By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
ESPN will experiment with overhead cameras during games at the NBA Summer League in July when all 30 league teams come to the UNLV campus for the annual pro hoops gathering.
ESPN workers visited Th0mas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion last week to check out both basketball venues for the new overhead cameras, said Michael Newcomb, Thomas & Mack Center executive director.
The Summer League has been used in the past as a setting to experiment with new NBA media and game technologies.
Newcomb said that ESPN was on site to look at how overhead cables would be installed to accommodate the Skycam technology that has advanced the viewing of NFL and college football games.
With all 30 NBA teams participating in the Summer League, event organizers are increasing the fan experience opportunities. LVSportsBiz.com broke the news in mid-January that all NBA teams will be at the Summer League for the first time this year.
In 2017, the NBA Summer League set an attendance record with 127,843 fans from July 7-17, including a record championship game attendance of 10,304 when the Lakers defeated Portland to win the summer league title.
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For this year’s event July 6-17, Newcomb expects a giant air-conditioned outdoor tent with fanfest-style activities for kids to shoot hoops, for example; and also high-profile press conferences if teams have major free agent announcements to share.
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