
2019 NBA Summer League, Part 3: ESPN Puts Flurry of Tech to the Test A menu of alternative broadcasts mark the event in the desert By Kristian Hernandez, Assistant Editor
Friday, July 12, 2019 - 11:32 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
When the then-named Las Vegas Summer League launched in 2004, the league's elite prospects finally had a place to ball in the months leading up to the season. Since then, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's (UNLV) Thomas & Mack Center has become the center of the professional-basketball world for 11 days in July. This year, ESPN is covering all 83 games with a reinvigorated spirit of innovation on the technological and digital fronts.
A look inside the production truck during the Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks.
We work with great partners in the NBA to have the perfect platform and opportunity to bring out new toys and technology, says Patty Mattero, senior operations manager, ESPN. We're all able to take a look into new interests and work together towards the future.
MORE FROM NBA SUMMER LEAGUE
The League Heads to the Next Technological Frontier
Data-Tracking Reaches New Heights
NBA Produces World's First 5G Smartphone Broadcast
New Vantage Points, Education, and Some Fun on the App
The network has given digital-savvy consumers a buffet of second-screen experiences on the ESPN App and ESPN3. With 10 games getting special digital broadcasts, the Summer League has become a haven for fans in the young age demographic that is constantly on the go.
Our fan base is extremely large, so [we need] to be able to touch upon technology for everybody's appetite [throughout] different generations, Mattero explains. The viewer can control the look of our games. These offerings will [further] enlarge the fan base and provide whatever choices they want [for consuming] content. While we're at the Summer League, we'll be able to [implement] them faster [in] the present and the future by testing all of these new ideas.
To begin the alternative viewing options on July 6, ESPN kicked back, vibed out, and chilled during a laidback broadcast called Group Textcast during a rematch of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors. In a unique meshing of the linear and digital broadcasts, 2KTV Host/Producer Alexis Morgan, NBC Sports Bay Area Host/Anchor Grant Liffmann, and co-host of NBC Sports Bay Area's Warriors Outsiders podcast Drew Shiller took fan questions via the NBA Summer League Twitter account and gave answers in real time. The stream provided a lighthearted and friendly take on a game, especially since Liffmann also works on the same podcast as Shiller.
Fans had a bird's-eye view of Pelicans vs. Bulls courtesy of a Spydercam.
The fun continued during the following night's Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers contest with a similar concept seen during Game 2 of last year's Finals. Naming it the PopCast, ESPN offered a wealth of digestible facts, unknown player info, and more with the help of the league itself.
The NBA broadcast team, under the direction of [NBA Entertainment Director, Broadcasting,] Paul Benedict, prepared over 600 factoids and used approximately 300 of them, says Steve Hellmuth, EVP, media operations and technology, NBA Entertainment. I thought it was really appropriate for a Summer League game because there are so many players on the court that fans might not know. These are all guys that are getting their shot [in the league], and [fans may] want to know more about them.
A trio of games has brought fans to the front row and the rafters with Courtside Experience for the Washington Wizards vs. Brooklyn Nets at 5:30 p.m. ET and with Aerial Cam for the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Chicago Bulls at 9:30 p.m. On the former telecast, cameras positioned 10 rows back from the action and others along the baselines replicated the feeling of watching the game from the best seats in the house.
Zion showing off his strength EARLY #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/dXLBYqtWum
- NBA TV (@NBATV) July 6, 2019
For the nightcap, a Spydercam presented a videogame-style of viewing from overhead. A Supracam two-point system was used last night during the Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets matchup.
The digital streams also got the commentator teams involved. During this past week's game featuring the Phoenix Suns and the Memphis Grizzlies, former Grizzlies player Brevin Knight and former Suns player Eddie Johnson were Dueling Homers, facing off in multiple in-game challenges, including predictions and trivia on the opponent's team or playing career.
The Orlando Magic's Becky Bonner gave an inside look into front-office operations on Coach's View.
With a more educational approach, ESPN charged ahead with Coach's View during Orlando Magic vs. Brooklyn Nets in accordance with Coaches Appreciation Day on July 10. Current and past coaches gave insight on the nuances of the job with live footage of instructional drills and film breakdown. Representatives from each team, including Becky Bonner, director, player development and quality control, Orlando Magic, explained what it's like to be in the front office of any of the league's 30 teams.
Action-Packed Schedule in Two Separate Venues
To fit the lengthy schedule in a somewhat short time span, ESPN balanced broadcasts in the Thomas & Max Center and the Cox Pavilion. To stay connected, the network developed a complex workflow to tap into each individual mobile truck.
NEP's EN3 is our main truck that services Thomas & Mack, and that is interconnected with NEP's M11, which is used for the primary coverage in Cox Pavilion, says Eddie Okuno, senior remote operations specialist, ESPN. EN3 mobile unit is serving our distribution point, and that's connected to the Mobile TV Group
North America Stories
11/02/2026
FYI: Phone Support Maintenance One thing we pride ourselves on here at Utah Scientific is our 24-hour support included with our signature 10-year hardware warra...
