I came across a post on X of Chris Paul talking about using Genius Sports. So I decided to research all the ways Genius Sports can be used by athletes across the landscape of sports.
In addition to the information below. I pulled a few old tweets on X where we have discussed Genius Sports on the Seed Talk Podcast.
Here’s every major way athletes across the NBA, NFL, Premier League, and beyond interact with Genius Sports technology.
01
NBA · WNBA
Real-Time Player Tracking for Coaches & Teams
Through its Second Spectrum division — acquired in 2021 — Genius Sports operates as the official basketball analytics provider for NBA teams. Cameras arranged throughout every arena capture low-latency, 3D player pose and ball-tracking data, creating a living map of everything happening on the court.
Coaches get access to shot quality scores, contest quality metrics, paint touches, play-type efficiencies, points per possession, and player max speeds — all in real time. NBA teams use this to make in-game tactical adjustments, evaluate matchups, and build opponent scouting reports with a level of granularity that was impossible even five years ago.
“The system capabilities are far more comprehensive than anything before seen in the WNBA and will greatly enhance strategic planning across the league.” — Jonathan Kolb, GM, New York Liberty
02
NBA · WNBA
Player Development & Performance Science
The “Performance Studio” platform — described by Genius Sports as the most advanced analytics and video tool in sport — is used directly by players and training staffs. It combines tracking data with video to let players analyze their own movement, shot mechanics, and defensive positioning from any angle, including a first-person player POV.
The platform also powers robust sports science capabilities: measuring total distance covered per game, max burst speeds, deceleration patterns, and workload data that helps medical and performance staff manage player health across a long season.
03
NBA · NFL · EPL · MLS
“Dragon” — The Next Generation Mesh Tracking System
Genius Sports and the NBA are co-developing a platform called “Dragon,” a next-generation system that synthesizes millions of on-court data points using computer vision mesh tracking. The system captures thousands of surface data points per player, multiple times per second — going far beyond simple X/Y position coordinates to understand body orientation, limb angles, and movement biomechanics.
This level of skeletal data has major implications for injury prediction and prevention, allowing training staffs to flag when a player’s movement patterns start deviating from their baseline in ways that historically precede soft tissue injuries.
04
EPL · Serie A · MLS · International
Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) in Soccer
Genius Sports’ SAOT system uses computer vision and positional tracking to make offside calls that used to require lengthy VAR reviews. The technology delivers broadcast-ready visuals within seconds of a potential offside, keeping match flow intact while giving players, coaches, and officials clarity on decisions that previously caused minutes of delay and controversy.
For players, SAOT means more transparency and consistency in officiating — runs that were previously flagged through marginal human error are now judged by the same algorithmic standard every time.
05
NFL · NCAA · NASCAR · CFL
Broadcast Augmentation — The “Next Gen Stats” Experience
Many athletes now see their performance data visualized live on national television through Genius Sports-powered broadcasts. The most prominent example is “Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats” on Amazon Prime Video for NFL games. Real-time speed, route tracking, coverage shells, and completion probability all appear as on-screen overlays — data Genius Sports captures and processes in near real-time.
The Portland Trail Blazers use this same Second Spectrum technology for local broadcasts, showing viewers live shooting probability, touch counts, and defensive impact as overlaid graphics during each play.
06
NCAA · NBA · All Major Leagues
Integrity Monitoring — Protecting Athletes from Betting Threats
Genius Sports serves as one of the two primary integrity monitors for professional and college sports in the United States. This means flagging suspicious betting patterns that could indicate a player is being pressured, manipulated, or has themselves been wagering improperly.
In a major development protecting college athletes, the NCAA extended its data partnership with Genius Sports through 2032 and added a requirement banning sportsbooks from offering negative player prop bets — a direct response to documented harassment and abuse that student-athletes receive when bettors lose those wagers.
“I’ve heard too many student-athletes talk about abusive messages they have received... It’s incredibly alarming and completely unacceptable.” — NCAA President Charlie Baker
07
NBA · WNBA · NFL · EPL
Fan Engagement Tools That Amplify Player Brands
Through GeniusIQ, its proprietary AI and sports data platform. Genius Sports powers real-time in-broadcast sponsorship moments tied directly to player performance. These include “Shot Probability” graphics, “Player ID” cards that pop up at clutch moments, heat maps showing a player’s movement patterns, and shot/defender distance visualizations.
These tools create new, branded visibility for individual players at the exact moments fans are most emotionally engaged which can turn a clutch three-pointer or a game saving block into a named, data-enriched moment rather than just a highlight. Genius Sports has now scaled this across more than 600 NBA games per season via partnerships with NBC Sports Regional Networks and FanDuel Sports Network.
240K+
Live sports events covered per year
400+
Sports organizations partnered globally
600+
NBA games with AI-powered broadcasts per season
“
Technology continues to fundamentally change the sports landscape. Deploying state-of-the-art optical tracking will deliver rich data to our teams that they can leverage to enhance player performance.
— Cathy Engelbert, WNBA Commissioner
Genius Sports is no longer just a data company feeding odds to sportsbooks. It has become the connective tissue between what athletes do on the court or field and how that performance is understood, monetized, and protected. As Chris Paul’s endorsement signals, players themselves are starting to recognize that understanding these systems — and having a relationship with the companies building them — is part of competing at the highest level in 2026.
For More information like this follow this Substack and go to www.sportstechatlanta.com to stay in the know on Sports and Technology.