NBA All-Stars Anthony Davis and Bradley Beal spent time at All-Star Weekend shooting hoops while sporting VR goggles. Despite the goggles and helmet-mounted camera, the shots they were making were real. It was meant to be a demonstration of the power of Verizon’s fast, low-latency 5G network.
With live video being sent through the 5G network right to their eyes, Beal and Davis drained shots, just as they would without some clunky goggles on their face.
“It’s crystal clear and there’s no lagging or anything,” Davis, the New Orleans Pelicans big man, said during the shootaround. “It’s like you don’t even have these on.”
Davis’s comments speak volumes about the capability of 5G. To be able to shoot and make real shots while relying on only live video is almost unheard of. Granted, yes, these are two of the best basketball players in the world. Still, even the smallest bit of lag can throw off motor functions, regardless of how good of a shot you are.
“It’s so crazy to think that the signal is that fast that you’re still able to move and interact with things around you,” said Beal, the Washington Wizards guard. “There’s a lot of things you could do with this. This is something that is definitely the future of technology.”
Verizon 5G Testing With Anthony Davis & Bradley Beal
Verizon 5G testing on the court with Anthony Davis & Bradley Beal. Amazing how fast this network will be.
Posted by NBA on Saturday, February 17, 2018
It’s not the first time Verizon has tested its network in a sports setting. Last month, the company threw headsets on Matt Forte and Jamal Adams of the New York Jets. The two played catch and ran routes with little-to-no difficulty catching the ball.
“Verizon used NBA’s All-Star Game weekend to test 5G technology and give NBA fans a sneak peek at the power of 5G,” said Sanyogita Shamsunder, executive director of Technology for Verizon, in a statement. “This is just the beginning of what Verizon and the NBA are doing to develop cool new technology experiences for the game and the fans.”
LeBron James apparently thinks so, too.
we’ll be playing an ASG like this one day. Sheesh!!
pic.twitter.com/0FOjSmkJ9h
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 20, 2018