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The world is reeling from the recent sudden death of one of its legends, Kobe Bryant. Nobody saw this coming and it has hit everyone harder than a celebrity death has hit the world in a long time. The situation, of course, is tragic. And it has reached deep into the soul of the NBA, which is to be expected - but it has also cut the rest of the world equally. Everyone - from musicians to athletes to comedians to influencers - has taken this week to soberly reflect and look to one another for healing since the loss of Bryant and his daughter, Gianna.
However, in memory of Kobe Bryant, the NBA is going to continue playing. Players and coaches are coming together to honor him in a way that he would appreciate by playing their hearts out on the court. Everyone is working through their mourning by sharing their love of the game. And that is truly beautiful.
The NBA has been petitioned to change its logo to honor Kobe. And I think they will do so, at least temporarily. Either way, the legend of Kobe Bryant will never be forgotten - he will live on in every three-point shot from the outside, as well as every crumpled-up paper shot into the wastebasket from the office chair.
Regardless of what people may say, the NBA season is still going to be very eventful. There are a lot of games left and anything can happen. The biggest surprise in the NBA this year has been the emergence of young players like Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan, who have taken their teams to new heights.
Momentum is an important factor in basketball, and can be the difference between a team winning the championship and losing. Injury can also be a significant factor, and so it's important to stay up to date on NBA news so that you don't miss any of the action. Fortunately, we now have technology that allows us to never miss any NBA moments again.
That's right, I'm talking about the premium NBA streaming service, NBA TV. It is a must-have for any serious basketball fan, essentially courtside season tickets to every NBA game right on your smartphone, computer, and smart TV. Never miss a single shot; never miss the moment when basketball's legends of tomorrow are born today.
History
The online network, originally billed as NBA.com TV, was shortened to simply NBA TV on February 11th of 2003 (a smart move if you ask me). It originally was operated from NBA studio facilities located at the NBA Entertainment offices in Secaucus, New Jersey. However, it has since expanded greatly and is now operated from numerous locations around the world.
The NBA TV signed a multi-year contract with three of the five largest cable service providers in America in 2003. As a result, NBA TV's reach exponentially grew, becoming available in over 45 million paid subscriber households' cable plans in the US alone. Additionally, NBA TV was made available in 30 other countries around the world when Time Warner took CNN/SI off the air in 2002.
Since the days of traditional cable, NBA TV has understandably shifted their focus to their online streaming service; which is, arguably, a better deal anyway. At the very least, you cannot argue with the fact that you get much more out of it, as NBA TV online offers access to every scheduled game, even those that are not otherwise aired on television. It is an exclusive all-access pass to the NBA and the perfect self-gift for an NBA fanatic.
Design
NBA Live has opted for a basic overall design, which I enjoy. Simply search for games with a video search interface not entirely unlike that of YouTube?s. Find the game you want to watch, click it, and, voila, that is all there is to it. The game expands to fit your screen and you can track scores from other games using a non-distracting crawler above the video stream.
What would be great about NBA TV is adding a classic picture in picture feature. Perhaps game viewing and exchanging could be made more streamlined. It would be great, for example, if you could click on a game's score on the crawler and open the game as a PIP window, which you could also click on to switch to that game.
So, there may be a few missed opportunities with usability. But that doesn't mean the NBA TV is poorly designed by any means - it just means that, as is the case with any service, there are a few areas for improvement.
Content
As a NBA TV user, you will be able to access every single game in the league, as well as tons of exclusive content that most people will have to miss out on. You will also be able to enjoy full-game and customizable game replays; the ability to watch classic archived games; exclusive NBA television shows; and access to NBA TV on any device.
Virtual reality is a great addition to NBA TVâs services. For a one-time fee of $49.99, it can be used as an add-on service. This means you can feel like you are courtside with your favorite team and players.
NBA TV might just be the best deal out there for those interested in following the NBA. Even if you are not a huge fan of the sport, NBA TV will make you a believer with its many services and features.
Mobile and Desktop Experience
NBA TV works just about the same on any device, but my favorite way to watch is on my smart TV. But if you like to keep up with the game on your phone or tablet while on the go, you won't run into any problems. Enjoy crystal clear HD streaming of all NBA games no matter where you are.
Pricing and Plans
NBA TV offers a variety of payment plans to choose from. From an all-access premium account to a single team pass, to just simplified access to all of the normally aired NBA games, below you will find all of your options and what they costs:
NBA TV Premium, No Commercials: Get every NBA game, all teams, and no commercials for just $124.99/year.
-NBA League Pass: Watching every NBA game, streaming all of the games with commercials? $99.99/year
The NBA Team Pass allows you to watch all of the games of one team, either in the market or out of the market. The annual price is $59.99.
-NBA Live TV: Get all of your NBA games with commercials - for just $29.99 a year!
The NBA TV add-on is available for any of the aforementioned plans that let you watch games in virtual reality and an audio stream of in-market games is available for a one-time price of $9.99. Or buy per game, get access to a single matchup to stream to any device, at a pay per view price of $5.99. I love the fact that NBA TV offers so many different ways to enjoy the games.
Suggestions that I have for NBA TV
I would definitely make it easier to toggle and switch between games if I were designing NBA TV. It would be the perfect sports streaming service if it were made more streamlined.
Conclusion
In the end, there is not much that NBA TV can be faulted for. With so many features available, there is a version of NBA TV for everyone. If you are a hardcore basketball fan, there is no excuse not to use one of the many versions of it at some point or another.