In a press release, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that TNT Sports will be collaborating with NBA 2K and Genius Sports during the Knockout Rounds of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. The collaboration will “offer an immersive NBA 2K25 DataCast viewing experience on truTV and Max.” Audiences at home can expect video game-level overlays during games like the classic Shot Meter, 2K Player Badges, different camera angles, as well as player tracking and shot probability embedded throughout the games; ostensibly blurring the lines between reality and video game.

Commissioner Adam Silver has been shaking things up over the past few years in an effort to bring more eyes to the league, which continues to struggle with television ratings and overall viewership. From the advent of the NBA Cup last year to Shams Charania reporting a few weeks ago of how the All-Star game will have drastic changes to its format this year (again), it seems Silver is working with the league and its networks to do whatever it takes to bring back the entertainment factor to the NBA.

These augmented viewing additions are a nifty little add-on that fans of the 2K video game series will no doubt find amusing. However, whether they actually succeed in moving the needle in terms of overall entertainment factor or are relegated to being viewed as just another gimmick we’ll have to see come Tuesday, December 10th, when the NBA Cup Quarterfinals officially tip-off. If it doesn’t succeed, at least we’ll have Shaq, Kenny, Ernie, and the Chuckster to keep us smiling.