Opening date, new details announced for NBA Experience at Disney Springs in Disney World
The NBA Experience at Disney Springs in the Walt Disney World Resort, where guests will get the chance to feel like a basketball superstar, will officially open Aug. 12, 2019.
Disney and the NBA made the announcement at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., during the Orlando Magic – Philadelphia 76ers game, where Mickey Mouse made a surprise on-court appearance.
Disney is working with the NBA to develop the two-story, 44,000 square foot NBA Experience as a one-of-a-kind environment packed with 13 interactive elements and hands-on activities.
“When we were young, we played basketball in our driveways or in the park, creating those imaginary moments of making the game-winning shot for a championship,” Stan Dodd, executive producer, Walt Disney Imagineering, said in a news release. “We want to take that energy and help you feel what it’s like to be an actual NBA or WNBA player.”
As you walk into the NBA Experience, guests will feel as if they’re walking through the players’ tunnel at an NBA or WNBA arena.
A ticket to NBA Experience grants guests access to every activity, in any order guests choose, with the ability to return to stations to improve performances or learn even more about the game, players
The experience will also include a retail store featuring NBA-themed merchandise.
Some of the activities in the NBA Experience will include:
- A slam dunk challenge, where guests can change the height of a standard 10-foot hoop to as low as seven feet to perform their own superstar moves – captured by burst photography.
- An activity that tests shooting skills with spots on a court that light up as guests move from one location to another attempting to sink as many shots as possible in 15 seconds.
- A way for guests to see how they stack up to some of the world’s best basketball players by measuring their vertical leap, wingspan, shooting and dribbling.
- Personalization for various activities with guests’ names and associating the activity with their favorite NBA or WNBA teams.
- Real-time technology to aggregate statistics of NBA and WNBA games and players for continuous updates, while leaderboards will track top NBA Experience performers throughout each day.
