Can you imagine working out alongside Steph Curry?  It is a pipe dream for basketball fans. After all, why would the NBA’s best shooter be willing to work out side-by-side with a random fan?  Steph has decided to do it in the name of technology. Curry’s pregame practice routine is now available on YouTube 360.

 

Virtual Reality is Democratizing Experiences, Information, Education and More

Thousands of NBA fans show up hours before Warriors games to get a look at Steph Curry’s pregame practice routine. Basketball fanatics want to see exactly what Steph does to gear up for NBA games. They study everything from his shot sequences to calisthenics, stretches and just about every other subtlety. However, not everyone can afford a ticket to an NBA game. Most people do not live within a reasonable driving distance of an NBA arena. This means the vast majority of the population can’t see Curry’s pregame routine or that of any other NBA superstar in-person. The solution is here in the form of YouTube 360’s virtual reality.

Steph Curry’s Virtual Reality Workout

Thanks to YouTube 360, the masses will be able to check out the nuances of Steph Curry’s infamous pregame on-court workout. This virtual reality footage shows Steph’s routine up close and personal so aspiring ballers can learn the intricacies of his pregame exercises and fans can see how well their favorite player performs without pressure from NBA defenders. Steph’s virtual reality pregame routine, known as Stephen Curry: Motion in 360, is made available thanks to sponsorship from the deodorant company Degree.

Stephen Curry: Motion in 360 is 360-degree video footage that allows the viewing participant to put himself directly on the court for pregame warmups with the league’s premier shooter. It is the second installment of YouTube 360, following Lebron James’ uber-popular virtual reality project. James’ version of YouTube 360 debuted last year and lasted a dozen minutes.

 

Stephen Curry: Motion in 360 in the Context of Virtual Reality Fitness

The beauty of the Stephen Curry: Motion in 360 virtual reality pregame workout is that it pits the participant right in the middle of the action. Give this VR experience a try and you will see the baby-faced assassin’s moves up close and personal. You can shadow his moves in your own personal space, commit them to memory for your next workout or simply stare in awe. The potential for this technology is endless.

It won’t be long until virtual reality participants put themselves smack dab in the middle of seemingly real basketball games and other sporting events to experience heated competition. Can you imagine competing with NBA superstars like Steph Curry, Lebron James and James Harden in a virtual reality setting?  Virtual reality’s realistic environment combined with the implementation of motion tracking technology will make such a simulation possible sooner than most think. As long as the physics of such sports simulation are accurate, virtual reality sporting events will prove to be a raging success.

If the popularity of Lebron James’ YouTube 360 virtual reality experience is an indication of how the masses will react to future editions like Curry’s and follow-up VR-oriented sports experiences, the sky is the limit for this technology. One day, sports fans might enjoy virtual reality competitions with their favorite players much more than watching them perform on the court. VR really does have the potential to turn spectator sports into more of a participatory experience in which sports fanatics don virtual reality headsets to engage in competition with professional athletes in seemingly real settings.