Everything You Need to Know about the NBA Experience
Due to its ESPN properties, The Walt Disney Company has strong connections to the National Basketball Association. When Disney chose to shutter its videogame entertainment complex, DisneyQuest, the company picked the NBA as its replacement.
The decision was reasonable, but many Disney fans loudly wondered about it nonetheless. Now that the new facility is open, we can see whether Disney did the right thing. Here’s everything you need to know about the NBA Experience at Disney Springs.
What is NBA Experience?
This entertainment building is a two-story celebration of all things basketball. For $34 plus tax per person, guests may enter the facility and participate in all of the “events” available.
What’s an event? We’ll discuss them in detail in a bit, but the gist is that Disney has styled the NBA Experience in sections. Each one will distract you for a few minutes. In total, the building probably has about three or four full hours of entertainment, depending on how much you’re willing to try everything.
Disney lists 13 activities at NBA Experience. They range from short films about basketball to dunking and shooting competitions. You can even fire a slingshot at a basketball hoop for some reason. Let’s talk about the various highlights.
The Non-Physical Activities
I’m splitting this guide into two sections for a reason. Some of the activities at NBA Experience are, you know, active. Participants will burn some calories during these events. Others require less effort. These activities are mainly for walking, watching, and even shopping.
Non-physical activities are seemingly everywhere on the first floor. According to Disney’s map, this floor contains the following sections:
- Center Court
- Champions
- Combine
- Film 01
- Film 02
- Players
Many of the activities here are cosmetic. The first floor is all about the experience of entering a realistic NBA arena. The moment that you reach Center Court, you’ll feel like a fan with the best seats in the house. And you’ll even get to look at realistic NBA locker rooms.
The Important Activities on the First Floor
The most laid-back activities on this floor are Film 01 and Film 02, short movies about basketball. In one of them, a daughter is afraid to shoot the basketball. Then, her father takes her to a game, and she gets so inspired that she makes her high school basketball team afterward. Hey, they’re Disney films. They’re going to be inspirational.
Champions is the most intriguing interactive exhibit for true basketball fans. This section highlights every NBA champion ever. But it’s so much more than that. You can access detailed information about all of these teams.
This section is so technologically advanced that it displays videos from the championship teams. As an example, during the 1996 Chicago Bulls video, you can watch Michael Jordan steal the ball and perform a behind-the-back pass for an easy score.
While Combine sounds like something active, it’s actually easy. You get to pretend like you’re a prospect in the NBA Draft. You’ll get tested on measurables like wingspan and jumping ability. Then, you’ll take five shots to test your shooting ability. There’s minimal effort required, unlike the real NBA Combine, which is exhausting.
Then, you’ll have the chance to live out your dream by getting drafted. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has a life-sized wax statue here to help you pretend like you’re about to become an NBA star. Hidden cameras will capture images of this event and automatically upload them to Memory Maker.
Those of you who don’t want to do anything smacking of effort (my brothers and sisters!) will still love the first floor. You’ll discover all sorts of exclusive items available at NBA Experience. Plus, you can watch countless NBA highlights on the digital monitor hanging from the rafters.
The Physical Activities
The second floor is where all of the active and competitive people will hang out. Disney’s map shows the following activities here:
- Arcade
- Draft!
- Dribble!
- Dunk!
- Replay
- Shoot!
- Slingshot!
- Trivia
Other than Trivia, Replay, and Arcade, everything else here will require some energy. For that matter, Arcade has a lot of hoops-shooting games, and those take a modest amount of effort, too.
Trivia is precisely what it sounds like. Remember the old trivia games at DisneyQuest? This section is the same, only all of the questions are about WNBA and NBA basketball.
While I haven’t mentioned the WNBA much, the women’s league technically has a co-presence at NBA Experience. It’s most readily evident in the shop, some of the interactive stats displays, and in the trivia section.
Replay is for different kinds of sports fans. You know how you think all referees are idiots who need new glasses? With this game, you will understand just how challenging the game is. The monitors show a series of difficult calls from separate camera angles. You must decide whether the call is correct or not.
For example, a player attempts a three-pointer. They will also get credit for two points if their foot is inside the three-point line or even on it. You must know the rules in place and trust your eyes on each call. It’ll force you to re-evaluate your natural dislike of officiating crews. For a second. Then, you’ll go back to thinking that they’re idiots.
The Important Activities on the Second Floor
The other games are interactive. On Dunk!, you can feel Dominique Wilkins as you soar through the air and slam down the basketball. The goal is adjustable in height, lowering down to the point where almost anyone can dunk. And cameras capture the magic as you win your imaginary dunk contest.
Dribble! is another skills competition. A narrator will ask you to prove your ball-handling skills. Onscreen videos will show you a kind of dribble for you to mimic. You’ll score higher when performing these maneuvers more accurately. At the end of the challenge, you’ll receive scores based on your performance. This aspect allows you to compete against yourself to improve your skills over time.
Oddly, Shoot! and Slingshot! are similar. Your goal is to put the basketball in the hoop. With Shoot!, you prove your marksmanship by nailing shots from all over the court. The wall behind the court features digital video of crowds, making you feel like they’re hanging on the game-winning shot you’re about to attempt.
On Slingshot!, you enter a vast open space featuring a row of slingshot devices. You’ll attempt to hurl these slung basketballs through the hoop and net. On this one, your score posts on a public scoreboard against a series of other players.
Draft! is the more interactive version of the first floor’s Combine. You’re again trying to get drafted, only you must do stuff to earn your spot in the league. You’ll get tested in a series of NBA skills to measure yourself against others. It’s your chance to prove that you can make your hoop dreams come true!
Final Thoughts
The NBA Experience currently costs about $80 for a party of two. For a few hours of entertainment, it’s a decent option but far from the best one at Walt Disney World. However, the shopping here is phenomenal, and it’s a no-brainer for competitive people and basketball players/fanatics.
In the past, DisneyQuest admission was included as part of specific Disney ticket packages. Should that happen again, visiting this entertainment center would be a no-brainer. Keep following MickeyBlog to learn if/when Disney ever adds this benefit to admission tickets.
PS: You can always shop at the NBA Experience’s main store. You don’t need tickets for this place, which is adjacent to entertainment complex.