Silver wants to turn NBA into gold in China

NBA basketball star Jeremy Lin of Charlotte Hornets, left, challenges Chris Paul of Los Angeles Clippers in a match during the 2015 NBA China Games in Shenzhen city, South China's Guangdong province, October 11, 2015. [Photo/IC]

Thanks to innovative virtual reality technology, fans will be able to watch a "live" game at the Staples Center in LA or Madison Square Garden in New York in their living rooms in the near future, but that is still some way off.

"There will be a day when fans in China can experience an NBA game as if he or she was sitting courtside (in the US). We will replicate that feeling when you are in the arena with 20,000 other fans while you are actually at home," said Silver, who took office last February, succeeding former longtime commissioner David Stern.

The new broadcasting technology is being developed by Tencent Holdings Limited, the league's exclusive digital partner in China through a five-year deal, but Silver did not reveal when it will be launched.

The futuristic in-arena simulation might sound a bit far-fetched, but the proposal to change the start of some games to accommodate the massive China market is not.

Silver revealed on Saturday that the league has discussed the possibility of playing some games at about 10 am on the east coast, which would undoubtedly increase the league's viewership in Asia.