LA Fitness Bets on AI: High-Tech Hoops Invade the Modern Gym

By Daniel Thomas

VANCOUVER, Wash. – February 12, 2026 – The familiar squeak of sneakers on hardwood is about to be joined by the hum of servers and the glow of data-driven displays at select LA Fitness locations. In a move that signals a significant shift for the mainstream fitness industry, tech-driven basketball training company Shoot 360 announced a pilot program with the gym giant to convert traditional basketball courts into immersive, gamified training centers.

This partnership will initially transform six gyms across California, Oregon, and Washington into high-tech basketball hubs. The first location, inside an LA Fitness in Hillsboro, Oregon, is set to open this April, with five others—two in Washington and three in Northern California's City Sports Clubs, which are owned by LA Fitness's parent company—scheduled to launch by Spring 2026. The collaboration aims to bring what it calls “NBA-caliber technology” to the everyday gym member, potentially redefining the role of the local health club.

The Smart Court Revolution

At the heart of this initiative is Shoot 360's proprietary technology, a sophisticated fusion of hardware and software designed to analyze and improve every aspect of a player's game. This is not simply a shooting machine that returns balls. The retrofitted courts will be equipped with a suite of machine-vision cameras and sensors that provide instantaneous, actionable feedback. Players will see real-time data on their shooting arc, depth, and alignment, metrics previously accessible only to elite athletes through systems like Noah Basketball, whose technology is used by nearly every NBA team and is a component of the Shoot 360 experience.

Beyond shooting, the system gamifies passing and ball-handling drills. Interactive screens and targets challenge players to improve their reaction time, decision-making, and accuracy, tracking the velocity of every pass and the efficiency of every dribble. This data is collected and analyzed, allowing members to track their progress over time, compete against their own personal bests, or even challenge other players in real-time competitions across the globe.

"Piloting this initiative is an exciting way to continue innovating the growth of the Shoot 360 platform," said Craig Moody, Founder and President of Shoot 360. "This will bring our technology to many new players and transform how basketball is experienced inside a gym."

The move places Shoot 360 in direct competition with a growing market of sports technology solutions, from accessible mobile apps like HomeCourt AI, which uses a phone's camera for analysis, to hardware like Dr. Dish shooting machines. However, by integrating a comprehensive, facility-based system into a major gym chain, this partnership creates a unique, all-in-one ecosystem that is more immersive than an app and more versatile than a standalone machine.

A Strategic Play for the Modern Gym

For LA Fitness and its parent company, Fitness International, this partnership is more than just a flashy new amenity. It represents a strategic pivot in the highly competitive fitness landscape. As big-box gyms face increasing pressure from boutique studios, specialized training centers, and sophisticated at-home fitness technology, the need to innovate the in-club experience has never been greater. The "gym-within-a-gym" model allows LA Fitness to offer a premium, specialized service that can attract new members and increase retention among its existing base.

"At LA Fitness and City Sports Club, we are always looking for innovative ways to elevate the member experience and strengthen our connection to the communities we serve," stated Jill Hill, President of Club Operations for Fitness International. "We believe that by working hand-in-hand with Shoot 360, together we will create exciting new opportunities for basketball players of all skill levels, teenagers and above."

This collaboration leverages the strengths of both companies. Shoot 360 gains immediate access to LA Fitness's vast real estate portfolio and its enormous built-in membership base, dramatically reducing the customer acquisition costs and logistical hurdles of opening standalone facilities. In return, LA Fitness differentiates its brand, turning its often-underutilized basketball courts into revenue-generating, high-engagement zones that align perfectly with industry-wide trends toward personalization, data-driven workouts, and gamification.

Democratizing Elite Performance

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of this partnership is its potential to democratize access to elite athletic training. Basketball is one of the most popular youth sports in the country, but high-level coaching and technology have traditionally been reserved for expensive private academies or collegiate and professional programs. By embedding this technology in a community gym, the barrier to entry is significantly lowered.

Young athletes, adult league players, and casual enthusiasts alike will have the opportunity to train with the same tools used by the pros. The partnership with the Golden State Sports Academy to operate the three new Bay Area locations underscores this commitment to high-level development within a more accessible framework.

This initiative is backed by a roster of high-profile athletes who are not just endorsers but investors and franchisees, including WNBA superstars Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, and NBA All-Star Trae Young. Their involvement lends significant credibility to Shoot 360's methodology and signals a deep belief in the company's mission to expand access to quality training.

While the exact pricing structure for accessing the Shoot 360 courts within LA Fitness has not been announced, the integration model promises a more affordable alternative to standalone academy memberships, which can cost well over $100 per month. The success of this model will depend on its accessibility, not just technologically but financially, for the average family or individual gym-goer.

A Blueprint for the Future?

The initial six-location pilot is a crucial test. Both companies will be watching closely to gauge member adoption, technical performance, and the overall impact on club engagement. If successful, the potential for a nationwide rollout is immense. Shoot 360 has ambitious goals of expanding to 600 locations by 2030, and LA Fitness's network of over 650 clubs provides a ready-made path to that scale.

However, scaling such a sophisticated technological system presents significant challenges. Ensuring consistent installation, calibration, maintenance, and staff training across hundreds of diverse locations is a massive logistical undertaking. The true test will be whether the partners can maintain the quality and integrity of the "NBA-caliber" experience as they expand beyond this initial, carefully controlled pilot.

This venture is more than just a new feature for a gym; it's a bold experiment that sits at the intersection of sports, technology, and community fitness. The success or failure of this pilot could provide a blueprint for the future of the traditional health club, proving whether the key to growth lies in transforming them into data-driven, hyper-specialized hubs for the next generation of athletes.