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‘NBA Live 19’ will let you create female players
After including the WNBA roster for the first time in last year's game, EA Sports is going a step further in its embrace of female athletes in NBA Live 19 by bringing women to its create-a-player feature. EA says this marks the first time a basketball game has let players create female characters.
Sacramento Kings will mine cryptocurrency to support good causes
The Sacramento Kings have a history of experimenting with cutting-edge tech, and now they're using it to better their community. The basketball team plans to mine Ethereum in an arena-based data center as part of a new MiningForGood initative. The cryptocurrency they'll generate will help Sacramento-based causes, starting with the Build Black Coalition helping local black residents with technology education and workforce development. It's reportedly the first team anywhere to mine digital money.
Facebook is the only place to watch LaVar Ball’s basketball league
LaVar Ball and his Big Baller Brand extend their relationship with Facebook today as the social media giant will exclusively air the first game of Ball's Junior Basketball Association tonight, as well as every game going forward. Throughout the season, every league game will stream on both Facebook Watch and the Junior Basketball Association's Facebook Page. The first game will pit the Atlanta Ballers against the Chicago Ballers at Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario tonight while New York will take on Los Angeles -- and LaMelo Ball -- after the first game wraps up.
Facebook will stream some Big3 basketball games this season
Fans of Big3 will get to watch nine games for free this season as Fox Sports announced today that one game per each regular season week will air exclusively on Facebook Watch. Every week, one game will stream on Facebook and then three additional games will air on FOX or FS1. "As a start-up professional sports league, we have an innate flexibility that allows us to adapt and cater to our growing audience," co-CEO Jeff Kwatinetz said in a statement. "Given that our fans had an average age of more than 10 years younger than typical basketball fans, we want to provide digital viewing experiences so they can engage with our league in a format that best suits their viewing preferences."
NBA referees will answer your Game 3 questions on Twitter
The next time an NBA referee makes a call you hate, you can do more about it than screaming at your TV. Some of the basketball league's refs are live-tweeting Game 3 of the finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors once it starts at 9PM Eastern. They're promising to both react to calls during the game and answer viewers' questions. You're not about to influence the outcome, of course, but this could help explain the rationale behind a reversed charge call instead of leaving the decision a mystery.
Follow the NBA Finals in high-resolution VR
NextVR has been partnering with the NBA to livesream games for the last two years, and now it's going to cover the upcoming Finals. After each game, the service will upload free-to-watch highlights in a new high-resolution format to its dedicated NextVR app, which works with most virtual reality headsets.
Sixers president accused of leaking info with burner Twitter accounts
More than a few people have burner Twitter accounts to track news, comment anonymously or even make in-jokes between friends. For Philadelphia 76ers basketball operations president Bryan Colangelo, however, those disposable accounts may land him in serious trouble. The Ringer claimed that Colangelo has been quietly running five Twitter accounts, four of which were used to not only criticize players and staff (including his own coaching team), but to leak private information about the acquisition of Markelle Fultz and Jahlil Okafor's medicals.
Netflix and ESPN are working on a Michael Jordan documentary series
Netflix used to be a solid option for watching ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Then parent company Disney decided to launch its own sports streaming service and the documentaries disappeared from Netflix. Well, today's news should help: The pair are officially working together on a series chronicling Michael Jordan's career. Specifically, The Last Dance will cover Jordan's ascent to the throne in the '90s and his time with the Chicago Bulls during their final championship in the 1997-98 season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Recommended Reading: The 'Stories' invasion won't relent anytime soon
Why 'Stories' Took Over Your Smartphone Ian Bogost, The Atlantic Snapchat may have created the monster, but in nearly every social (and some not-so-social) app you fire up, you'll be greeted with a feed of Stories. In fact, Facebook says the format is on pace to be more popular than a primary feed as the preferred way to share updates. The Atlantic explains how the ephemeral format took over your phone and why it isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Twitter will stream 20 regular-season WNBA games starting May 20th
For the second year in a row, Twitter will livestream WNBA games. The coverage starts on May 20th with a four-game blitz starting at 1PM ET, and will follow with one streamed every Tuesday until the season finale on August 19th.
Under Armour takes on HQ Trivia with the help of NBA star Steph Curry
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry returned to the court after a lengthy absence last night, and Under Armour is giving fans another reason to celebrate. The shoe company will take on the likes of HQ Trivia with Steph IQ: a basketball-themed quiz where players can win store credit, shoes and even NBA playoffs tickets. As you might expect, the kicks are Steph's own UA sneaker, the Curry 5.
