--- title: "A Chaotic, Awful, Great Idea to Save the NBA is Here" description: "The NBA 2019-2020 season has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. But someone has an idea to save it. It's either awful or genius." date: "2020-03-18" modified: "2020-03-18" authors: - name: "Foster Kamer" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/foster" url: "https://futurism.com/nba-quarantine-twitch-nba2k" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "coronavirus" - "nba" - "sports" - "video games" --- # A Chaotic, Awful, Great Idea to Save the NBA is Here ![The NBA 2019-2020 season has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. But someone has an idea to save it. It's either awful or genius.]() *\Image: 2K\* Josh and Benny Safdie, the writer-director brothers behind 2019's Adam Sandler-led indie film hit masterpiece "Uncut Gems*,"* aren't just geniuses of anxiety-inducing auteur cinema. We present to you: **How To Save the NBA (and All Other Pro Sports) Under Quarantine.** https://twitter.com/JOSH_BENNY/status/1239890807055880192 Okay, so, yes: This idea is absurd. This idea is [galaxy brain.]() Because playing video game basketball is nothing like playing actual basketball. Even *if* you're a professional basketball player (and maybe *especially* if you're a basketball player). But watching them try would be nothing if not entertaining. Apparently, this isn't the first time this idea's been floated, either, as the Safdies seemingly tapped into something potent in the [collective unconscious](): https://twitter.com/RandallOtisTV/status/1238095621493587968 It's not like NBA players aren't already all over Twitch already. [Per an *ESPN* report](), NBA players have already taken to the service, where you can stream people playing video games, in droves. NBA teams themselves have already started [streaming video game matches following their game schedules](), pitting elite video game players against each other to represent their teams. And if you don't think there's an audience for two gamers to play basketball against each other, think again: *The stream was a success, consistently in the 4,500-5,000 range in terms of viewers. At one point, the stream [reached more than 12,000 viewers](), which is an impressive number on Twitch for NBA2K game streams.* Yes, it would be absurd. Yes, it would be a mess. But also, yes, the world can't watch [Rudy Gobert get dunked on]() soon enough. This idea has legs. They are pixelated, athletic, and ready to play. Please, god, let the NBA 2k20 Quarantine Season of Mess commence. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()