NBA commissioner Adam Silver says concerns over how player-tracking data could be used in contract negotiations remain a major obstacle to introducing wearable technology during games.
Speaking to CNBC Sport, Silver revealed that the league and the National Basketball Players Association have yet to reach an agreement on the use of wearables during NBA games. While players routinely use such devices away from the court, questions about data privacy and its potential financial implications have complicated negotiations.
“There’s a lot of sensitivity, particularly from the Players Union, about how that data might be used,” Silver said.
The commissioner acknowledged that players could worry that information showing a decline in physical performance might later be used against them during contract discussions.
“If you could see a player was slowing down or something like that, they’re worried that that could be used in bargaining and I get that,” Silver explained.
Wearable devices can collect information related to physical activity, workload, recovery and other performance indicators. For NBA teams, that data could offer additional insight into player conditioning and physical demands during games.
However, the same information could also have implications beyond performance analysis. If teams gained access to detailed measurements suggesting that a player’s physical output was declining, the information could potentially influence evaluations of that player’s value and future contract negotiations.
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Silver recognized that concern as a legitimate issue for the players’ union. The league must establish clear rules governing how the information can be accessed and used before wearable tracking can be implemented during games.
“We have to come to some agreement on exactly how the information is used,” Silver said.
Silver also highlighted what he sees as an inconsistency in the current situation. Players already use wearables during their daily routines, including to monitor sleep and activity, but those devices are not permitted for the same purpose during games under the arrangement he described.
“It’s interesting, the players generally have something on them if you just watch whether they’re warming up or when they’re in their day-to-day lives or to monitor sleep like a lot of us do,” Silver said.
He argued that players spend most of their time wearing such devices, with games representing the exception.
“I think the players in position right now where they’re essentially wearing wearables 22 hours a day and the only time they’re not wearing them is when they’re playing in the game,” Silver said. “So that can’t make sense.”
The commissioner’s remarks suggest that the NBA sees in-game tracking as a logical extension of technology players already use, provided the league and union can resolve their disagreements.
Silver expressed confidence that the two sides would eventually find a solution.
“So we’ll work something out with them,” he said.