Alexa now recaps NBA and NHL game stats
Voice assistants aren't great for sports buffs. They can provide the latest scores or tell you when your favorite team will play, but they rarely dive headlong into stats. Amazon, however, thinks it can dig a little deeper. It just gave Alexa the ability to recap NBA and NHL games, including the stats for individual players. You can find out how many points LeBron James scored in his last game (as of this article, 26), or have Alexa summarize the latest Maple Leafs match (they won).
Pizza Hut's 'smart' shoes turn you into a fashionable couch potato
When it comes to fast-food PR stunts, Pizza Hut doesn't hold back. Seriously, this is the company that's made a jacket that keeps you as warm as, well, a pizza. The ridiculous garment came with the same insulating materials as those used in Pizza Hut's delivery pouches, including an inner pocket where you can fit a naked slice to take on the go, because why not. But, as mind-boggling as the parka is, Pizza Hut's best stunt might be the Pie Tops II, a pair of sneakers that let you order a pie and control your DVR right from the tongues.
Google will predict Final Four performance based on in-game data (updated)
Google has been working closely with the NCAA during this year's tournament, but now, during the Final Four, the company will be using predictive analytics to make predictions about second half performance. The wrinkle here is that the team will use data from the first half of the game to come up with their prediction during halftime. They'll then create an ad right in the Alamodome, which will air before the beginning of the second half of the game.
Twitter will host Final Four 'watch parties' with live analysis
Twitter's sports offerings have grown quite a bit over the last couple of years. Between game coverage, 24/7 streams and analysis shows, Twitter keeps expanding its sports content, and this weekend, Variety reports, it's adding March Madness Watch Parties to its slate. In partnership with Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA, Twitter will host a "live social-viewing experience" during both Men's Final Four games this weekend as well as the National Championship game on Monday. The Watch Parties will consist of analyst commentary, highlights and even some special guests.
NBA League Pass offers a discount on in-progress games
If you're a sports fan, you've no doubt had that moment when you scrambled to watch the end of a live game after leaving a social function. And that can be expensive with streaming services -- do you really want to pay for a whole match just to catch the last 15 minutes? You won't have to with NBA games. As it hinted before, the basketball association and Turner are launching an option to watch games in progress at a "reduced price." They're not saying what that price is, but users have been seeing options to watch the last quarter of a game for 99 cents.
Put March Madness on your face with $3 VR livestreams
Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA will once again be offering VR livestreams of the March Madness tournament, Variety reports. The NCAA March Madness Live VR app will host 21 games starting with the first and second rounds and continuing through the National Championship. Users will be able to choose whether they want to view the game from a particular camera or watch produced coverage with multiple camera angles and audio. First and second round games will include commentary from TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV telecasts while the app will host play-by-play commentary from Spero Dedes, Steve Smith, Rich Waltz and Steve Lavin during Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games. Dedes and Smith will also provide commentary during the Semifinal and Championship matchups.
Sling TV users can add NBA Team Pass to follow their favorite squad
Weeks ago, Sling TV added NBA League Pass as a $30 monthly additional package subscribers can purchase to follow out-of-market games. But if they only care about one team, the over-the-top provider has them covered now, too. Today, users can add on the Team Pass for $18 per month for those who already pay for a Sling Orange, Sling Blue and/or Spanish-language service package. This lets fans follow one out-of-market team across the regular season with live games, full replays and audio broadcasts.
Hulu adds sports features to Live TV just in time for March Madness
Just in time for March Madness, Hulu has added features for its Live TV service keyed specifically to the month-long event. Did you like choosing particular sports during the recent Winter Olympics and having Hulu curate coverage per your interests? They're bringing it back for the basketball finals: Just pick your favorite NCAA men's and women's teams and the service will make sure you never miss their games.
TNT's NBA VR livestreams begin February 16th
Last November, Intel and TNT announced a partnership to bring 360-degree, 3D broadcasts of NBA games to GearVR and Daydream VR headsets. Now Turner Sports and Intel have officially launched the app that brings an immersive basketball experience via TNT's VR app and powered by Intel's True VR technology. While the current VR app is mainly a Turner Broadcasting initiative, it can only help the NBA expand its audience via the technology.
