Tag Archives: National Basketball Association

The NBA will air a Christmas Day game with Disney characters

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If you can’t get your kids to sit through one of the five NBA games airing on Christmas Day, tune into Disney+, ESPN+ or ESPN2 for a special Disney-fied version. ESPN announced that it will air a “Dunk the Halls” broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs versus the New York Knicks featuring animated Disney characters.

The broadcast starts at 12PM eastern. If you just want to watch the game played by regular, boring humans, that will also air on Disney+ and ESPN+ as well as ABC and ESPN.

“Dunk the Halls” will use Sony’s Beyond Sports technology to turn Madison Square Garden into Main Street USA from the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The game will also feature appearances from classic Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald and Daisy Duck as well as Santa and his elves from the animated Disney short Prep & Landing.

This is the first time the NBA has arranged to air a game with animated characters and graphic overlays. It’s also the latest game in a new trend of mixing live sports events with a network’s signature cartoon characters. ESPN+, Disney+ and the NFL+ app will air an alternative version of the Bengals-Cowboys game on December 9 featuring virtual characters and scenes from The Simpsons. ESPN3’s Full Court Press broadcasts use technology designed by Second Spectrum to create augmented graphics that track players movements and provide real time updates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-nba-will-air-a-christmas-day-game-with-disney-characters-224921665.html?src=rss

NBA League Pass gets multiview just in time for the season to start

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NBA League Pass is getting some cool new features for the 2024-25 season. This includes multiview, which is an oft-requested tool. Multiview allows basketball fans to watch up to four games at once on the same screen.

The feature works on TVs, smartphones and tablets, and will likely be a mainstay of bookies everywhere. It’s actually available right now to subscribers, for those keeping track of preseason developments. The season officially starts on October 22, so that’ll be when multiview really starts to prove its worth.

Four basketball games.
NBA

There’s a new smart rewind tool that’ll automatically pick out key highlights and plays to check out. Subscribers will also be able to download full games for offline viewing, which could be a boon for flights and the like. Just stay away from spoilers.

NBA League Pass is an app that exists in the year 2024. That means it’s getting stuffed with a whole lot of AI. There’s something called NBA Insights, which features an algorithm trained on “deep basketball understanding.” The algo will use its knowledge to “identify key narratives, player performances and notable milestones, providing fans with a continuous feed of text-based updates that go beyond the box score.” Here’s hoping it keeps hallucinations to a minimum.

The league is also using generative AI to localize content, offering translations and automated recaps in French, Portuguese and Spanish. Finally, there’s something called the “Dunk Score.” As the name suggests, this is an AI-calculated grade for dunks. The calculations happen in real time based on a “player’s jumping distance, style and force at the rim and defensive efforts from the opposing team.”

For the uninitiated, NBA League Pass provides access to hundreds of out-of-market games throughout the season. The premium ad-free version costs $25 per month, or $160 per season. The standard ad-filled subscription costs $17 per month or $110 per season. NBA TV, which is a more limited service to watch out-of-market games, is still available via cable providers. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/nba-league-pass-gets-multiview-just-in-time-for-the-season-to-start-191016755.html?src=rss

Warner Bros. Discovery sues the NBA in a last-ditch effort to block Amazon’s new streaming package

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Warner Bros. Discovery followed through on its threat to “take appropriate action” against the NBA for rejecting its broadcasting rights offer. Variety reported on Friday that the media company sued the league in the New York State Supreme Court after the NBA turned down its bid to match Amazon’s streaming package that kicks in starting in the 2025-26 season.

The conflict stems from Warner’s belief that its current contract gives it the right to match any offer that would replace Warner’s TNT as a home for NBA games (and the iconic Inside the NBA) in the upcoming deal. As for the league’s stance, The Athletic reported that since the current agreements were signed when streaming was “on the horizon, but not part of the deals,” the NBA disagrees with Warner’s matching claim.

