Tag: NBA

The NBA has messed up big time because of a PS5, a child, and Christmas

Ah, Christmas! A time of gifts, happiness, trees full of garlands, sweets, and carols! The week and a bit where the world seems to be immersed in an ether of family happiness where nothing bad ever happens! Or, well, at least it should be like that on paper, because a bad marketing campaign can ruin your polvorones, dinners, and even the Christmas specials on TV. That’s what happened to an NBA team that is now looking for ways to cover up a most absurd reputation crisis. Ho, ho, ho! You stay […]

Ah, Christmas! A time of gifts, happiness, trees full of garlands, sweets, and carols! The week or so when the world seems to be enveloped in a family happiness ether where nothing bad ever happens! Or, well, at least it should be like that on paper, because a bad marketing campaign can ruin your Christmas sweets, dinners, and even the holiday specials on television. This is what happened to an NBA team that is already looking for ways to cover up a most absurd reputation crisis.

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Ho, ho, ho! You’re out of a PS5!

The team in question is the Charlotte Hornets, currently fourth in the Southeast Division, and whose mascot is, well, a hornet named Hugo. Makes sense. Hugo was created by Jim Henson’s daughter in 1988, with the unfortunate coincidence that, a year later, Hurricane Hugo hit the Carolinas causing 107 deaths. But if you think this is a reputation crisis, wait to see what happened this week.

On December 16, during a game between the Hornets and the Philadelphia 76ers, the youngest fans were able to come down to meet Hugo and receive gifts from the team. One of these fans, who had received very good grades, wanted a PlayStation 5… And that’s exactly what he got! Joy, jubilation, applause from the crowd! At least until, as soon as the halftime show ended and the cameras were off, they took the console away and replaced it with a sad sweater. That’s not nice.

Obviously, the kid was devastated, a relative described what happened on Twitter and, after going viral, they corrected their mistake and sent him a proper PS5. They even let him keep the jersey! You tell me if this multimillion-dollar team is generous or not with its youngest fans! The communication team added, besides a loud apology, that “We will give the fan not only the PS5 he should have taken home, but also a VIP experience for a future game.”

You might now have a tremendous grudge against the Charlotte Hornets for playing with a kid’s hopes, but there’s a good part in all of this: they lost 121 to 108. No press can spin that.

NBA 2K25 DOWNLOAD

NBA 2K Mobile Season 7 arrives with some of the biggest updates in the game's history

When it comes to basketball, there is no game that can compete with NBA 2K. Especially in the world of mobile devices. Even if 2K is not at its best and its glory days are behind, having to prove that they can still create masterpieces, no one dares to compete with them. And from 2K, for once, they have decided to show that they still have that energy within them. Season 7 of NBA 2K Mobile arrives with a series of new features that demonstrate the game is more alive than ever. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, from the […]

When it comes to basketball, there is no game that can compete with NBA 2K. Especially in the world of mobile devices. Even if 2K is not at its best and its glory days are behind, having to prove that they can still create masterpieces, no one dares to compete with them. And from 2K, for once, they have decided to show that they still have that energy within them.

NBA 2K Mobile Season 7 arrives with a series of new features that show the game is more alive than ever. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Oklahoma City Thunder as its cover athlete, this new season brings new animations, modes, and challenges, along with an experience that aims to be more immersive and realistic than ever.

What will attract the most attention is the Rewind Mode. A daily challenge based on real NBA games. We also cannot overlook Top Plays, with which we can recreate some of the best and most spectacular moments from the previous night’s games, if we have the skill to achieve it. And with Replays, we can put ourselves in the shoes of the winning team, or even the losing team if we want to rewrite the history that just happened. All this to earn rewards and climb a daily leaderboard where only the best in the world will shine.

In addition to that, this season adds improvements to some of the most controversial aspects of the game. For example, the lack of customization options for how we want to approach plays. From now on, we can focus the game control on a single player, or exclusively on offense or defense, if that’s what we want. This way, we can enjoy the part of the game we like the most or even improve the aspects we can still enhance.

If all this doesn’t seem enough to you, a greater emphasis on PvP, being able to challenge your friends in all kinds of matches and tournaments, is the icing on the cake of this seventh season that you can enjoy right now. And if you don’t have NBA 2K Mobile, you just need to know that it is available on both Android on Google Play and iOS on the App Store.

NBA 2K Mobile Basketball DOWNLOAD
4.5
NBA 2K Mobile Basketball is a three-dimensional game where you can experience the thrill of playing NBA 2K with just a smartphone. The console game has been modified for mobile so that it's possible to build a dream team anywhere. With this video game, you can choose up to 5 NBA stars to prefer on the court and compete on servers against players from all over the world.

