Have you ever wanted to dunk on an NBA court? Well, you will soon have a chance – kind of.
Commissioner Adam Silver showcased a futuristic streaming feature for the NBA app at the 2023 NBA All-Star Tech Summit in Utah on Friday. The feature allows users to put themselves in the place of a player during a live game they are watching in the app.
For his demonstration, Silver used his phone to do a 360-degree scan of sportscaster Ahmad Rashad’s body. Once the scan was complete, Rashad appeared in a dropdown menu with a list of players on the court in a Lakers-Jazz game.
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Silver then put Rashad in for Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker, and Rashad’s body took the spot of Horton-Tucker’s. Rashad then raced up the court and dunked on former Lakers center Thomas Bryant.
On top of the avatar option, the NBA app will introduce more alternate languages, influencer and celebrity commentary, an ability to transport games to virtual locations, animated graphics, integrated betting and enhanced camera angles.
The NBA’s official release did not include a name for the new avatar streaming feature.
