WearableZone logo
  • News
  • Wearables
  • VR
  • Lifestyle
  • Reviews
  • Companies
    • Adidas
    • Apple
    • Fitbit
    • Garmin
    • Huawei
    • Jawbone
    • Microsoft
    • Moov
    • Nike
    • Pebble
    • Samsung
    • Spire
    • Withings
Search
WearableZone Logo
  • Sign up
  • or
  • Login
Search
  • News
  • Wearables
  • VR
  • Lifestyle
  • Reviews
  • Companies
    • Adidas
    • Apple
    • Fitbit
    • Garmin
    • Huawei
    • Jawbone
    • Microsoft
    • Moov
    • Nike
    • Pebble
    • Samsung
    • Spire
    • Withings
image_loader
Wearables

Golden State Warriors Will Continue Using Wearables To Monitor Players This Season

  • share
  • pinterest
Rebecca Paredes Rebecca Paredes October 4th, 2016

The Golden State Warriors “made a bit of news” last year, according to Kirk Lacob, the team’s Assistant General Manager.

After winning their first National Basketball Association Championship in four decades during the 2014-2015 season and hitting an all-time NBA record for regular season wins last season, the Warriors will continue to monitor their players during practice using wearable technology.

Panel of speakers at Wearable Technology Show

At the Wearable Technology Show in Santa Clara, Lacob said, “We are very focused on trying to understand how we can keep these guys on the court.” Between 82 games in the regular season and a grueling travelling schedule, player health is the team’s prime concern — especially after their incredible run last year.

“There’s obviously a high level of risk that these guys take on their bodies,” Lacob said. However, wearables help the staff — and the players — better monitor their health, recovery, and sleep.

The perfect sports wearable device “coaches you just like an olympic-level coach would.” Mickey Ferri, @getenflux #WTS2016

— WearableZone (@_wearablezone) October 4, 2016

CNET reports that the team began sampling wearable technology by installing SportVU, motion-tracking system that hung from the stadium’s rafters. “With it, the Warriors could see and analyze every dribble and pass a player makes,” along with speed, miles run, and distance between teammates. Since then, the team has tried a series of wearables for their team to gauge their heart rates, movement, stamina, and sleep.

“People pay a lot of money to watch our athletes play, and we pay the athletes a lot of money to pay,” Lacob said. “So we want to keep them on the court.”

The Downside Of Sports Wearables

Regarding wearables among athletes, “there’s a lot of psychological games going on,” Lacob said. Andrew Hawkins, a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, was the fastest player on his team at the time he was working with Lacob — but when he saw his stats start to dip, he grew understandably concerned. Other players would throw their tracking devices so it would look like they were running faster during practice.

Panel at Wearable Technology Show

When everything is quantified for a player, there’s a chance that data could eventually impact contract negotiations among teams. Hawkins wanted to know what other data Lacob’s staff had on him, which called to question who truly owns sports tracker data: the players, or the staff?

“The one thing you don’t want is for someone else to have the advantage in these really big contract situations,” Lacob said. A possible solution could be to maintain transparency across teams, agents, and management about what is being collected from players — and how that information is being used.

"The majority of my job is communication of data." @klacobprime #WTS2016

— WearableZone (@_wearablezone) October 4, 2016

Andrew Hawkins is a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns. An earlier version of this article misidenfitied his team. Information about the Warriors' seasons has also been clarified.

“We are very focused on trying to understand how we can keep these guys on the court.”

Kirk Lacob

you might also like

  • The New Fitbit Blaze Offers GPS And On-Screen Workouts

  • The History Of Wearable Tech, From The Hamilton Pulsar To The Oculus Rift

  • The Future Of E-Paper Could Change The Way We See The World

  • The Surprising Way Your Fitness Tracker Makes You Healthier

  • google+
  • reddit
  • pinterest
  • #watch
  • #fitness
  • #style
  • #fashion
  • #budget

Tell Us What You Think

loader

Sign Up for News & Updates submitting...

Either you're already subscribed or this is an invalid Email Address.

Sweet Success! You've been subscribed to our newsletter.

Thanks for signing up!

  • Social Media
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Page
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • About
  • Meet the Team
  • About Page
  • Write For Us