11/02/2026
Leading provider of video streaming solutions, Bitmovin, has appointed Ian Baglow as Co-CEO alongside existing CEO and Co-Founder Stefan Lederer. Under this str...
11/02/2026
Paramount and the CBS Television Network will partner to air UFC 326: HOLLOWAY vs. OLIVEIRA 2 live on Saturday, March 7, from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, mar...
11/02/2026
Beginning February 10, fans can buy MLB.TV on ESPN, a new milestone in one of sports media's longest-standing partnerships. ESPN becomes the new streaming h...
11/02/2026
Fubo Sports Network is available to Hulu's Live TV subscribers in the core $89.99 a month subscription plan, which also includes full access to the entire H...
11/02/2026
Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...
11/02/2026
Major League Baseball is making in-market streaming subscriptions for 20 Clubs available today for fans. Subscriptions for the following Clubs are available vi...
11/02/2026
Building on successful demonstrations during the Paris Olympics 2024, Italian public service broadcaster Rai and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are condu...
11/02/2026
Following Sunday's Super Bowl LX, ESPN and Disney unveiled We're Going,...
11/02/2026
Delayed streams are a growing source of frustration for sports fans. During the 2026 Super Bowl, some streams lagged up to 62 seconds behind the action on the f...
11/02/2026
NASCAR and FloSports announces an expanded slate of racing events that will bring FloRacing coverage live throughout the 2026 season to the NASCAR Channel, furt...
11/02/2026
Manifold technologies GmbH announces the appointment of Nick Tucker as Sales Manager for Europe, reinforcing the company's continued growth across broadcast...
11/02/2026
Genies, the AI avatar technology company powering the next era of interactive digital identity, entered into a landmark collaboration with MLB Players, Inc., th...
11/02/2026
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Google have joined forces for an AI-...
11/02/2026
Dolby's CEO Kevin Yeaman and Giles Baker, SVP of Dolby Cloud Solutions, shared how the brand's latest innovations - Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby...
11/02/2026
Ilitch Sports + Entertainment has entered a first of its kind partnership with Major League Baseball, which will provide broadcast support to both the Detroit T...
11/02/2026
For major U.S. events like Super Bowl 2026, FIFA World Cup, America 250, and the...
11/02/2026
Broadcasts of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings will also be produced by the leagu...
11/02/2026
NEW YORK - February 10, 2026 - An estimated 124.9 million viewers watched Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, according to Nielsen's Big Data Panel measu...
11/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/02/2026
Clear-Com provided an advanced, IP-based communications infrastructure for TEDNext 2025, supporting production, media, and editorial teams with a highly flexib...
11/02/2026
Astera introduces QuikBeam, the newest addition to its acclaimed Quik family of focusing LED Fresnels. This ultra-compact spotlight combines the equivalent powe...
11/02/2026
Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...
11/02/2026
With Convertible Mount for NL Bowens & Aputure A Mounts See it at BSC Expo Stand #133 LCA
DoPchoice continues to refine light shaping tools for professional LE...
11/02/2026
World Premiere at BSC Expo, Booth #319 Oberkochen/Germany, 10 February 2026
ZEISS introduces the new Aatma, set of nine high-end full frame T1.5 cinema primes ...
11/02/2026
As Re-recording Mixer and Head of Sound at The Farm, one of UK's leading post-production facilities, Nick Fry has built his career on making stories sound a...
11/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/02/2026
Graduate Spotlight: Gabrielle Rodriguez The educator, who grew up in the Philippines, shares how shes bringing what she learned at Berklee back home.
Februar...
11/02/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Confirms Production of Love O'Clock' From the...
11/02/2026
Back to All News
Investing in Belgian Stories: A Commitment to Culture and Choice
From left to right: Undercover, Ang le, Rough Diamonds, Into the Night, John...
10/02/2026
From San Fran to Santa Clara down to Los Angeles, ESPN celebrates the Big Game w...
10/02/2026
A team of broadcast engineers and experts dispersed across Northern Italy help broadcasters and still photographers keep shooting
OBS has put new imaging techn...
10/02/2026
If you can have the best pictures and the best sound quality for these global ev...
10/02/2026
Disney+ will add vertical video within its app this year after ESPN introduced V...
10/02/2026
GameChanger today unveiled the most comprehensive product update in its 15-year history, marking a major step forward in how families, athletes, coaches, fans, ...
10/02/2026
Jennifer Hanley, Vice President, International, L3Harris, signed a Memorandum of...
10/02/2026
NEW YORK February 10, 2026 Nielsen's Gracenote, the global leader in entertainment metadata, today announced the continuation of its partnership with Go...
10/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/02/2026
Clear dialogue has long been one of the biggest pain points in post-production. From complex mixes to unpredictable playback environments, intelligibility somet...
10/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/02/2026
Back to All News
Made in California: The Lincoln Lawyer' Raises the Bar fo...