Basketball is life. And like life, it’s fast, fluid, and hard to measure. It’s about movement, split-second decisions, team dynamics, fan engagement and running a great business. Charlie Rohlf joins us to share how his early days as a student manager for the legendary “Coach K” and his background in computer vision prepared him for his current role as Vice President, Stats Technology Product Development of the National Basketball Association. Charlie traces the evolution of basketball analytics from a single metric—the box score—to today’s ability to capture player pose tracking data, which enables the NBA to offer unprecedented insights to its customers, teams, and fans. Finally, Charlie shares his advice for leaders: make sure everyone understands the “why” behind everything you do.
Air Date: March 25, 2025
Chapters:
00:00 – 01:41 Introduction
01:41 – 04:42 Charlie’s background and role at NBA
04:42 – 08:02 Evolution of basketball analytics
08:02 – 12:24 Player pose tracking data
12:24 – 18:35 Applications of analytics in the NBA
18:35 – 27:23 Challenges, best practices and the future of basketball analytics
27:23 – 32:53 Advice for leaders
32:53 – 35:31 Conclusion and key takeaways
Show notes:
Guest: Charlie Rohlf on LinkedIn: https://msft.it/6052qeOVO
Host: Susan Etlinger on LinkedIn: https://msft.it/6056qeOVr
Learn more about the NBA app: https://msft.it/6057qeOVT
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The AI platform shift brings immense opportunity, but the road to success isn’t always clear. On Leading the Shift, we talk with leaders in organizations of all kinds about how they’re using data, AI, and cloud technologies to deliver meaningful, trustworthy innovation to their teams, customers, and communities. Guests share how the platform shift is affecting everything from data strategy and customer relationships to organizational structure and culture, to their own lives and career journeys. Join us for conversations about navigating the era of AI, tackling new challenges, and advice for getting started.
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