What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the phrase “3D printing”? That’s right: sports! 3D printing and the NBA go together like two peas in a pod and that’s why, according to Adam Stern at the Sports Business Daily, the Sacramento Kings wants to be the first team in the league to make use of the technology. How they’ll do it they haven’t said, but they’re definitely going to do it.
In an email Ryan Montoya, Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation & Technology, explained that team executives “hope to implement 3D printing usage throughout our organization.” To begin with, the team will be working with the local hackerspace, Hacker Lab, to develop ways to use four of their machines for the Kings. Last season, the team hosted a tech event with live 3D printing demonstrations and, this year, they hope to begin working the technology into their organization by as early as this season. Ever competing, the Warriors also hosted a 3D printer-related event last year, in which Harrison Barnes donated one to a local high school. Though the team hasn’t implied that they will definitely begin using the technology themselves, their Vice President of Digital & Marketing, Kenny Lauer, said that the Warriors may likely utilize from one to five 3D printers in the near future.
Some ideas for how the teams might use 3D printing around their offices and giant stadiums are to create highly realistic bobble heads with 3D scanning and full-color 3D printing, replacing broken parts across the venue on demand, or, Stern suggests, printing food at concessions stands. Most likely, I envision the technology used for creating souvenirs, as this seems a bit like a publicity stunt to me.
Sourced from Sports Business Daily’s Adam Stern.
