Android Police

nba

Readers like you help support Android Police. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.

latest

A packed arena watching a basketball game. The large display above the court names the Warriors as one of the teams playing.
How to stream the 2023 NBA Finals

Catch the NBA finals on your TV or your phone, no matter where you are

4
4
By  and

The NBA playoffs wrap up in May 2023, but fans are already excited for the NBA Finals. If you want to avoid crowds, you'll want to stay home and tune in with one of the best and most reliable streaming devices.

NBA All- World announcement hero
Niantic's next game aims to be a slam dunk, will settle for a free throw

Why play basketball for exercise when you can play a video game instead?

4
By 

Some may say Niantic is a one-trick pony. They wouldn't be wrong, as the company has been pumping out similar augmented reality games for years. Of course, Pokémon GO is the developer's largest success, though lesser games like Pikmin Bloom and Ingress have their own audiences. Well, there's a new release coming from the studio, officially licensed through the NBA, and it's called NBA All-World. While details are light, we know the game will offer Niantic's familiar real-world mechanics paired with 1-on-1 basketball action, which will offer some form of collecting, along with fashion, because why not. While Niantic has yet to deliver on its two previously announced games (Transformers: Heavy Metal and Peridot), it would appear a third title is in the works, with pre-registration available today on Niantic's website.

Basketball Playgrounds early access release hero

Saber Interactive offers a varied catalog across PC, consoles, and mobile, including the NBA Playgrounds series; even though its mobile catalog doesn't offer the best Android games, Saber is a well-respected publisher in all other matters. Well, after years of testing, it would appear that the mobile interpretation of NBA Playgrounds is finally available in the US as an early access release. It's called Basketball Playgrounds, and it has been in beta under the names NBA 2K Playgrounds (2K published the second entry in the Playgrounds series on PC and consoles) and Basketball Playgrounds: Clash of Dunks over the last three years. I'm not sure why the game has taken this long to reach early access in the US, but perhaps Embracer Group's 2020 acquisition of Saber Interactive delayed things a bit.

FINAL_G_NBAxG-Banner-2096x1182.max-1000x1000

With the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Google's smartphone lineup is more ambitious than ever. An all-new camera system, a radical redesign, and its first-ever custom silicon make for one of the most exciting launches in years. That sense of ambition doesn't stop at the phone this year. In an attempt to boost sales, Google is going after basketball fans with a new — and unusual — partnership with the NBA, as the Pixel series is now the league's "Official Fan Phone."

How to watch classic (and recent) NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB games for free

Major sports leagues offer up free content during the coronavirus hiatus

4
By 

The coronavirus pandemic has caused tons of disruption to many industries across the globe, and major professional sports are no different. Public health is the number one priority right now, so the NBA, NHL, and MLB are all suspended for the time being while the US is undergoing a period of self-isolation and social distancing and the NFL is lucky to be in its off-season. This couldn't come at a worse time for sports fans who are stuck at home with little to do, but thankfully the big four sports have made a bunch of classic content free to watch.

NBA 2K Playgrounds started as a 2K NBA series for consoles, but it would appear that the brand is coming to Android. The new NBA 2K Playgrounds listing on the Play Store recently arrived for beta testing in select regions. More or less, it would appear that 2K has given the series the free-to-play treatment for mobile play since this beta version already contains in-app purchases that range up to $99.99 per item. The game has been designed to offer fast-paced 2v2 matches for an arcade feel, and of course, you'll have to collect NBA players to pad out your roster.

It would appear that Gamevil has centered its sights on American sports, what with the release of MLB Perfect Inning 2019 earlier this year, and today's launch of NBA Now, a free-to-play professional basketball game. Gamevil has indeed secured an official NBA licensed for this release, which means all of your favorite NBA teams and players are available. So if you'd like to build a championship team from the comfort of your phone, NBA Now is here to stir up some competition in the mobile sports gaming world.

