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In the NBA's eSports league, diversity means a new kind of athlete
With millions of gamers willing to watch people play League of Legends or FIFA for fun, major players in the entertainment industry see eSports as an intriguing business opportunity. Earlier this month, the NBA announced a partnership with Take-Two Interactive, developer of the renowned NBA2K franchise, to create a one-of-a-kind eSports league. This new professional gaming competition, known as "NBA 2K eLeague," will be the first owned by a major US sports organization when it starts in 2018. That's assuming the NFL, MLB or MLS don't make any sudden moves before then.
Intel made a drone to help an NBA player in the Slam Dunk Contest
Orlando Magic player Aaron Gordon took things to a whole new level in tonight's NBA Slam Dunk Contest, one of the main events during the league's All-Star Weekend. The 21-year-old worked with Intel on a drone to use an assist prop for his first dunk at the event, something which had obviously never been done before. Unfortunately, it took Gordon a few tries to successfully take the pass from the drone and dunk the ball in the basket, but it was still great to see it happen in the end.
The NBA made an original show for Google's Daydream VR platform
As part of its 2017 All-Star Weekend festivities, the NBA is launching a virtual reality app for Google's Daydream platform. The main piece of NBA VR is a new series called House of Legends, which the league created in partnership with Digital Domain specifically for viewing in 360-degree video. It's a talk show hosted by former NBA players like Bruce Bowen, Chauncey Billups and Robert Horry, where they'll discuss stories from their careers, pop culture and things happening around the league. NBA VR will also feature other on-demand, 360-degree video content, including highlights and tours of teams' arenas.
'NBA 2K eLeague' eSports squads will be owned by NBA teams
In 2018, the NBA will team up with Take Two (maker of the NBA 2K videogame series) for a groundbreaking eSports league. That's because this time, the actual NBA franchises will own eSports teams competing for the championship, similar to the way teams can own, or even share, Development League squads. There's no word on which teams will be the first ones to own one of the 8-12 initial teams in the "NBA 2K eLeague." Each one will feature five human players and the plan is to eventually have one for each of the league's 30 teams.
ICYMI: Basketball is about to get even more stats-heavy
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The National Basketball Association signed a seven-year agreement to use a computer-vision, artificial intelligence system that analyzes on-court action in ways average viewers couldn't spot as they watch.
Dish helps you follow out-of-town NBA teams
It's tough being a San Antonio Spurs fan living in New York City, since I can only watch games shown on national TV. With NBA Team Pass, though, that's not a problem. And starting today, Dish is making it available to its subscribers for $119 per season, becoming the first pay-TV provider to do so. Up until now, Team Pass was only available as an online streaming service, but you should note that out-of-market blackout restrictions still apply with Dish's offering.
NBA gives you a better view of games on your phone
Just because you can watch live sports on your phone doesn't mean you'll enjoy it -- the footage is usually optimized for TV, which sometimes means staring at players the size of ants. You won't have to squint if you're an NBA League Pass customer during the 2016-2017 season, though. The basketball streaming service is trotting out a Mobile View option that gives you a close-up shot in its Android and iOS apps. You can switch back to a traditional view when you want an overview, but this promises to help in those moments when you want to identify the ball carrier or get a good look at that impending dunk.
NBA will livestream weekly games in VR this season
As far as professional sports leagues go, the NBA may be the most tech-forward of the bunch. Last year, it teamed up with NextVR to stream the first game of its 2015-2016 season in virtual reality. Today, both parties are taking that partnership one step further. NBA Digital and NextVR have announced that, starting this season (which tips off October 25th), they will be livestreaming one game per week to Gear VR headsets. It is the first deal of its kind, according to NextVR, something that bodes well for virtual reality as an entertainment medium.
Indiana Pacers use AI to help you get hot dogs faster
Among the hassles you deal with at sports events, waiting in line is one of the most annoying. What if you miss the start of play because you had to satisfy a hot dog craving? The Indiana Pacers want to alleviate that headache. They're partnering with tech startup WaitTime to shorten waits through artificial intelligence. The newly-launched system takes photos of arena lines at a rate of 10 times per second, and interprets that data to gauge not just queuing times, but also order completion times and the number of people who've given up. The Pacers display the wait times on screens and a mobile app to show you where wait times are short -- you'll know that a given washroom is empty, or whether it'd be quicker to grab nachos instead of a burger.
Japan's LED basketball court looks like a Skrillex fever dream
Japan and high-tech go hand in hand, so it shouldn't be a surprise that its newest basketball court follows that theme to a tee. The hardwood LED court surface is the world's first to be used in professional league play, according to Japanese publication 47 News (Japanese). That makes it a bit different from Nike's similar practice court in Shanghai from a few years back. As you can see from the tweets embedded below -- spotted by Kotaku -- the production is pretty nuts. Going all out for the halftime show might be expected, but even the pre-game run is crazy, with pyro, strobe lights and more. Good game, Yoyogi National Gymnasium.
