The NBA’s next search isn’t for a superstar. That’s it for the next big idea NBA News
TimesofIndia.com in Singapore: The conversations around the NBA Rising Stars Invitational 2026 at the OCBC Arena in Singapore focused on the players, and rightly so. Who could make the jump? Who could become the next Victor Wembanyama?However, in a room at the iconic Marina Bay Sands, about 5 km from the OCBC Arena, the conversation is different.Here, the NBA isn’t looking for players; don’t look for the founders. This is not for the next guard point. It was for the next idea. The NBA talked about the founders, artificial intelligence, sports technology and companies that could shape how basketball is played, watched and experienced in the years ahead.That thinking came into focus Thursday when the league announced a dedicated “Future of Basketball in Asia” track under NBA Launchpad, its innovation program that connects emerging technology companies with the NBA and WNBA.Starting in September, startups from all over Asia will have a dedicated track in the program.Speaking during the announcement, NBA Chief Investment Officer David Lee said the move reflects the evolution of the league’s relationship with the region.“In Asia, I think that the global sports teams are not only seeing it as a market that they are trying to grow. It is becoming a creator of those innovations that we want to see.“The renewed focus for Launchpad in the Asian region is not only to expand our geographic reach, but to build a more globally connected innovation ecosystem around basketball.“This is not a one-year initiative or a unique interest. It is an investment that we have decided to make for the future of basketball and innovation throughout Asia.”The announcement itself only lasted a few minutes before one of this year’s Launchpad companies, Singapore-based Swish Basket, showed off its AI-powered basketball training platform.The NBA is making it clear that it wants to be closer to where the next generation of sports technology is being built.
(Photo credit: NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
More than an investment program
Launchpad started in 2022 with a simple goal. Find young companies building technologies that could make basketball better.Over time, the program has expanded beyond on-court innovation to include media, fan engagement, artificial intelligence and business solutions.Each year, a handful of startups spend six months working with the various NBA business units before presenting their work during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.Just talking to TimesofIndia.comLee said the investment was never the starting point.“Launchpad started about five years ago, initially in 2022, with the goal of finding companies that create exciting technologies to improve the game of basketball on the court.“From the second year on, we expanded beyond on-court innovation to also include companies focused on off-the-court business.“The primary goal is to identify companies that can help us innovate.“At the end of the program, there is also an equity component. After the Demo Day, we decide if we want to invest in a company. If we do, we will continue the support afterwards.”
(Photo credit: NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
The program, I explained, grew out of a challenge that many sports startups continue to face.Unlike companies that develop products for banking, healthcare or enterprise software, companies that build technology specifically for sports often struggle to attract investors because the market seems relatively small.The NBA saw an opportunity to change that.“A lot of innovation in sports has happened, and continues to happen. The challenge for emerging startups, especially those focused on sports, is to find the right champion who can help continue to build what they are working on.“Because the total addressable market for many sports technologies is relatively small, investors were not always enthusiastic about these companies, even though their work could be extremely valuable for the NBA.“We wanted to become more active in that space. We wanted to help these companies gain exposure through the NBA so that our use case would make them more attractive to other investors and the wider ecosystem.”For young companies, that validation can often be as valuable as the funding itself.Just as important, Lee believes, is to attract founders who really care about the sport rather than seeing it as another business opportunity.Asked what surprised him the most since launching Launchpad, his answer wasn’t about technology or investment. It was about the people behind the ideas.“What has amazed me is the amount of passion people have for wanting to change the game,“People really love what basketball has given them. It means different things to different people, and they want to help improve it in ways that enhance the experience for their families, friends and fellow fans.”“We receive hundreds of applications each year, and it’s always exciting to see completely new concepts come up again next year.”That passion, Lee believes, is often what separates a good tech company from one capable of making a lasting impact on the game.
