
2019 NBA Summer League, Part 1: The League Heads for the Next Technological Frontier The legacy of continuing innovation rolls on in Las Vegas By Kristian Hernandez, Assistant Editor
Friday, July 12, 2019 - 11:09 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Every summer, the best amateur basketball players on the planet become instant superstars after being selected in the annual NBA Draft. Some who go undrafted make their presence felt moving forward. Whether you wore an expensive suit and celebrated in the green room of the Barclays Center or were dejected after your name didn't flash on the big board, it's time to go to work in the NBA Summer League. While these players strive to create a reputation in The Association, the NBA is extending its own legacy, pushing the boundaries of technology and laying operational groundwork for years to come.
A camera operator 10 rows from the sideline will record a seated angle from courtside.
Last year, [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver declared open season for testing, says Steve Hellmuth, EVP, media operations and technology, NBA Entertainment. We work in a unique partnership with Turner Sports and ESPN. We work together on things, so we share innovation, cameras, ideas, and meetings with vendors. It's a large technical summit that is completely dedicated to basketball. The equipment gets put into place, used, reviewed, and discussed from a league perspective of how these cameras can work in the venues and what we can do to move forward together.
MORE FROM NBA SUMMER LEAGUE
NBA Produces World's First 5G Smartphone Broadcast
Data-Tracking Reaches New Heights
ESPN Puts Flurry of Tech to the Test
Guess and Check: The League's Blessing to Ad-Lib, Improvise
Las Vegas comes with many freedoms and liberties on its own. At the Summer League, the league takes the motto of free will and runs with it. Having seen astronomical strides in creativity at last year's edition, the NBA has leeway throughout the 83-game schedule, which is spread over 11 days.
Fletcher cameras amongst the crowd will be handled with the help of a pan-bar.
As a broadcaster setting something up at a venue, you simply don't get enough reps: once the game happens, the game's over, says Hellmuth. At the Summer League, it's a unique experience because the Thomas & Mack Center is close to NBA specifications. If something doesn't work, we have another game coming up in minutes where we can fix it and move forward. We [also] schedule games that don't make it to air anywhere, so they are purely for testing. We have established a platform, truck, and facility where we can fail but pick ourselves up and try again.
While the league is spearheading initiatives to implement and test, the teams beneath the NBA umbrella are following suit.
It's great to see video coordinators or team [staffers] sitting on the bench and learning, he says. Every one of our teams get a big promotion during the Summer League, and it's always fun and exciting to watch.
Broadcasters are doing their due diligence as well. According to a Turner Sports spokesperson, the network is developing a new shot-clock graphic that will reside on the hardwood floor.
Cameras Above, Below, and Somewhere in the Middle
The Summer League is marked by an updated camera complement as well as the NBA's ambition to make the viewer feel at home courtside. This year, the technical team is deploying a multitude of aerial, robotic, and handheld cameras to achieve that goal. Within the stands, a handheld operator will be positioned at a semi-low angle to provide the unique vantage point that can be experienced only by a spectator onsite.
We're putting someone in a seat that is about midway between the foul line and baseline, and the camera is going to be operated from the person's lap, says Hellmuth. We'll be able to get a perfect view as if you were sitting on the 25-yard line at a football game. We've seen that shot on social media over and over again. It's a beautiful shot.
About 10 rows back and 15 ft. higher, a Fletcher robo is situated to capture a similar angle and is operated with the assistance of a pan-bar for normal functionality.
From the air, the league has installed three types of robotic aerial camera systems that can be used for any given game and can even be used as the main camera feed for some of the games.
The Spydercam offers a smoother transition and a little bit of a different look, says Hellmuth. We saw some things that ESPN executed on the ACC tournament that we thought went well. We're also looking at the Supracam, which is a two-point hanging system that has been used on a number of sports. We want to see if it could possibly be a replacement for Camera 1 or [be] the ideal camera on a reverse angle to provide full coverage for our playoff games.
View this post on Instagram
This angle of Jaxson Hayes' poster
A post shared by NBA on TNT (@nbaontnt) on Jul 9, 2019 at 11:47am PDT
--
Lastly, a 16 ft. JitaCam is placed under the belly of the centerhung scoreboard for the telecasts on NBA TV.
[The JitaCam] can occupy a space that even the Spydercam can't get to, notes Hellmuth. It's something that WarnerMedia is considering for the 2020 All-Star Game in Chicago, so we're going to test it out here and see if it works.
Heightened Emphasis on Vertical Video
With a large youth demographic, the league is continuing its efforts experimenting with vertical video. After last year's incarnation saw footage begin to be presented in a 16:9 format, this iteration has made significant steps in producing vertical content in a live environment.
The league is testing vertical video to develop a sneak preview of ongoing games.
The experiment this year with vertical view was to see if we could
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/04/2026
Strategic Alignment With the Riedel Group for Innovation and Growth
Thomas Riedel, founder and owner of Riedel Communications and the Riedel Group, has acqui...
15/04/2026
SDVI, the leading platform provider for cloud-native media supply chains, today announced that the company's Rally platform has been deployed by Iyuno Media...
15/04/2026
Frequency, the engine behind many of the worlds leading streaming television channels, has become the platform of choice for leading U.S. broadcasters bringing ...
15/04/2026
New Service Simplifies Integration of AI Applications with Exceptional Reliability and Security
SAN JOSE, Calif. April 14, 2026 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) t...
15/04/2026
During the 2025 off-season, VIDI completed a major upgrade of the broadcast infrastructure across all 36 stadiums in Germany's 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. The p...
15/04/2026
Clear-Com announced significant updates to its award-winning Arcadia Central Station as well as enhancements to the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System now runn...
15/04/2026
Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB SHOW 2026
Brie Clayton April 15, 2026
0 Comments
New system removes PTZ pan restric...
15/04/2026
LiveU Announces Expanded Collaboration with Sony at NAB Show, Adding Direct File...
15/04/2026
This 24-Hour Performance Art Piece Needs Your Participation Keefer Glenshaws latest project is about collaborating with the Berklee community and beyond.
Apr...
14/04/2026
ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...
14/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026.
...
14/04/2026
Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...
14/04/2026
Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...
14/04/2026
LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...
14/04/2026
Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...
14/04/2026
DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...
14/04/2026
Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...
14/04/2026
Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22.
Daktronics will showcase a...
14/04/2026
Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...
14/04/2026
BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...
14/04/2026
Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...
14/04/2026
Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...
14/04/2026
EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...
14/04/2026
Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026:
TV and Media
Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...
14/04/2026
Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...
14/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
14/04/2026
Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...
14/04/2026
The deal establishes a close strategic alignment' between the iconic cinema...
14/04/2026
BIGSHOT Media, with support from Teradek, produced untamed African mountain-bike race' with daily coverage and highlights show
The 2026 Absa Cape EPIC, an...
14/04/2026
The Sports Video Group (SVG) today announced the launch of the SVG AI Innovation...
14/04/2026
Captures a trio of renowned polysynths
The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...
14/04/2026
Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins
United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...
14/04/2026
Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up
Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...
14/04/2026
WESCAM MX -Series EO/IR Systems Provide Critical Visibility During NASA Re-Entry Operations....
14/04/2026
DiSCO reduces uncertainty during the fog of war in modern threat environments an...
14/04/2026
GOES-19 imagery captured by L3Harris-built Advanced Baseline Imager technology helps forecasters issue life-saving weather warnings. Credit: NOAA/NASA...
14/04/2026
For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...
14/04/2026
Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision.
He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...