Well, owing to the growing popularity and prominence of the tournament, the NBA players have also garnered unparalleled fame and recognition from millions of basketball aficionados from every nook and corner of the world in the past few decades. With numerous technological advancements, the NBA players have started actively using a wide range of technological wearables during their intense training sessions and the most crucial matches in order to track their performance and ensure that they are able to unleash their finest potential on the court.
From LeBron James to Kevin Durant, numerous path-breaking NBA players have been spotted with smart wearables in the past few decades. Have you ever wondered about the top four NBA players who have used the smart wearables technologies during their training sessions and fate-deciding games? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four NBA players who have used the smart wearables technologies in their careers.
Top 4 Wearable Technologies Used by NBA Players
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Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)
The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is often hailed as one of the most popular and path-breaking technological innovations that has ever been integrated with the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is a compact wearable sensor which is designed with precision to track a player’s micro-movements in real-time.
These IMUs are often worn by NBA stars under their jerseys and include an accelerometer to measure the linear acceleration of a player, a gyroscope that tracks their angular rotation and a magnetometer which determines the directional heading of the player with precision. Since the 2010s, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has officially partnered with Kinexon, which means that almost every active NBA player at the current time actively wears the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).
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Fitness Wearables – Whoop Strap
At the second spot on our list of the top four NBA players who have used the smart wearables technologies in their careers, we have the iconic Whoop strap, which is a fitness wearable and has often been used by legendary NBA stars, including LeBron James and DeAndre Jordan. The Whoop strap is a screenless strap worn by the players on their wrist or bicep in order to track the daily data related to their fitness and performance.
The Whoop strap has multiple sensors, including an optical heart-rate sensor, a heart rate variability (HRV) sensor, accelerometer, skin temperature sensor and a blood oxygen sensor. The Whoop strap syncs all the data and provides a transparent and unbiased report of a player’s fitness on the Whoop’s official app. The NBA stars often use the Whoop strap during their training sessions.
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Smart Rings – Oura
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four wearable technologies that are actively used by NBA players, we have Oura’s smart ring, which is used by numerous prominent NBA stars and other athletes from various other sports. The Oura ring can be easily won by NBA athletes for the entire day as it helps them in numerous vitals, including their sleep quality, resting heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), body temperature trends, respiratory rate and much more.
The Oura ring syncs all of the data and prepares a trend often popularly referred to as ‘readiness score’. Over the years, numerous prominent NBA stars, including Chris Paul, Jalen Brunson, Kevin Love and many others. Additionally, the National Basketball Association (NBA) bought more than 2,000 Oura rings for players, coaches, and staff during the 2020 Orlando bubble.
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Advanced Insoles
Finally, at the fourth spot on our list of the top four NBA players who have used the smart wearables technologies in their careers, we have advanced insoles which play a major role in improving the balance and stability during intense movement on the court. These advanced insoles distribute the pressure more evenly as compared to the traditional ones.
Additionally, the extremely supportive and performance-driven cushioning of these insoles also plays a crucial role in reducing the impact of high jumps and intense movements which are common for basketball players during their training sessions as well as official matches. Over the years, numerous prominent basketball players, including Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Brandan Ingram and many others have been spotted using these advanced insoles.
