NBA to host their first-ever Hackathon
By Ian Levy
Among professional sports leagues, the NBA has been one of the most innovative and forward-thinking in the use of data and analytics — both with internal investments and in efforts to engage curious fans. The league is taking another step in that direction with the announcement that they will host their first-ever NBA Hackathon, on September 24, 2016. The full-day event will allow teams of undergraduate and graduate students to work with a provided data set to develop tool and strategies around specific basketball questions.
In a phone conversation, the NBA’s Director of Basketball Analytics, Jason Rosenfeld, discussed the league’s goals in organizing this event.
“Our fans continue to show an increasing level of interest in data and analytics which provides a level of engagement. We think that by bringing together some of the most talented young minds for a full day to build tools and develop solutions in the field of basketball analytics, we can continue to innovate, which is something that the NBA has embraced for a very long time.”
Details about the data which will be provided and the nature of the focusing questions have not yet been revealed but the topic will be interesting and relevant, with appeal to both public and private interests.
“We don’t want to reveal the question but it’s going to be around a hot topic in the league, the type of thing that the league office and teams would want to know,” said Rosenfeld.
Participating teams will have a chance to share their work with a judging panel that will include academics, league office personnel, and team representatives. In addition, there will be a larger audience of team and league representatives and media members. Prizes include lunch with league office staff, NBA store gift cards, and, of course, the chance to directly share meaningful work with the NBA decision-makers.
The field of basketball analytics is continually evolving and students are often those pushing things forward in the public sphere. Rosenfeld was clear that the hope was to see something new in the first run of this event, saying, “Through taking a unique and fresh look at the analytics we hope the results ultimately shed light on new ways to approach our game.”
Interested teams can apply for the NBA Hackathon here.