Apple Vision Pro gets its “killer app”: Live NBA games in full 3D courtside view

Apple may finally have secured the first mainstream use case for its Vision Pro. The American tech giant has entered into an agreement with Spectrum SportsNet to stream a selection of live Los Angeles Lakers NBA matches in the 2025-26 season.

According to an Apple official release, the exact matches to be streamed will be announced later this year, with the first games broadcast early in 2026 through Spectrum SportNet’s upcoming app for Vision Pro.

Apple promises Vision Pro will make viewers feel they are in the middle of the game, with immersive 3D sporting perspectives that traditional media houses cannot deliver. The matches will be captured with the new URSA Cine Immersive Live camera from Blackmagic Design.

Apple will also deliver full game replays and highlights in select countries and regions via the Spectrum SportsNet and NBA apps.

Other content that Apple Vision Pro users can enjoy includes “intimate documentaries and groundbreaking sports performances, music, travel, and more.” However, for those who want to access more NBA content through their Vision Pro, they can spring for the NBA League Pass for real-time player and game stats and more.

Vision Pro is Apple's first spatial computing headset. The tech behemoth combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for users to interact with digital content.

The hardware still struggles with the limitations of a steep starting price ($3,499), a limited app ecosystem, and the requirement of an external battery pack. However, live sports are one of the few content categories that can drive higher adoption of relatively new hardware. It remains to be seen if live NBA action is the “killer app” that Apple needs to bring Vision Pro mainstream.