VIDEO: Watch the NBA be immortalized in Minecraft
By Ian Levy
The internet is a wonderful place, where creativity and free time collide with supercomputer power in an explosion of sensory goodness. Minecraft, the open-world world-building game, is a pretty perfect canvas for that kind of self-expression, as Minecraft allows for creation and construction on a scale limited only by the “materials” provided in game, the fact that everything is Lego-esque blocks, and one’s own imagination. It comes as no surprise, then, that there exists an entire universe of NBA Minecraft structures just waiting to be unearthed.
For some, the link between the NBA and Minecraft is simple enough. In this world, there is a court and two baskets. All of the other accoutrements of an NBA game fade away — or, rather, are never made manifest in the first place.
For others, NBA Minecraft is a playground of childhood indulgence. Where once young fans practiced their “dunks” on lowered rims and bedroom doorframes, one can now build an entire NBA All-Star experience, complete with hotel accommodations and physics-defying dunk contests:
And in the grand tradition of every single part of being a fan ever, some make the simple choice in NBA Minecraft — they build monuments to their favorite teams; they emblazon their entire sense of self with team logos.
The American Airlines Center, in all its NBA Minecraft glory:
A block-fort version of Staples Center:
A giant Miami Heat logo looming over a stretch of agrarian land, beckoning skyward to either super alien beings or basketball gods, were there any distinction between the two:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEHEGUiW3bw
Surely NBA Minecraft wouldn’t be complete without dueling logos from the 2014 NBA Finalists — as well as a pretty neat version of the official Finals script.
And in the end, the NBA you make is equal to the NBA you take. It’s also equal to the giant NBA Minecraft logo right next to Minecraft McDonald’s, across the street from the aforementioned Minecraft Staples Center.
The NBA Minecraft world stretches for miles upon miles of internet tubing, a testament to the “fanatic” part of being a fan. It’s equal parts impressive and intimidating, summed to be glorious.