The NBA has revealed its latest plans to source, evaluate and pilot emerging technologies to benefit the future of basketball with an announced of five companies for the inaugural NBA Launchpad program.

The NBA Launchpad program was first announced in June 2021 and began with a search of organisations with technology products to target the areas of Ankle Injury Innovation, Elite Youth Player Performance, Referee Training and Development, and Youth Health and Wellness.

The five companies chosen after the NBA’s search which received hundreds of submissions from 25 countries, include BetterGuards from Germany, Breathwrk from California, Nextiles from New York, Rezzil from the UK, and Uplift Labs from California.

NBA executive vice president, basketball strategy and analytics, Evan Wasch, said the five companies will work with the league and clubs over the next six months on a number of research and development projects, with the companies to also receive unique access to NBA events and exposure to the league’s partners and investors.

“We are thrilled to introduce our NBA Launchpad program with such a diverse group of innovative products and solutions,” Wasch said.

“Each company brings something unique to the table that will improve the game of basketball,” he said.

In selecting the five companies for the initial program, the NBA partnered with online pitch platform, Pitchtape, to evaluate each submission with experts from the league and several clubs.