- The “NBA Chat” tool brings generative AI into fan engagement via the NBA China app
- Built on Alibaba’s Qwen model, it extends a broader sports AI partnership between the two companies
NBA China and Alibaba have launched an official large language model (LLM), “NBA Chat,” as the NBA Finals begin, adding a generative AI layer to fan engagement in one of basketball’s most closely watched events.
The tool is available through the NBA China app and allows users to ask questions about games, players and tactics, marking the first AI product delivered under a multi-year partnership signed between the two sides last year.
Built on Alibaba’s Qwen model, NBA Chat integrates NBA historical statistics and in-depth player data to provide real-time basketball Q&A.
Fans can use it to clarify in-game strategies, review post-game performance and quickly access key metrics such as player positioning and scoring.
‘A trusted partner’
NBA China said Alibaba’s execution demonstrated “solid technical capability” built on experience supporting major sporting events, adding that it is “a trusted partner” in the collaboration.
The partnership between the two companies was announced in October last year, when Alibaba became the NBA’s official cloud computing and AI partner in China.
Alibaba’s growing footprint in sports
The launch of NBA Chat follows earlier AI-driven sports experiments.
At last year’s NBA China Games, Alibaba Cloud showcased a 360-degree instant replay system that uses AI to reconstruct key moments from multiple angles, highlighting critical plays more clearly for viewers.
Alibaba has steadily expanded its footprint in global sports technology since becoming a worldwide Olympic partner of the International Olympic Committee in 2017.
The company introduced cloud-based broadcasting at scale during the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
In a move that expanded its role in global sports tech, the titan titan shifted core Olympic systems fully onto the cloud for the first time at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
Cloud streaming
During the Paris 2024 Olympics, it enabled cloud streaming to surpass satellite transmission at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
At the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics, the IOC also adopted Alibaba’s Qwen model to power what it described as the first official Olympic LLM.
At the time of their partnership, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the system would help deliver what she called “the most intelligent Olympic Games in history,” crediting Qwen for enabling a more AI-driven Olympic experience.
