Select West Coast LA Fitness gyms will offer AI-powered, motion-tracking basketball courts that deliver real-time analytics, virtual leaderboards and NBA-level training tech
For some LA Fitness members, their basketball game is about to get a major tech upgrade.
In a new pilot program, the big-box gym operator will convert its courts at select locations into immersive, gamified experiences through a partnership with basketball tech brand Shoot 360.
Shoot 360’s proprietary tech, which combines motion-tracking and artificial intelligence to track players’ shooting, passing and ball-handling skills, all while providing real-time analytics and immersive gamification, will launch in test markets across Northern California, Oregon and Washington state.
That will give LA Fitness members the chance to experience NBA-level technology to improve their skills and engage on a deeper level with the sport and gamify the experience, competing with others through virtual leaderboards.
Additionally, members can take advantage of real-time measurements like shooting arc, depth and alignment, as well as combining passing and ball-handling to measure velocity, accuracy, reaction time, decision making and more.
“We believe that by working hand-in-hand with Shoot 360, together we will create exciting new opportunities for basketball players of all skill levels, teenagers and above to achieve their shooting, passing, and ball handling potential,” said Jill Hill, the president of club operations for Fitness International, the parent company of LA Fitness.
Professional players on 29 of 30 NBA teams have been utilizing Shoot 360’s tech, while the Warriors, Clippers, Jazz and Nets all have deeper partnerships with the brand.
In the Bay Area, three new Shoot 360 courts will open in the spring in conjunction with the Warriors’ Golden State Sports Academy in select City Sports Clubs, which is owned and operated by Fitness International.
Shoot 360 currently operates 59 locations across the U.S. and a handful in Asia, with more expansion to come through franchising.
The brand’s founder, Craig Moody, revealed that Shoot 360 has ambitious goals for the future of gamified, tech-enhanced basketball.
“We plan on building facilities globally. The industry is well over $50 billion, so we think there’s a clear pathway to 1,500 to 2,000 locations worldwide, at least,” Moody told Athletech News.
“But I think the big thing for us is our mission is to grow the game,” he added. “We’re not just building gyms; we’re building the world’s largest basketball participation community. We want all these people who have been sitting on the sidelines to come back in and play.”