The lawsuit was expected as soon as the league announced its new broadcasting and streaming package, which also includes Disney (ABC and ESPN) and Comcast (NBC). The NBA reportedly told Warner it rejected its matching offer because it wanted to put all its games on its streaming service, Max, in addition to TNT. Amazon also allegedly offered to pay its first three years in full, whereas Warner offered a three-year line of credit. Finally, the NBA reportedly believed Amazon’s reach was simply greater.

“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,” the NBA’s statement on Wednesday read.

Charles Barkley sitting in a studio chair, a look of disbelief on his face.
Charles Barkley
TNT / Warner Bros. Discovery

Unless Warner can force the NBA’s hand, the new agreement will almost certainly mean the end of Inside the NBA. The decades-old sports show, starring Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, has harnessed a rare blend of comedy, chemistry and (sometimes taking a backseat to the first two) sports analysis. The beloved program, which has won 19 Sports Emmy Awards, began in 1989 as a Johnson solo effort before fleshing out its tight-knit cast through the following years and (in the case of Shaq) decades.

Turner has partnered with the NBA since the 1984-85 season, which coincided with Barkley’s (and Michael Jordan’s) entrance into the league out of college.

Barkley lashed out at the NBA after hearing about the new rights package, accusing it of wanting to “break up with us from the beginning” in a statement on X. Adding, “I’m not sure TNT ever had a chance,” the Hall of Famer described it as “a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans.”

“It just sucks,” Barkley wrote before thanking Turner’s fans for the last 24 years he’s been on the show. Inside the NBA will return next season, perhaps its last, along with the network’s standard lineup of NBA games, before the new deal begins in the 2025-26 season.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/warner-bros-discovery-sues-the-nba-in-a-last-ditch-effort-to-block-amazons-new-streaming-package-183352404.html?src=rss

X’s AI bot is so dumb it can’t tell the difference between a bad game and vandalism

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Last night, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson had a rough outing shooting 0 for 10 in a loss against the Sacramento Kings, ending the team’s chances of making the NBA playoffs. But then, almost as if to add insult to injury, X’s AI bot Grok generated a trending story claiming Thompson was vandalizing homes in the area with bricks.

Now at this point, even casual basketball fans may be able to see what went wrong. But Grok isn’t very smart, because it seems that after seeing user posts about a player simply missing a bunch of shots (aka shooting bricks), the bot took things literally resulting in a completely fictitious AI-generated report.

After misinterpreting user posts about Klay Thompson's poor shooting during an NBA game, X's AI bot Grok created a fictitious story on the social media platform's trending section.
After misinterpreting user posts about Klay Thompson's poor shooting during an NBA game, X's AI bot Grok created a fictitious story on the social media platform's trending section. 
Screenshot by Sam Rutherford (via X)

In the event this fabrication — which was the #5 trending story at the time of writing — gets corrected or deleted by Elon Musk, Grok originally wrote “In a bizarre turn of events, NBA star Klay Thompson has been accused of vandalizing multiple houses with bricks in Sacramento. Authorities are investigating the claims after several individuals reported their houses being damaged, with windows shattered by bricks. Klay Thompson has not yet issued a statement regarding the accusations. The incidents have left the community shaken, but no injuries were reported. The motive behind the alleged vandalism remains unclear.” Amusingly, despite pointing out the unusual nature of the story Grok went ahead of put out some nonsense anyway.

Granted, in fine print beneath the story, X says “Grok is an early feature and can make mistakes. Verify its outputs.” But even that warning seems to have backfired, as basketball fans began memeing on the AI with posts sarcastically verifying the AI’s erroneous statement.

