FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2017, file photo, basketballs sit in a rack on the court during a training session by the Brooklyn Nets at the Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. The four major pro sports leagues and the NCAA think that expanding legal betting will lead to more game-fixing. The architects of New Jersey’s successful legal challenge to the sports gambling ban say those fears are overstated and that bringing sports betting out of the shadows will make it easier to detect illegal activity. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press

Wizards vs. Hawks Summer League Game to Be Broadcasted with Smartphone Cameras

Scott PolacekJul 11, 2019

The NBA may be providing a glimpse of the future during Thursday's Summer League game between the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards in Las Vegas.

Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington noted the league announced the game will include an alternate broadcast that is shot entirely with smartphone cameras.

Paul Benedict of NBA broadcasting said it will be the first "major sports event shot exclusively on smartphones" and will be available on the ESPN App, NBA TV Canada and ILP.

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Summer League is the ideal time for the NBA and its broadcast partners to experiment with ideas, as the games are low stakes and provide the opportunity to see how different technologies respond to and work with live action. It may be a stretch to call a Summer League game between the Hawks and Wizards a "major" sporting event, but there is now another element of interest to this largely meaningless contest.

Both teams are 1-2 in Las Vegas and will not qualify for the eight-team playoff scheduled for the weekend.

What's more, Hawks first-round pick Cam Reddish is not on a Summer League roster, and fellow lottery pick De'Andre Hunter missed the team's last game.

Alas, there is now an additional reason for basketball fans to tune in when the Hawks and Wizards take the court. They could be getting an early look at the future.