The NBA started its All-Star weekend with a celebrity game in which influencers, NFL players, and WNBA stars had the opportunity to try the sport’s first-ever eight-point shot. However, the true “innovation” for basketball came earlier in the day before Stephen A. and Shannon Sharpe’s teams took the LED court.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Victor Wembanyama hosted the 24th annual NBA All-Star Technology Summit. This exclusive event made headlines with the introduction of NB-AI. So, what exactly is NB-AI? Well, according to Wembanyama, you can now watch the movie “Hoosiers”!
While being able to watch “Hoosiers” is revolutionary, the real attention-grabber is the “Movie Mode” feature. Silver requested NB-AI to display the Pacers game in the style of the Spiderman: Spiderverse animated films. The camera shows a split-screen of the hypothetical game alongside the NB-AI real-time animatic, then focuses solely on the animation-style highlight reel filled with onomatopoeia-laden action.
From an objective standpoint, the visuals are quite impressive. The pop-art style looks decent, and the comic-book accents add a nice touch. The 3D player models may resemble those from the PS2 era, but they get the job done. The occasional stylized panels and dynamic art elements also look appealing. If the goal is to produce accurate real-time translations of games into exciting highlight reels like this, it would be genuinely impressive technology.
However, beyond the visually appealing aspects, the Tech Summit teaser raises more questions than answers. The most significant and crucial question is: Who is this intended for? Is it similar to the Nickelodeon Super Bowl simulcast or the Toy Story reproduction on ESPN? At least those formats allow viewers to follow the game action. Imagining a full game in this animation style seems exhausting, especially considering the 23-second reel became tiresome after a while. How would broadcast commentary work? How would it handle timeouts, foul shots, or commercial breaks? What about injuries, loose balls, or moments when neither team can score? The animation only showcased an electric highlight sequence, leaving us without a glimpse of the original game that NB-AI translated. Are all moments of the game action-packed? Sports are not high-octane throughout the entire duration. Even the Spiderman source material for NB-AI has its fair share of downtime between action scenes.
Furthermore, how deep does “movie mode” go? Are there any ethical implications or copyright issues when adopting an animation style? Or is it simply a way to apply big filters to pre-rendered NBA players? Is it limited to animation, or are there licensing constraints? What about claymation like Wallace & Gromit? Can this technology be expanded to include actual directors? Will “Michael Bay Mode” bring explosions at every point of contact? How will a broadcast handle a “Quentin Tarantino Mode” or even an “Ari Aster Mode?” What kind of shot composition can we expect in “Akira Kurasawa Mode?” Will “Christopher Nolan Mode” revolutionize concepts of gravity and trajectory in mind-bending ways? These questions highlight the fact that each stylistic approach has a limited appeal that wears off after a short period of time. Going through every permutation would likely become tedious. So, what happens after that?
In essence, NB-AI seems more like a parlor trick than a groundbreaking way to experience NBA games. The end goal of NB-AI has already been achieved through the promotional tweet that introduced it. People will post their favorite versions of NB-AI online, whether they genuinely appreciate it or do so ironically. Anime LeBron, Rick & Morty Steph Curry, Victor Wembanyama from Gumby & Pokey, and Steven Adams as Shrek are just a few examples. However, this novelty will likely fade after a month, and the online engagement will decline.
It’s unfortunate that the NBA coincidentally unveiled NB-AI on the same day that Open AI launched its video generation program, Sora. While the impact of generative AI imagery may be somewhat exaggerated, at least that product serves a legitimate purpose. It allows people to create customized stock footage or visualize written ideas. On the other hand, NB-AI, as currently demonstrated, appears to be more of a gimmick. It serves as a content farm for the NBA to distribute to the masses. Alternatively, it may serve a more nefarious purpose of collecting data or conducting experiments. There seems to be something missing from this equation to make NB-AI a worthwhile long-term investment for the NBA.
In a separate article discussing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ salary cap situation, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported that league sources estimate negotiations with Baker Mayfield could begin around the three-year, $75 million mark. This figure serves as a benchmark set by Seattle with Geno Smith, the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year.
If this rumor becomes reality, the Smith contract would establish a much-needed precedent in the NFL. The league currently lacks a middle-class tier for quarterbacks. NFL teams have built their rosters around affordable rookie quarterback contracts, allowing them to allocate more funds to other top-tier players. For instance, the San Francisco 49ers can pay Brock Purdy just over a million per year while also affording top-of-the-market rates for Christian McCaffery, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Trent Williams.
However, teams without the luxury of a competent quarterback on a rookie deal end up paying a significant amount to retain veteran talent. The New York Giants wish they had a more reasonable deal for Daniel Jones instead of the $40 million average per year deal they had to offer. This type of contract makes it challenging for New York to build a competitive team.
Quarterbacks deserve fair compensation, of course, but there should be a feasible path for teams to compete without elite quarterback talent. The Buccaneers and Seahawks both made the playoffs when Mayfield and Smith, respectively, were on affordable deals. However, both teams are now in different phases of transition. Seattle needs to rebuild its defense in 2023 and has a new coaching staff to manage that process. The Buccaneers may lose key players to free agency and have already lost their offensive coordinator and quarterback guru. It is crucial to find a way to build competitive teams while maintaining quarterback stability.
Players like Daniel Jones and Derek Carr should have signed deals that give their teams the best chance of building a competitive roster. Kirk Cousins, coming off an Achilles injury, should be able to secure a contract that benefits both him and his team. Tua Tagovailoa could provide stability for Miami while they search for their long-term solution. Jacoby Brissett, who performed well when consistently starting in Cleveland, deserves a contract that reflects his abilities.
All of this discussion may seem irrelevant with the presence of Patrick Mahomes, who earns half a billion dollars and seems destined to win multiple Super Bowls. However, the rest of the league needs to find a way to remain competitive. Football teams consist of 53 players, and the other 52 players should not have to sacrifice years of their careers because the starting quarterback is not up to par. Creating an economic pathway for mid-tier quarterbacks to receive reasonable compensation allows teams to build competitive and well-balanced rosters that can make a run if circumstances align. The NFL season is short and physically demanding, making it crucial to strive for competitiveness.
Yes, the first part of this article emphasizes how gimmicks detract from a serious professional sport like basketball. However, Adam Silver has already expressed interest in adding more colored courts, and he likely sees the All-Star game as an opportunity to showcase potential ideas. The introduction of a four-point line and the Crunch Time button are safe options when considering the involvement of Micah Parsons and Kai Cenat in the pick-and-roll.
But what if we fully embraced this approach? Let’s give coaches something else to manage. Imagine providing Doc Rivers with timeouts and a big, red button sponsored by Ruffles that automatically doubles points for a set amount of time. Coaches would draw up after-timeout plays and enthusiastically cheer on the sideline. Testing your strategic skills by weighing the pros and cons of entering Crunch Time to overcome a deficit against Playoff Jimmy Butler would truly challenge you.
Sports video games have become too realistic. Gone are the days of NFL Blitz, The Bigs, and Bill Lambeer’s Combat Basketball. The only way to compel EA, the dominant player in the gaming industry, to make changes is to make the real product as entertainingly absurd as possible.
According to the Source deadspin.com