During the 2026 NBA Finals, NBA China officially launched "NBA Chat", an intelligent basketball assistant. Available on the NBA China App, NBA Chat is designed to reshape how millions of Chinese fans engage with the premier basketball league. This marks the first major milestone of the multi-year strategic partnership between NBA China and Alibaba Group.
Built on Alibaba's advanced Qwen large language model and fine-tuned with NBA's historical data, in-depth player analytics and other digital assets, NBA Chat delivers real-time, comprehensive game insights directly on mobile devices. Fans can dive deep into their favourite players' on-court performance — from detailed career statistics and live shooting percentages to full offensive and defensive breakdowns of ongoing or past games, and even team tactical strategies — all at their fingertips.
NBA China noted: "From technology implementation to product delivery, Alibaba demonstrated solid technical capabilities, drawing on its experience with top-tier events and an efficient delivery system. They are a trusted partner."
NBA Chat is the first major project delivered since Alibaba Cloud became the Official Cloud Computing and AI Partner of NBA China in October 2025. The multi-year collaboration aims to leverage cutting-edge cloud infrastructure and AI capabilities to elevate the real-time viewing experience and deepen fan engagement during key NBA events including the All-Star Game, Playoffs and Finals.
During the NBA China Games in October 2025, Alibaba Cloud debuted its Real-Time 360° Replay Technology. Powered by Alibaba's AI algorithms, the system precisely captures player movements and generates high-quality replay footage from a 360-degree immersive perspective, highlighting pivotal moments with greater impact.
Joe Tsai, Chairman of Alibaba Group and Chairman of the Brooklyn Nets, said at the launch of the partnership: "We are at an exciting juncture where sports and technology converge. AI and cloud are powerful connectors — linking players with fans, brands with consumers, and global perspectives with local cultures. Through our partnership with NBA China and the introduction of Alibaba's latest technology, we will deliver an unprecedented experience for NBA fans and ignite their passion."
Alibaba AI + Cloud Empowering Global Sports Innovation
Since becoming a Worldwide Partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2017, Alibaba Group has continued to drive innovation across the global sports industry through AI and cloud technology.
In May 2026, Alibaba Group announced a multi-year partnership with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and UC3, becoming the official and exclusive AI, Cloud Computing Services and E-commerce Partner for multiple UEFA competitions — spanning the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League from 2027/2028 to 2032/2033 and of UEFA EURO 2028TM.
At the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Alibaba Cloud deployed an upgraded Real-Time 360° Replay system, delivering immersive replay experiences through fluid camera movements and strobe-style visual effects. In addition, the IOC launched Olympic AI — the first large language model application in Olympic history — powered by Alibaba's Qwen.