Two weeks ago 2K released the companion app MyNBA2K20 on the Google Play Store, which is a yearly ritual that usually signals the launch of the annual release for the NBA 2K series is right around the corner. We already knew that the console and PC version of NBA 2K20 would arrive on September 6th, but it looks like the mobile version is here a day ahead of its brethren.

Ever since Marty McFly put on those self-lacing trainers in Back to the Future Part II, we've been waiting for them to become a reality. Nike's first attempt at such a sneaker in 2016 was the HyperAdapt 1.0, which laced automatically when you put your feet in. The 2019 Nike Adapt BB is the next generation.

The new NBA regular season gets going on October 16th, so it's a good time for ball fans to work out how they'll watch the action. Cable subscribers will already have options, but for everyone else, there are also online-only alternatives. The NBA offers its League Pass through various platforms and apps, and it's now available through YouTube TV.

Another year, another 2K companion app slash collectible NBA themed card game. That's right, the console and PC release of NBA 2K19 is just around the corner, so in preparation for the release, 2K has published the MyNBA2K19 companion app on the Play Store. The thing is, it's not just a companion app for an AAA sports game, as it also offers a collectible card battling game that you can play on any compatible Android device. So get ready to collect your favorite NBA superstars from the past and present.

Later today, the Golden State Warriors will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one of the NBA Finals in Oakland. It's the fourth straight year the two teams have contested the championship, and anyone who watches basketball will be eager to see if LeBron James can pull off probably his greatest achievement yet and lead his team to victory against the odds. It's also the perfect time to release a new app related to the sport, and that's exactly what the NBA has just done.

I'm told there is some sort of basketball tournament going on right now. To celebrate, Google has released an NBA sticker pack for Allo. You know, that chat app that Google really wants you to try out.

I don't know much about baskets-the-ball - sorry fans, Cameron would probably write this article if he was still around. But I have to admit that the NBA has something interesting with InPlay, its latest official mobile app. InPlay automatically detects whatever game happens to be playing on TV in the background via the microphone, no matter what teams or which channel. But that's only the first cool part of the experience.

Last year EA released a companion app for the NBA Live console game that let you stick your face on a basketball player. This year, forget the gimmicks. You get a full blown NBA Live experience to play on your touchscreen.

In the Venn diagram of mobile users, the circle marked "rabid Shaq fans" and the one marked "active Waze users" must have a pretty tiny crossover section. But if you do happen to use Waze on a regular basis and you have the special extended DVD edition of both Kazaam and Steel boldly displayed on your shelf, today is your day. Waze has announced that the company is celebrating the start of the NBA Playoffs later this week by adding official Shaquille O'Neal voice narration to the map app's navigation service.

You know what sucks? Not watching basketball. I absolutely hate when I have something else going on while the Bulls are playing and I don't get to watch the game. Being able to listen to the game makes that a little easier to tolerate, which I currently do from the official NBA app if that's the only option. If you're a TuneIn Radio Premium subscriber and an NBA fan, though, things just got a bit easier for you: TuneIn has reached a deal with the NBA that will allow it to stream all game audio from the app starting globally with the 2016-2017 season. That's pretty awesome.

Verizon has signed a sponsorship deal with the National Basketball Association. As part of this arrangement, the carrier's new Go90 video-streaming service will get access to live and original NBA content.

For basketball fans, tonight marks the start of the most exciting time of year: the beginning of the 2015-2016 season. Just like the start of every season, there are new players to look forward to seeing, old players on new teams, new coaches, new player dynamics, and so much more. I know I'm stoked — can't wait to see what my Bulls do this year under new leadership.

I am many years removed from middle and high school, but in the adult world at least, it seems now is a much safer time to be a card collecting geek. But undoubtedly there are still guys who are too intimidated to spend their time playing Netrunner or Yu-Gi-Oh. Instead, they cloak their collector's impulse and stat obsession in a thin layer of NBA fandom. They get their card-battling fix from the MyNBA2K companion app 2K Games releases every twelve months.

See more articles +