VR documentary puts you inside the 2016 NBA Finals
The National Basketball Association began experimenting with virtual reality last year, when it used the medium to stream the first game of its 2015 season. Now, the league has teamed up with Oculus on a VR documentary about last year's championship matchup, between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Titled Follow my Lead: The Story of the 2016 NBA Finals, this 360-degree video experience aims to take you where traditional TV can't, giving you a first-person look at the action on and off the court.
Progress from 'NBA 2K17' demo carries over to the full game
Game demos are awesome, but they're usually the intro section of any given game. More than that, once you actually have the retail version, you're stuck working through the same portion of the game over again before getting to the meat of the experience. Playing early is a double-edged sword. NBA 2K17 is doing something different come September 9th, though. With "The Prelude," you'll have early access to the basketball game's career mode and will be able to play college games, interact with coaches during the mini-narrative and affect how you'll start MyCareer when the game arrives.
NBA announces two original shows that will stream on Twitter (updated)
Earlier this month, a Recode report indicated that Twitter was in talks with the NBA and Turner to bring more sports video to the social platform. Today, the league announced the deal what will bring two "live original programs," or TV-style shows, to Twitter, video content that will be exclusive to the social network. Details are scarce for now, but the first will be a weekly pre-game show while all the NBA is saying about the second "to-be-determined show" is that you'll only be able to watch it on Twitter. If you were hoping for live game action, you'll certainly be disappointed... for now.
The Milwaukee Bucks fell prey to a phishing email scam
Just because you're part of a major league sports team doesn't mean you're immune to internet fraudsters. The Milwaukee Bucks have confirmed that they fell victim to a phishing scam that compromised the basketball team's financial data. After receiving an email impersonating team president Peter Feigin, an employee sent out 2015 tax year data for all of the Bucks' employees, including players. Yes, that means that the salaries and social security numbers of some NBA athletes are in sinister hands.
NBA wants to help fans create basketball videos for YouTube
Some sports leagues clamp down on the use of game footage on YouTube and social channels while others embrace it. The NBA falls into that latter category and with the help of BroadbandTV, the league wants to give fans what they need to keep the videos coming. NBA Playmakers is the official title of the new initiative, a community for folks who are making basketball-themed content that ranges from shoes to trick shots and more. As part of the project, video makers will get access to the league's video footage, starting with this season's playoffs which are currently in progress.
NBA 2K celebrates Steph Curry's MVP with a 99 rating
Today Stephen Curry collected NBA's Most Valuable Player award for the second year in a row, and also became the first unanimous MVP in NBA history. To celebrate that achievement (and his epic return from a knee injury to score 40 points in a playoff win last night) NBA 2K will issue an update to its game on Thursday maxing out his overall rating at 99. It's part of a promotion along with his shoe sponsor Under Armour and naturally the MVP colorway of his Curry Two will be available in-game. The 99 rating will be in place for 30 hours at 6PM ET (matching Curry's jersey number) and for a little bit, should make it easier for the videogame to replicate the real-life player's abilities.
'Rocket League' basketball update lands on April 26th
Rocket League's quest to include every major sport continues. Psyonix has revealed that its game's promised basketball mode, Rocket League Hoops, will arrive as part of a free update on April 26th. For the most part, it's exactly what you'd expect: instead of shooting horizontally to score (as with the existing football/soccer and hockey modes), you have to toss the ball down into a giant hoop. That definitely changes the game mechanics, though, as those fanciful aerial and wall shots are now much more important. The only catch is that it's a two-on-two mode, so it won't be quite as wild as you might like.
This is what Kobe's 20-year career in basketball looks like
Information is beautiful, none more so when data is combined with the power of the web to let us visualize the previously unseen. It's one of the reasons why data journalism is so engaging, since it helps show things that you would have otherwise had to trawl through mountains of spreadsheets to understand. This is one such example, the L.A. Times' breakdown of almost every shot Kobe Bryant took during his two-decade tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. Head on over to the Times' website and you'll be able to delve into the stats, with each type of shot, the game and the distance all included. Oh, except for two shots from the 2012-13 season which got missed by the NBA's shot tracking data. But hey, nobody's perfect.
NCAA to stream Final Four and championship game in VR
Streaming sports in VR isn't that novel these days, but that's not stopping the NCAA from employing the tech this weekend in Houston. The collegiate sports governing body announced plans to livestream the Final Four and National Championship games in virtual reality Saturday, April 2nd and Monday, April 4th. This is the first time a VR stream will be available for the culmination of March Madness, offering 180-degree views of the action on the hardwood. The stream will be available on Samsung's Gear VR through the March Madness Live app in the Oculus Store. If you don't have a headset, there will be a 2D 180-degree livestream on the March Madness website alongside 360-degree game highlights.
Facebook Messenger has a hidden basketball game
March Madness is upon us, bringing dunks and layups galore as 68 college teams vie for the national championship. It's easy to get swept up in the hype, but if you're anything like me a trip to the court only ends in disappointment, rather than any spectacular recreation of a trick shot or buzzer beater. Instead, we recommend checking out Messenger Madness, a hidden game built into Facebook's chat app. Just send a basketball emoji to some friends and you can face off in a swipe-based shooting contest.