NBA players are going to space…sort of

Xbox is pampering the launch of Starfield a lot, to the point of putting advertising on the court of the New York Liberty, women NBA team

The NBA is full of stars. People with a lot of money, a lot of fame, and whose presence is culturally gigantic. That’s why it’s surprising that none of them has yet dared to go into space. Even if it is a short trip, for tourism, as other eccentric millionaires have done, whose fortunes we don’t know where they come from. Perhaps the latter is why they have not done so. Because they have their feet on the ground, regardless. But somehow, Microsoft has made sure that, in their own way, they will be able to touch the stars.

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Although perhaps not widely known, Xbox has a long-standing partnership with the New York Liberty, the New York women’s basketball team, with whom they do promotions. For the release of Starfield, they have decided to do something very original: add the game’s rainbow-style symbol on both ends of the court.

Although this action will only last two games, the one they had against the Los Angeles Sparks on the 7th and the one they would have against the Washington Mystics on September 10, this is not the only joint advertising action they have done. Already last year, in August 2022, they customized the court with Xbox colors and symbols in another cross-promotion. Something that seems to be working well for them.

Or so it is implied from the statements of Keia Clarke, the CEO of the New York Liberty. “This partnership comes to life during a historic time for both parties, with Bethesda Studios launching its biggest video game in a decade, and the New York Liberty having their best season in franchise history,” said the team’s CEO.

Starfield was published on September 6 for Xbox Series.

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NBA 2K20 in hot water over gambling controversy

Slot machines and games of chance have caused gamers to call out NBA 2K20, and ratings boards.

NBA 2K20

The internet has been abuzz ever since the most recent trailer for NBA 2K20. In the trailer, there are slot machines and other games of chance. What truly upset gamers is that despite the blatant gambling themes in the game, the ESRB rated the game “E for Everyone.” PEGI also didn’t flag the game either.

The game will also continue to have players buy packs of cards for the chance to unlock content in the game. This is similar to loot boxes which are also under fire for being deemed as gambling by many gamers.

Why should I care?

If you’re a parent, you obviously want to protect your kids from adult content such as gambling. However, even if you’re a seasoned gamer that is used to this kind of content, you should still be worried. 

It might seem like this isn’t a big deal for you, but this could set a new standard for modern video games. Loot boxes are nothing new, but they are getting more and more popular in video games. The issue is that you are already spending upwards of $60 for a game, but you’re then expected to dish-out more money hand over fist so that you can get more content. This content ranges from unnecessary stuff that’s just in the game for fun, and items that can actually make the game playable/winnable.

A game that is infamous for having these “pay-to-win” features is Star Wars: Battlefront. As many players know: either you buy the guns that help you win the game, or you get creamed over and over again by the players that do. 

What has been the response?

Gamers, fans of the franchise, and parents have all expressed their disgust for the game and the two rating boards. The trailer on YouTube has about an 85% dislike rating with comments filled with hatred for the game. This has caused the developers to unlist the video to try and stop the amount of attention it gets. 

In an article for Polygon, the PEGI board responded by saying that they didn’t flag the game for the gambling content because they can’t say for sure whether the gambling mechanics will be prominent in the game. 

The ESRB has not yet responded to the outcry from gamers and parents, and still marks the game as “E for Everyone.” On the ESRB website, they only flag the game for “mild language.”

What should I do?

If you really want this game, we probably aren’t going to convince you to boycott it. Just keep in all of this in mind in case you were considering buying this game for your little brother/cousin/nephew etc. However, the ESRB and PEGI need to held accountable for the game’s ridiculous rating. Voice your opinion on the matter, and get the discussion going.

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App-controlled NBA jersey can change name and number

Buy one jersey, change it to any player and any team!

nba smart jersey

Fairweather fans, rejoice! At its All-Star Technology Summit, the NBA revealed a brand new smart jersey that can change player names and numbers through an app. See it in action below:

Buying a jersey is a large commitment for a fan. You’re literally wearing your faith in that player on your sleeve, and if that player gets embroiled in controversy, switches teams, or just flat out sucks, people are going to mock you for it. When this smart jersey comes out, you’ll be able to avoid ridicule by changing your jersey’s name and number within seconds. While the jersey didn’t change color, all you LeBron fans can at least change freely between 23 and 6. Unfortunately for them, it looks like the jerseys are many years away, so who knows where King James will play in the meantime.

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These smart jerseys beg several questions. What incentive does the NBA have to sell jerseys that can transform into other jerseys? Unless the smart jerseys are ludicrously expensive to the point where they make up for the sale of individual jerseys, it doesn’t seem to make business sense. Also, will people be able to put whatever names and numbers they want onto the jerseys? Or will they only be able to select from official NBA player and number combinations? In that vein, would it be possible to hack someone’s jersey to say something hilarious or offensive?

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When presenting the jersey, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver did not mention Nike at all, which is curious because Nike is the official jersey apparel partner of the NBA. Nike had previously created their own smart NBA jerseys called Connected Jerseys. These jerseys feature patches that offer special content when scanned with a smartphone app, including exclusive shoe drops, courtside tickets, and player highlights.

“Hopefully, I just put Michael Rubin [Fanatics CEO] out of business,” Silver joked.

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