Basketball fans will now get a chance to get close to watch their favourite LeBron James slamming it home. It is the time of getting digital and that is why NBA Digital and NextVR are teaming up together for this season to show one and each game a week in the immersive virtual reality. This is a multiyear deal which was announced on Thursday. It also marks the first time ever games that will be ever shown in Virtual Reality by a pro sports league and that too on a regular basis. The tip-off broadcast will take place when the Sacramento Kings are going to host the San Antonio Spurs at the Kings’ new technical arena at the Golden 1 Centre on Oct. 27.

Watching these games experience won’t be same like that of gathering around a big-screen TV or parking yourself in a big crowd at your nearby gathering. The Virtual Reality experience requires just a strapping of a headset that will close out the rest of the world for you as it pulls you into the action of gaming and slamming and for the time being, you have to go with Samsung Gear VR. The NBA’s association with the NextVR dates back to the three seasons. Jeff Marsilio who is the vice president of global live events is the top priority of the league. They are broadcasting games in more than 200 countries and even after that most of the fans don’t have access to go to the games and Virtual Reality is fulfilling this dream.

There will be 25 NBA virtual reality broadcasts this season and they will have their own play-by-play announcers who will be providing their Virtual Reality specific commentary. To a surprise, the camera may be stationed courtside so that games will be shown from the multiple unmanned camera angles which includes behind the basket too. The games can be found by downloading The NextVR app for Samsung GearVR from the app store and accessing the NBA Channel.