCourt will also collaborate on opportunities at marquee league events such as MGM Resorts NBA Summer League and Jr. NBA Global Championship, and during elite youth programming like Basketball Without Borders and the NBA Academies.

“NBA teams and players have already found HomeCourt to be an important training platform and we believe this technology is critical to the development of players of all levels,” said Amy Brooks, President, Team Marketing & Business Operations and Chief Innovation Officer, NBA.  “HomeCourt is not only an engaging channel for youth basketball players, but will also be a valuable tool for the NBA to identify talent globally.”

“As professional basketball players, we know how important it is to have the right training tools and basketball knowledge to fully develop your game,” said two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash. “Our group of athlete investors all wonder what we could have done with this type of technology when we were learning the game, and are excited to help the next generation of aspiring basketball players reach their potential with HomeCourt.”

A new version of HomeCourt with these unique NBA experiences is available on the App Store for download today, and includes new training drills featuring Nash, and winner of the 2019 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest, Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets.

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League.  The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2018-19 season featured 108 international players from 42 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.6 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

About NEX Team Inc.
NEX Team Inc. is a mobile artificial intelligence company founded by a team of second-time entrepreneurs and former Apple, Google, and Facebook engineers and employees. NEX Team combines cutting edge mobile, AI, and computer vision technologies with deep community engagement experiences to create utility and joy for athletes and sports communities worldwide.

HomeCourt is used by players in over 170 countries around the world and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, CNET, ABC, and Sports Illustrated. Since its launch, HomeCourt has tracked over 25 million shots, been recognized as one of Fast Company’s 2019 Most Innovative Companies in Sports and a winner of a 2019 Apple Design Award.