(Photo credit: NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
The business of making basketball better
The technologies that go into Launchpad solve very different problems. Some help players, others help coaches, broadcasters or medical staff and increasingly, they also change the way fans experience the NBA.Earlier in the day, during a panel discussion on AI and Sports Business, Lee pointed out the technologies with which the league is already working.From WSC Sports, which automatically creates game highlights, to Fastbreak.ai, which helps build schedules, and Launchpad companies like SkillCorner and Springbok Analytics, which focus on player tracking and injury analysis, artificial intelligence is quietly becoming part of everyday NBA operations.Yet Lee insists that the technology itself is never the goal. The game is.Lee, however, rejected the suggestion that the next basketball revolution would come from engineers rather than players.“I don’t think that statement is entirely true,” Lee told Timesofindia.com.“On the court, the players will always remain central. The level of competition, talent and skill among today’s players is incredible, and technology will continue to help them reach levels that have never been achievable before.“That being said, when it comes to the fan experience, technology is going to absolutely transform how people experience the game.“The ability to hyper-personalize the viewing experience based on who you are is something we’ve been discussing for years, but it’s finally becoming a reality.”Lee sees the transformation extending far beyond what happens on the court. The game itself, he says, still remains the same.Virtual ads are already tailored differently depending on where a game is watched. The next step is to make each fan’s experience feel personal rather than generic.“A 25-year-old man in New York shouldn’t experience the game exactly like a 12-year-old girl watching in Singapore.“I’ve always believed that something is just an ad if it’s not relevant to you. If it’s relevant, then it’s information.”This thinking also explains why the NBA is investing more and more in areas that, at first glance, have little to do with basketball.During the AI panel, Lee cited an example the league is particularly excited about — real-time language translation. Post-match interviews, I said, often lose relevance within hours. Instant translation into multiple languages allows fans around the world to engage with players while the conversation is always current.It’s a small change.But one that reflects how the league increasingly sees technology as a way to bridge the gap between the game and its audience.
(Photo credit: NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
An open invitation to India
For all the talk that Asia is becoming a center for basketball innovation, one country has yet to make its mark on Launchpad.India.Lee admitted that the NBA is still waiting for its first Indian success story.“Currently, we don’t have Launchpad portfolio companies or NBA Investments portfolio companies from India, which is something we should definitely work on.“India has always been a very important market for the NBA. It is a market where we want to do much more. Given its size and potential, we would like to have companies from there.“If we can identify strong companies from India, it will become another way for us to strengthen our presence in that market.“We’d absolutely love to. We haven’t been lucky enough yet. Hopefully soon.”It is also a clear indication that the NBA’s ambitions in India are beginning to extend beyond fans, grassroots programs and business partnerships.The league is now also looking for founders.
(Photo credit: NBA Rising Stars Invitational)
The next encounter
After listening to hundreds of startup pitches in the last five years, when this masthead asked about that innovation that still wanted to exist. The question made him stop for a moment. Then he smiled.“Really good – and difficult – question. If I already knew the answer, I’d probably start the company myself.”His answer finally came back to a zone. Keep the game’s biggest stars on the court.“I don’t think the area [injury prevention] has been ignored, but injury prevention is still something that requires much more work.“The longevity of superstar players and making sure the best players are available to compete consistently is extremely important to us.“Whether it’s making MRI scans easier or using technology to analyze players’ movement, identify fatigue earlier and determine the right time for players to rest, there’s still a lot of work to be done.”For all the advances in artificial intelligence, computer vision and analytics, Lee believes basketball still has problems waiting to be solved.The NBA Rising Stars Invitational was built around the players of tomorrow, away from the court, the conversations were about the ideas of tomorrow.Earlier during the AI session, Lee summed up the league’s challenge in one statistic.“Ninety-nine percent of our fan base has never attended an NBA game in person. So the question becomes: How do we make the experience for people who can’t attend — because of distance or accessibility — as close as possible to actually being there?”“That’s where technology comes in.”
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