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New York Knicks top pick wore a 'Fortnite' suit to the draft
Last night the (real, not 2K League) NBA Draft took over the Barclays Center in New York, and once again, Fortnite was on display. Considering the age of most top picks it's not surprising the game has fans among players, but Kevin Knox took his tribute to the next level by putting the game's logo on the inner lining of his suit jacket. He won't be the only player in the league by far, as guys like Andre Drummond and Kenneth Faried showed up for the E3 Pro-Am event, Celtics player Gordon Hayward was streaming the game last season while recovering from a broken leg, and Knox has already been getting games in with number one draft pick Deandre Ayton. Knox ended up going number nine to the New York Knicks and (as is customary) was booed by the crowd in his new home city. Hopefully, he and star player Kristaps Porzingis can work on their chemistry by playing duos until Porzingis returns from a torn ACL.
Follow tonight’s NBA draft with ESPN’s Twitter livestream
For tonight's NBA draft, ESPN will have fan-focused commentary on its main channel while its ESPN2 coverage will explain what the picks mean for the league. But you can also follow along on the network's Twitter account, which will have "more of a radio-type approach" by ESPN regulars David Jacoby, Ryen Russillo and Ryan Hollins, the company's senior VP of production told Variety. They'll comment while the livestream airs, though it's unclear whether that will continue after the first round.
Twitter is making it easier to follow your favorite topics and events
Twitter has always been the ideal site for conversations and reactions around live events, be it a sports game, an awards show or serious breaking news. Up until today, you've been able to use the Twitter mobile apps to get notifications from specific accounts you're into, like an NBA team or a media outlet, as well as breaking news. But now, the company wants to take that one step further and make it easier for you to see the latest about events and topics you care about. You'll notice this in the form of push notifications that will be sent to your phone based on your particular interests, including who you follow and what you tweet about.
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."
76ers team president out after Twitter burner account investigation
Philadelphia 76ers basketball operations president Bryan Colangelo is no longer employed by the Sixers, league sources told ESPN on Thursday. The news of his departure comes just a week after sports news website The Ringer linked him with five burner Twitter accounts used to trash the team's players and at which time the team launched an investigation into the accusations.
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.
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.
NBA's AR app gives you on-court access
The next high-tech push from the NBA uses augmented reality to put you behind the scenes of the post-season. Simply open the NBA AR app (on either Android or iOS), place the AR target and walk through a "door" to experience the 360 Portals feature's handful of vignettes including player intros and huddles, and post-game celebrations. The NBA also teased "special on-demand content" from the Finals for the app. It's free so you're not out anything for giving it a look, but will it be more than a gimmick you use once or twice? That's up to the NBA. Check out the video below for a taste of what's on offer.
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.
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.
Twitch will stream NBA 2K League events starting May 1st
The NBA 2K League has been picking up steam ahead of its May debut, but it wasn't clear where the basketball franchise's eSports organization would broadcast games. Today, it announced that Twitch will stream the inaugural game on May 1st with many to follow, as the platform and league signed a multiyear partnership.
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).
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.
Turner's live sports streaming service launches April 7th
Turner's long-in-the-making live sports service is here... almost. The broadcaster has announced that its Bleacher Report Live service will debut April 7th in a free preview mode, with "flexible" pricing when you have to start paying in the summer. It'll present live sports in a Facebook-style home feed, with personalization that aggregates content based on your tastes. The sports selection won't suit everyone's tastes (you may want to consider ESPN+), but there are some reasons you'd want to consider BR Live over other options.
NBA is experimenting with 99-cent fourth quarter live streams
NBA's League Pass can be quite pricey if you're more of a casual viewer than a huge fan. Those "casual viewers" could still go online to find illegal streams to watch, though, so the association seems to be thinking of ways to win them over -- like offer access to a game's fourth quarter live stream for just 99 cents. Courtside Ventures Managing Partner Vasu Kulkarni has received a notification on his phone, telling him he can watch the last few minutes of the Heat-Thunder game for less than a dollar.
ESPN+ will host a documentary series on NBA rookies
ESPN has ordered a documentary series for its upcoming streaming service that will center on members of the NBA's 2017-18 rookie class, Variety reports. The eight-episode series will follow select players from draft night preparations, to training and through the regular season. "It will be really compelling, access-based programming, bringing fans closer to their favorite athletes, telling the story of the journey of adjusting to life in the NBA on the court and off the court," Connor Schell, ESPN's executive vice president of content, told Variety.
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.
Sling TV offers League Pass to expand its NBA streaming options
A day after Sling TV revealed that it counts 2.2 million subscribers, the over-the-top internet service announced that it's added new add-on options to watch NBA games. Users can access NBA League Pass today to watch out-of-market games, and in the coming weeks they'll be able to subscribe to Team Pass to follow a single club.
YouTube TV gets TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, CNN and a price bump
It's been almost a year since Google first announced YouTube TV, its $35-per-month service for cord cutters. Since then, Google has been iterating to improve on a product that was solid at launch -- but today marks the biggest expansion of YouTube TV thus far. The service now has access to a host of new channels from the Turner network, including TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, CNN, Turner Classic Movies and a few others. For sports fans, YouTube is also adding NBA TV and the MLB Network as well. But there's a bit of bad news that comes along with this: New YouTube TV subscriptions will now cost $40, up from the $35 price that the service has cost since launch. The price increase will hit on March 13th, so new potential customers still have a month to get in the door and lock in the $35 rate; existing subscribers won't see a change to their bill at all.
Magic Leap's AR headsets will start at around $1,000
Magic Leap is spilling more and more of its secrets as it gets nearer to releasing its first mixed reality headset this year. At Recode's annual Code Media conference, Magic Leap chief Rony Abovitz has revealed the company's plans to release not one, but multiple versions of the headset. He also announced its deal with the NBA to show basketball games in mixed reality.