After Grok created an erroneous story about Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, users began memeing on the situation.
After Grok created an erroneous story about Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, users began memeing on the situation. 
Screenshot by Sam Rutherford (via X)

For most people, Grok’s latest gaff may merely be another example in an ongoing series of early AI tools messing up. But for others like Musk who believes that AI will be smarter than humans as soon as the end of next year, this should serve as a reminder that AI is still in desperate need of regular fact-checking.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xs-ai-bot-is-so-dumb-it-cant-tell-the-difference-between-a-bad-game-and-vandalism-172707401.html?src=rss

X’s AI bot is so dumb it can’t tell the difference between a bad game and vandalism

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Last night, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson had a rough outing shooting 0 for 10 in a loss against the Sacramento Kings, ending the team’s chances of making the NBA playoffs. But then, almost as if to add insult to injury, X’s AI bot Grok generated a trending story claiming Thompson was vandalizing homes in the area with bricks.

Now at this point, even casual basketball fans may be able to see what went wrong. But Grok isn’t very smart, because it seems that after seeing user posts about a player simply missing a bunch of shots (aka shooting bricks), the bot took things literally resulting in a completely fictitious AI-generated report.

After misinterpreting user posts about Klay Thompson's poor shooting during an NBA game, X's AI bot Grok created a fictitious story on the social media platform's trending section.
After misinterpreting user posts about Klay Thompson's poor shooting during an NBA game, X's AI bot Grok created a fictitious story on the social media platform's trending section. 
Screenshot by Sam Rutherford (via X)

In the event this fabrication — which was the #5 trending story at the time of writing — gets corrected or deleted by Elon Musk, Grok originally wrote “In a bizarre turn of events, NBA star Klay Thompson has been accused of vandalizing multiple houses with bricks in Sacramento. Authorities are investigating the claims after several individuals reported their houses being damaged, with windows shattered by bricks. Klay Thompson has not yet issued a statement regarding the accusations. The incidents have left the community shaken, but no injuries were reported. The motive behind the alleged vandalism remains unclear.” Amusingly, despite pointing out the unusual nature of the story Grok went ahead of put out some nonsense anyway.

Granted, in fine print beneath the story, X says “Grok is an early feature and can make mistakes. Verify its outputs.” But even that warning seems to have backfired, as basketball fans began memeing on the AI with posts sarcastically verifying the AI’s erroneous statement.

After Grok created an erroneous story about Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, users began memeing on the situation.
After Grok created an erroneous story about Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, users began memeing on the situation. 
Screenshot by Sam Rutherford (via X)

For most people, Grok’s latest gaff may merely be another example in an ongoing series of early AI tools messing up. But for others like Musk who believes that AI will be smarter than humans as soon as the end of next year, this should serve as a reminder that AI is still in desperate need of regular fact-checking.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xs-ai-bot-is-so-dumb-it-cant-tell-the-difference-between-a-bad-game-and-vandalism-172707401.html?src=rss

Threads is getting into live sports scores, starting with the NBA

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The social network Threads is going to start showing live sports scores, starting with NBA basketball. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the initiative and wrote that it’ll be adding more leagues in the near future. 

Here’s how it works. During a game, just search for the teams and you’ll see an up-to-date score. If the game is over, a search will bring up the final score. You can also find out when a game will start by searching for it ahead of time. This obviously resembles how X does things, as the platform began showing live sports scores back in 2017, when it was called Twitter.

Each score is accompanied by the two team logos. Tapping on these logos redirects users to a conversation about that team. Threads, along with Instagram, recently decided to stop recommending political content, so emphasizing sports is a decent way to capture the “real time” vibe of a hip and happening social network.

To that end, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has been, sigh, courting NBA diehards for months, calling the community of basketball fans on Threads a “great example of the kind of thing we hoped to see” on the app. A Threads spokesperson told Engadget that “basketball has become one of the most popular topics” and that “NBA Threads has become one of the app’s most active sports communities.”

This makes sense, as NBA discourse is also huge on X. NBA Twitter, as it's still called in sports media, regularly drives coverage and conversation about the pro basketball league. It sure seems like Meta hopes to siphon away some of that influence. Apple also recently announced its own sports-related initiative. The first-party Sports iPhone app offers real-time stats for a number of major leagues, including the NBA, and throws up live score data on the lock screen during a game.

