North American basketball’s NBA has agreed a new long-term partnership with sports technology company Fastbreak.ai.
Through the partnership, the NBA will incorporate Fastbreak.ai's Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) solution into its scheduling process. As part of this agreement, the NBA will also leverage Fastbreak.ai for scheduling the WNBA, G League, and the NBA2K League.
As part of the deal, the league has also become a seed round investor in the tech firm through its NBA Equity investment vehicle.
Last year, Fastbreak closed a $5.2 million seed financing round led by Greycroft, with investments from The Charlotte Fund and professional athletes including Greg Olsen, Larry Fitzgerald Jr., Gordon Hayward, Luke Kuechly, Whit Merrifield, Kelvin Beachum, Kurt Kitayama, and Alison Lee.
The NBA becomes the latest US sports league to utilize Fastbreak.ai for league scheduling that includes ice hockey’s NHL, Major League Pickleball, and collegiate sports’ Southeastern Conference and the Big East.
John Stewart, chief executive of Fastbreak.ai, said: “This partnership with the NBA marks a significant step forward in applying advanced technologies to sports scheduling. We are committed to not just redefining the scheduling experience but also simplifying and democratizing the scheduling process.
“The NBA has always been a leader in innovative technology use, and we are pleased it selected Fastbreak to bring our AI-driven, enterprise innovation to its scheduling.”
Evan Wasch, NBA executive vice president of basketball strategy and analytics, added: “The NBA is excited to collaborate with Fastbreak.ai to integrate state-of-the-art technology solutions into one of sport's most complex processes – the league schedule.
“The partnership reflects our belief in the company and our shared commitment to fostering innovation.”