The NBA and Turner sports are set to role out a historic technological achievement tonight to start the season. For the first time ever NBA fans will be able to view a live professional basketball game in virtual reality.
The live stream will take place the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT. This is the perfect game to do so since these teams are truly the future of the league with the Warriors’ generally young and talented roster lead by Steph Curry and the Pelicans’ rising super star, Anthony Davis.
Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to view the Warriors ring ceremony presentation in virtual reality – when the team receives their championship rings on court before the game.
This virtual reality milestone was achieved by the NBA and Turner Sports working closely with NextVR, a company that captures and delivers live and on-demand virtual reality experiences.
Fans attending the Warriors vs. Pelicans game and the Warriors’ pre-game ceremony at the Oracle Arena will be able to access the events in virtual reality with a Samsung Gear VR headset via the NextVR portal that can be found on the Oculus Home app. All of the details that fans need to tune into the virtual reality event can be found on the NextVR site: www.nextvr.com/nba-tnt.
This is an exciting step for the NBA since they began testing some possibilities with virtual reality during the 2013-14 NBA season when NextVR captured a Warriors game against the Denver Nuggets at Oracle Arena. Last season, the NBA became the first U.S. professional sports league to offer virtual reality content and experiences to fans by capturing and distributing highlights of All-Star weekend events.
Other pro leagues should absolutely take notice of this step that the NBA is taking tonight. While Virtual Reality technology is still in its developing stages, it is advancing quickly and potentially opens up a pandoras box of possibilities for leagues and teams in terms of revenue opportunities, fan engagement, new content and global growth opportunities.