Threads is all over the place this week. The platform introduced a new algorithm-tuning feature that works by swiping left and right on posts and announced a beta test that lets users share content to Mastodon and other fediverse services. The live scores feature is also in its testing phase. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-is-getting-into-live-sports-scores-starting-with-the-nba-185616086.html?src=rss

PS Plus’ latest free games include Resident Evil 3, Midnight Suns and NBA 2K24

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On Wednesday, Sony unveiled the latest catalog of games for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. The latest batch of titles includes the Resident Evil 3 remake, Marvel’s Midnight Suns and NBA 2K24 (among others). You can play the games for free starting on Tuesday, March 19.

Capcom’s Resident Evil 3 remake (PS5 / PS4) arrived in early 2020. You play as Jill Valentine as you try to escape the virus-infected and zombie-overrun Raccoon City. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Midnight Suns (PS5 / PS4) is a tactical RPG set “in the darker side of the Marvel Universe.” Playable characters include Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Deadpool and Captain Marvel.

Promotional screenshot from NBA 2K24, featuring the Spurs' rookie Victor Wembanyama dribbling the ball up the court. Stadium full of fans visible behind him.
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama in NBA 2K24
2K Sports / Take-Two Interactive

You can also claim the NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition (PS5 / PS4). The most current version of 2K’s long-running basketball franchise has updated rosters and historic teams, along with a “Mamba Moments” mode that relives some of the late Lakers Hall of Famer’s most memorable career highlights.

Lego DC Supervillains (PS4 only) is a 2018 game that takes the Lego franchise’s goofy, family-friendly fun and flips the script — letting you play as the bad guys. You can control villains like The Joker, Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Two-Face and the Penguin.

Other claimable titles include turn-based death match Blood Bowl 3 (PS5, PS4), puzzler Mystic Pillars: Remastered (PS5), side-scrolling RPG Super Neptune (PS4) and action RPG Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS5). The classics appearing this month include the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (PS4), Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS5, PS4), Cool Boarders (PS5, PS4), Gods Eater Burst (PS5, PS4) and JoJos Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps-plus-latest-free-games-include-resident-evil-3-midnight-suns-and-nba-2k24-181904818.html?src=rss

PS Plus’ latest free games include Resident Evil 3, Midnight Suns and NBA 2K24

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On Wednesday, Sony unveiled the latest catalog of games for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. The latest batch of titles includes the Resident Evil 3 remake, Marvel’s Midnight Suns and NBA 2K24 (among others). You can play the games for free starting on Tuesday, March 19.

Capcom’s Resident Evil 3 remake (PS5 / PS4) arrived in early 2020. You play as Jill Valentine as you try to escape the virus-infected and zombie-overrun Raccoon City. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Midnight Suns (PS5 / PS4) is a tactical RPG set “in the darker side of the Marvel Universe.” Playable characters include Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Deadpool and Captain Marvel.

Promotional screenshot from NBA 2K24, featuring the Spurs' rookie Victor Wembanyama dribbling the ball up the court. Stadium full of fans visible behind him.
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama in NBA 2K24
2K Sports / Take-Two Interactive

You can also claim the NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition (PS5 / PS4). The most current version of 2K’s long-running basketball franchise has updated rosters and historic teams, along with a “Mamba Moments” mode that relives some of the late Lakers Hall of Famer’s most memorable career highlights.

Lego DC Supervillains (PS4 only) is a 2018 game that takes the Lego franchise’s goofy, family-friendly fun and flips the script — letting you play as the bad guys. You can control villains like The Joker, Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Two-Face and the Penguin.

