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NBA smart jersey switches your player allegiances on the fly
Sports jerseys are big commitments for fans -- you're betting that your favorite player won't switch teams, take a nose dive or otherwise prove embarrassing. In the future, though, you might just have to pull out your phone to change allegiances. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has demonstrated a smart, jersey that would switch the player name and number in a matter of seconds. If you're disappointed in a star forward or just want to root for a different team while they're in town, you could give yourself a 'new' jersey by launching a phone app.
Inside Nike's DIY studio for Snapchat selfie Lenses
Snapchat's Lens Studio, which lets anyone create their own augmented reality filters, has been a big hit for the company. There are now more than 300,000 Lenses created by independent users, and those have been viewed over 35 billion times. Still, Snapchat wants Lens Studio to get even bigger, and what better way to help it do that than by teaming up with one of the biggest brands in the world: Nike. At NBA All-Star Weekend 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Nike and Snapchat built a do-it-yourself studio for people to create AR Lenses on the fly.
NBA game recaps are coming to Facebook Watch
You'll soon get to see official highlights from every NBA game on Facebook, after the two signed a deal to stream recaps on the Watch tab. The agreement covers all four of the NBA's leagues: NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and the NBA 2K eSports league. Recaps from the Summer League, preseason and playoffs will also be available.
Unboxing Nike's self-lacing Adapt BB sneakers is like opening a smartphone
It was exactly a month ago that Nike took the wraps off of Adapt BB, its latest pair of shoes with power laces, and now the company is finally ready to bring them to the masses. The Adapt BB will launch globally on February 17th, although some lucky people have already been able to get them through Nike's SNKRS app. Unlike the HyperAdapt 1.0 from 2017, which were more of a concept project, the Adapt BBs are intended to be performance shoes for basketball players. They're also smarter than the HyperAdapts, thanks to a mobile app that pairs with the shoes via Bluetooth and lets users adjust how the laces fit. You can also use the Adapt application, available for iOS and Android, to change the two LED colors on the shoes.
Now your Beats headphones can match your NBA fandom
We don't get too excited about new colors of existing products here at Engadget, but hey, Dr. Dre is full of surprises. Just ahead of this weekend's All-Star Game in Charlotte, Beats revealed its first collection as a partner of the NBA: The Studio3 Wireless NBA Collection. The new colorways of the over-ear Bluetooth headphones are painted in the appropriate colors for six teams: Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. Each set also features a color-on-color pattern of the team logo so it's clear where your allegiance lies.
NBA refs will return to Twitter to answer fans' questions
Last year during the NBA finals, some of the league's refs took to Twitter in order to discuss calls made during a game and answer fans' questions. Feedback was positive, ESPN reports. Positive enough for the NBA and the National Basketball Referees Association to decide to do it again this season but during even more games. For the first two #RefWatchParty events this season, referees will engage with fans when the Golden State Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers on the 21st and during the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers game on the 23rd.
A closer look at Nike's Adapt BB auto-lacing basketball shoes
Back in December of last year, Nike revealed during its quarterly earnings call that it was getting ready to introduce a $350 self-lacing basketball shoe. Ever since, sneakerheads have been highly anticipating the successor to the 2016 HyperAdapt 1.0, Nike's first consumer-grade sneaker with power laces. And now it's finally here. Enter the Adapt BB, an auto-lacing, app-controlled basketball shoe that's packing a ton of technology inside it. The highlight here, as you might expect, is a smart motor that automatically adjusts the lacing system to fit perfectly around your foot as soon as you put the shoe on.
Nike's Adapt BB is an app-controlled, self-lacing basketball shoe
We knew they were coming, but Nike has officially introduced its first self-lacing basketball shoes, the Adapt BB. These new sneakers are designed to provide a "truly customized fit for every basketball player," according to the company, thanks to a power-lacing system called FitAdapt that can be adjusted manually or with a smartphone app. The sportswear giant says that over the course of a basketball game, a player's foot can expand almost a half-size, which can affect their comfort level and ultimately have an impact on their movement and performance on the court. That's the problem Nike is looking to solve with Adapt BB.
Nike teases self-lacing shoes you can control from your phone
Ahead of the launch of its first self-lacing basketball shoes this week, Nike just posted a major tease to get people hyped. And while we can't see what the sneakers actually look like, it does appear you'll be able to adjust their power laces using your smartphone, based on a video featuring various NBA athletes trying them out. This would be a notable change compared to the HyperAdapt 1.0 from 2016, which had no wireless connectivity and, instead, came with physical power buttons that let you lace up the shoes. Another big difference is that the upcoming self-lacing sneakers are only expected to cost $350, much less than the $720 of the original HyperAdapts. That's all we know so far, but we'll find out everything about "the future of the game" of basketball tomorrow, so stay tuned to our site for more coverage from Nike's event.
