NBA: an augmented reality experience replacing a player with a user's avatar

The National Basketball Association and its commissioner Adam Silver have presented a new augmented reality service that will soon be integrated into the NBA App, at the NBA All-Star Tech Summit held in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA) on the occasion of the NBA All-Star Weekend (annual gala event) on 17/02/2023.

This new service will include "a feature for fans to scan their own avatar into a live NBA game via the NBA App and replace an NBA player," explained the North American league. This initiative aims to offer "new personalised options that would be part of the future live game streaming experience." The augmented reality solution is being developed by Polycam, a US company specialised in 3D capture.

Other new features will also offer fans "more customised experiences, including a wider selection of alternate languages, high-profile influencer and celebrity commentary, the ability to transport the game to virtual locations, new animated graphics, integrated betting and enhanced camera angles," added the NBA.

Adam Silver demonstrates the creation of the avatar to replace a player…