Other claimable titles include turn-based death match Blood Bowl 3 (PS5, PS4), puzzler Mystic Pillars: Remastered (PS5), side-scrolling RPG Super Neptune (PS4) and action RPG Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS5). The classics appearing this month include the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (PS4), Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS5, PS4), Cool Boarders (PS5, PS4), Gods Eater Burst (PS5, PS4) and JoJos Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps-plus-latest-free-games-include-resident-evil-3-midnight-suns-and-nba-2k24-181904818.html?src=rss

‘NBA 2K24’ introduces a LeBron era and more updates

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Basketball season is fast approaching, and so is a new opportunity to virtually get in on the action: NBA 2K24 New Gen. 2K shared preliminary information about the game in July but has just announced new details about September 8th's NBA 2K24, including adding a LeBron Era. This new mode follows LeBron James' 2010 journey of leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat and leads into the already existing Modern Era. NBA 2K23 also introduced the Magic vs. Bird Era, Jordan Era and Kobe Era to the game. 

Another potentially exciting eras update (if you like being reminded about the passage of time) is an aging feature, which shows the athletes growing older as you play across a person's career. Other new era additions include curated reactions from spectators and journalists, depending on the time period you're in. After a game, you'll also see an article sharing a summary of your match — initially as a newspaper and, as time passes, a social media webpage. 

NBA 2K24 should also reflect aspects of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reached by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association and currently in place through the 2029 to 2030 season. These include each NBA team being positionless and shifting the Restricted Free Agent Right of Refusal Period to 24 hours. 

MyNBA online has some updates as well, including a range of roles for you to take on: commissioner, admin, gameplay tuner, time manager, designer, appearance editor or attribute editor. Each position has specific tasks, such as the designer, who can make and change logos, arenas and jerseys. Plus, there's now MyNBA Lite which removes some of the steps typically required for gameplay, such as CBA restrictions and scouting. 

WNBA gameplay also has new features coming on NBA 2K24, such as the ability to start as either a college basketball star or an up-and-comer. There's also "In Pursuit of Greatness," which has you play against rival players to be the best. These games, and those against a veteran of your team or a historic all-star player, allow you to earn badge perks. You can use these rewards to get updated 2K Breakthrough Skins and MyTEAM Jersey Cards. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nba-2k24-introduces-a-lebron-era-and-more-updates-140015258.html?src=rss

‘NBA 2K24’ arrives on September 8th with PS5-Xbox crossplay

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2K announced today that NBA 2K24 will arrive on September 8th. The 25th-anniversary installment in the long-running basketball sim adds crossplay between PS5 and Xbox Series X/S — a first for the series — while celebrating one of the league’s greatest all-time shooting guards.

The game focuses heavily on the likeness of Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, who died tragically in a helicopter crash in 2020 at age 41. Not only does Bryant appear on the upcoming game’s cover, but 2K added a “Mamba Moments” mode that’s a Kobe-fied version of NBA 2K23’s Jordan Challenge. Similar to the previous installment’s MJ mode, you’ll “recreate some of Kobe’s most captivating performances and progress through his transcendent journey from a young phenom to one of the greatest players of all time,” according to the developer.

NBA 2K24 also adds a new technical feature called ProPlay for current-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles that translates real-world NBA footage into the game engine. It “delivers animations and movements via on-court NBA action for a generational leap in authenticity on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S,” the description reads. 2K says it will tell us more about ProPlay and Mamba Moments “later this summer.”

The title will ship in three variants: the Kobe Bryant Edition (the standard version), the Black Mamba Edition and a 25th Anniversary Edition. The Kobe Bryant Edition will cost $70 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S and $60 for Switch, PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The Black Mamba Edition adds virtual currency and a long list of digital collectibles for $100. Meanwhile, the $150 25th Anniversary Edition (only available through September 10th) adds everything from the Black Mamba Edition along with a 12-month subscription to NBA League Pass and other in-game collectibles and boosts.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nba-2k24-arrives-on-september-8th-with-ps5-xbox-crossplay-140046497.html?src=rss