Jack Dorsey talks NBA Twitter and Kevin Durant's burner account
Fresh off the announcement of a new partnership between Twitter and the NBA, today CEO Jack Dorsey sat down with the league's Commissioner Adam Silver at CES 2019. They talked about NBA games coming to Twitter for the first time, which won't be like any sports stream. Rather than watching a typical NBA broadcast, the Twitter camera feed is going to focus on single players, and users will be able to vote to choose whose view they want to get during a game. Dorsey said these livestreams are designed to be a "great complimentary experience" to the games you're watching on TV, rather than the primary source of entertainment.
Twitter's upcoming NBA streams will focus on single players
Twitter is no stranger to sports content, but when it airs 20 NBA games later this year, it will be doing something a little different. Only the second half of those games will air and coverage will be focused on one, single player. Who that player is will be determined by a vote hosted on Twitter. The streams will feature both regular season and playoff games, and they'll debut with the All-Star Game on February 17th.
NBA League Pass is now available through Amazon Prime Video Channels
If you can't get enough NBA action, you're in luck. Amazon is now offering live games from NBA League Pass part of its Prime Video Channels service. You'll have to get a League Pass subscription to access the content, which you can get through Amazon for $29 per month or $169 for a full season of action. A free week of access to League Pass is available starting today through December 20th.
Nike’s new PlayStation sneakers pay homage to Sony’s classic console
The first week of December couldn't get much better for PlayStation fans. On top of the launch of Sony's miniature PS Classic on December 3rd, Nike also has something in store for them in the next few days. On December 1st, the sportswear giant will launch the second edition of its PlayStation-themed signature basketball shoes, designed for NBA superstar Paul George. Like the original shoes from earlier this year, the new PG 2.5 x PlayStation are inspired by Sony's gaming console, but this pair takes all of its cues from the original PlayStation rather than the PS4.
The best ways to stream live sports
If you're a sports fan, there's nothing quite like kicking back on the couch, cracking open a cold one and watching your favorite team rise triumphant over the other guys. For the longest time, it was thought that the only way to have such an experience was via a TV coupled with a cable or satellite subscription. That's because, for the most part, sports are best enjoyed live, and watching live TV hasn't always been the province of cord cutters. Things have changed in the past few years, however. Not only can you now stream most live sports on your computer or your smartphone, but you don't even need a cable or satellite provider to do so, which can potentially save you plenty of money. Yet the process is less easy than you'd think -- it depends a lot on what sport you're into and which teams you support -- and there are occasionally local blackouts to contend with as well. But with the cord-cutting movement gaining momentum recently, it's now a lot easier to watch live sports online than it's ever been, as long as you know what to look for. For the purposes of this guide, we decided to focus on the five major sports that are most often watched live -- American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, and domestic and international soccer -- though we also offer information about other sports like tennis and golf where relevant.
GOAT sneaker marketplace partners with NBA player Kyle Kuzma
Online sneaker marketplace GOAT announced that Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma will serve as the company's brand ambassador. Today's announcement marks the first partnership between a sneaker reselling platform and a professional athlete. During this NBA season, GOAT will outfit Kuzma with 'rare and highly-coveted Nike sneakers,' which he'll wear both on and off the court
NBA League Pass transforms games into VR viewing parties
Live sports broadcasts in VR tend to be solitary affairs, but they're about to become decidedly more social. Now that the 2018-2019 NBA season is getting underway, NBA League Pass and NextVR have revealed that they're offering shared viewing through Oculus Venues. If there's a friend across the country who can't show up to watch a game in person, they can don a VR headset and enjoy that sense of camaraderie. You'll even unlock a team jersey for your avatar if you tune in, so you can rep your favorite squad whenever you like.
Sacramento Kings use next-gen texting to send tickets and schedules
The Sacramento Kings are still as obsessed with technology as ever, although their latest move could be particularly helpful in the long run. The basketball team has teamed up with Zipwhip to become the first pro sports outfit to use next-gen RCS texting. The richer format lets the Kings send tickets, schedules and other rich info without making you check your email or use a specialized app -- you can just use the same texting app you would to message your friends.
Start your 'NBA 2K19' MyCareer before the game is even out
NBA 2K19 doesn't come out until September 7th (Anniversary Edition), but those of you who are impatiently waiting for the game can get a good taste for it starting today. Thanks to the Prelude demo, you can can play the first chapter of this year's MyCareer mode on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, and you'll be able to take any progress you make with you once you get the full copy. In 2K19, the story mode is called "The Way Back," which will let you take your custom player on a journey from China to the G-League and, finally, the NBA.
Bixby will start collecting sports scores and news next month
Bixby Home is getting smarter. Well, in the sense that now in the US, Samsung's virtual assistant will offer sports scores and up-to-the-minute news coverage through a partnership with theScore. Swiping right on "select" Galaxy device home-screens including the S9 and S9 Plus gives access to the stats and news. To make the feature a little more useful, you can even follow your favorite teams and leagues so only the news that matters to you will show up.
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.
