NBA Finals 2023: ESPN Updates Championship Series With New Mixed-Reality Open Unreal Engine powers the cinematic feature By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Thursday, June 1, 2023 - 12:33 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
When the 2023 NBA Finals tip off tonight between the highly favored Denver Nuggets and underdog Miami Heat, ESPN will highlight the sport's ultimate prize with a new mixed-reality (MR) open for its broadcast.
Every NBA Finals Champion has a story that is paired with their own historic journey, says Lucas Nickerson, creative director, ESPN. The trophy holds a collection of memories, and this is the curation of rare moments that generate greatness.
Beyond the Traditional: Team Generates Multiple Creative Ideas A championship series like the NBA Finals deserves an impressive open to attract casual basketball fans as well as supporters of both teams. The open is new every year, and, with each one, creating a brand-new version gets a little bit harder. This year, a handful of ideas and technological workflows were thrown around, and finding the singular internal message was key.
We talked about a traditional animated open, says Nickerson, but, as we worked through the boards and creative brief, we knew that the story had to be executed in a different way. We wanted to direct an open that had flexibility in unique storytelling and involved the expertise across all of ESPN Creative Studio.
The mixed-reality set for ESPN's new NBA Finals open
The history of the league is vital to understanding the NBA's complete story. Players like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James solidified their legacies by winning multiple championships. Although they played in different eras and won the NBA Finals at different phases of their respective careers, the common denominator between them is the Larry O'Brien trophy. Creatively, the final vision of this year's open will explain not only the journey of this famous trophy but also each team's road to this matchup.
ESPN on ABC is the home of the NBA Finals. It's where champions become legends, notes Nickerson. This new open takes you on a journey for the title run through a combination of visual techniques driven by ESPN's Creative Studio.
Constrained Timeline: Short Turnaround Becomes the Biggest Challenge As with many championship productions, ESPN Creative Studios had a quick deadline to figure out the creative direction, determine the technologies necessary, shoot the project, and finalize any last details before Game 1. Fortunately, the broadcaster has been deploying the same workflows during its live broadcasts as it's using for the new open.
The new open follows the journey of the NBA's biggest prize, the Larry O'Brien trophy.
For our primetime ABC games, says Nickerson, we implemented extended reality and augmented reality with an editorially driven brand creative in the fall of 2022. The goal of virtually capturing the 3D-animation identity allowed us to springboard our creative aspirations for the NBA Finals this summer.
Although the production and operations teams were familiar with the workflows, it was critical that they work collaboratively with the editorial team to tell the story with stunning visuals.
These new workflows turned into many working sessions to solve creative questions, notes Nickerson. The biggest challenge we encountered was finding a balance of imagination and editorial content within the restraints of one day of filming.
Ultimately, the crew was able to overcome the compressed timeline and strike that balance to achieve the desired product.
We knew this was a strong team of artists that were up for the challenge of exploring a new approach to this project, says Jeremy Anderson, creative producer, ESPN.
Players' jerseys - including those of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Tim Duncan - tell the NBA's story for ESPN's new open.
From a technology perspective, the crew leaned heavily on the power of Unreal Engine as well as on partnerships with Panoply Studio, Two Fresh Creative, and Silverspoon Animation to establish the MR environment. The project was captured via five cameras: two XR cameras, two in-arena AR units, and one CG camera.
Full-Scale Effort: ESPN Creative Studios Pitches in To Enhance Televised Product Nickerson and Anderson played a large role in making the project a success, but others under the ESPN Creative Studios umbrella provided vital expertise: Art Director, NBA Finals, Dale Harney; the finalized look through Unreal Engine by Lead Designer Colin Moore and Senior Designer John Siciliano; and editorial direction by Editors Rabia AlGhani and Adam Schaub. Support for the project also came from Senior Director, Animation and Graphics Innovation, Mike Spike Szykowny; Creative Director David Sparrgrove; Associate Art Director Jeremy Simches; Manager, Motion Graphics Design, Charles Collin; Senior Concept Artist Renata Sedzimir; Animation Supervisor Matt Tucker; Supervising Real-Time Graphics Developer Brad Griswold; Colorist Pat Strenk; and Sound Designer Ben Ayotte. Overall, the entire team came together to pull off a new open for one of the network's most high-profile shows of the year.
ESPN Creative Studio has thrived because of innovative ideas developed by our teams, says Szykowny. The team that worked on this project showed extraordinary ambition and passionate pursuit of creativity, which remains the heart of everything we do. I could not be more proud of what this team has accomplished.
Stay tuned for plenty more coverage of the NBA Finals on SVG in the coming days.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
NBA Finals 2023: ESPN Updates Championship Series With New Mixed-Reality Open Unreal Engine powers the cinematic feature By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor 
