NBA LIVE Mobile Courtside - August 17

What's up everyone, it's your boy, Cornell, back again for another edition of Courtside. This past week you got your hands on Global Series 2, new Legends, new Off-Season Movers, and more. We enjoyed the amazing videos you sent us and are highlighting some below (and also, keep them coming!). We’re also excited for a Post-game Interview with developer Sterling Pierce who works diligently on NBA LIVE mobile. Let’s get to it.

• Two new Legends, Scottie Pippen and Shaquille O'Neal, NBA Global Series 2 content, New Off-Season Movers & more in Instant Replay.
• Check out some great Global Series 1 & 2 pack pull videos as well as some creative videos from the community in The Spotlight.    
• Take a look at another “Sleeper” player discovered by the community in Player of the Game.
• We sat down with NBA LIVE Mobile Producer Sterling Pierce in Post-game Interview.

• Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen has finally arrived in NBA LIVE Mobile! He's an NBA Global legend who averaged 9 points and 6 assists while playing tough defense in international play in 1992. Pippen won a Gold medal and the NBA championship the same year, twice. Pippen is a 6-time NBA Champion and was part of the Chicago Bulls team that held the record for most wins by finishing 72-10. 
• The second NBA Global legend is Shaquille O'Neal, aka Shaq Diesel, aka Superman, and he is now making  his way to the Two-Way lineup. Shaq averaged 9 points and 5 rebounds while helping his team to an 8-0 record in international play in 1994. He would later win the NBA Championship 3 years in a row with the Los Angeles Lakers from  2000-2002.

NBA Global Live Events: The NBA Global program has had Live Events with varying difficulties and rewards. As the difficulty increases, so does the reward; for example, when you complete the “Global: Shot Specialist” event, a Hard, four-star challenge, you will earn three Global collectibles.  A Medium, three-star event will earn you two Global collectibles.

This week we saw the first Global Throwback Thursday players come to NBA LIVE Mobile.

• Manu Ginobili: Averaged 19 points while helping his team to a Gold medal in 2004.
• Luis Scola: Averaged 18 points and 5 rebounds while leading his team to a Gold medal in 2004.

Off-Season Movers: We are continuing to highlight moves in the off-season:

• CJ Wilcox, 67 OVR, is headed to the Orlando Magic.
• Brandon Bass, 74 OVR, is headed to the Los Angeles Clippers.
• Nene, 76 OVR, is headed to the Houston Rockets.
• Chandler Parsons, 81 OVR, is headed to the Memphis Grizzlies.
• Matthew Dellavedova, 77 OVR, is headed to the Milwaukee Bucks.

I'm sure by now you know this is my favorite section of Courtside. For those that might not know, this is where we showcase some amazing creations from the community. We do our best to go through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and forums to find the most creative content to spotlight. 

BATMAN PULLING ELITES IN GLOBAL PACK OPENING! QJB

NBA LIVE MOBILE LARGE Quicksell TEAM Builder NerdBeam Gaming 

Welcome back to Player of the Game where we showcase a community-chosen “Sleeper” player in NBA LIVE Mobile. This week we're showcasing Off-Season Mover Chandler Parsons.

Off-Season Mover Chandler Parsons is now a member of the Memphis Grizzles, providing them a scoring threat from the wing. Parsons has an 81 OVR with two particularly valuable stats; an 81 3-point rating and a 80 shooting rating make him dangerous from anywhere on the floor. 

Welcome to the post-game interview. Join us as we interview a member of the team to hear about their involvement with NBA LIVE Mobile.

Standing  courtside with us is NBA LIVE Mobile Producer Sterling Pierce  

CG: First off, thank you for doing this it truly means everything to me. So, What’s your involvement on NBA LIVE Mobile?

SP: I am a Producer on the NBA LIVE Mobile team and focus on Live Daily content updates and releases of the game. A lot of the awesome content that we kick out is a team effort, not only from other producers like Hoff and Patrick, but also from the development team which allows us to continue to improve the game on a consistent basis.

CG: Ah! Nice, how's the transition from console to mobile ?

SP:  As many of you know, I was a Producer on NBA LIVE 14, 15, and 16 and worked on the content for Live Season and Ultimate Team. The opportunity arose with NBA LIVE Mobile which allows us the opportunity to flex the traditional Ultimate Team model and give the players Ultimate Team elements with new and exciting features within any mobile/portable device. My transition was a unique opportunity as both titles are NBA based – and with me being a HUGE NBA fan it was an easier transition. Side note: I grew up watching John Stockton and Karl Malone run the greatest pick-and-roll offense for the Utah Jazz under Jerry Sloan – I’m a Jazz fan for life. I’m so ready for the NBA season to start!

CG: Haha! Go Jazz! Do you have any advice for anyone who might want to do your job one day?

SP:  First, it helps to have a passion for basketball. This passion can drive you to say “Did you see that game last night? What if…” Become familiar with various free toolsets that are structured for game development. I remember starting off with Unity and then scripting in Python and then weaving my way into C++ and C#. Second, I’m a huge advocate for College / University education and recommend anyone considering a career in the gaming industry to look at programs that are tailored to what you want to do as a profession.  

(Sips water)

My path to where I am now is interesting. I got my Undergraduate degree in Computer Science with an emphasis in Game and Simulation Programming. I worked as a Software Engineer for 2 years on a few Facebook games. I had a great mentor at that studio and was recommended to the Production side of video game development. This recommendation led me to the University of Utah – Entertainment Arts and Engineering program, which is currently ranked #3 in Game Design by The Princeton Review, where I received my Graduate Degree in Fine Arts. During the Graduate program I applied for an internship at Tiburon which helped pave the way for a Full-Time opportunity and eventually a Producer on the NBA LIVE team.

CG: Wow! thank you for that. Lastly, any tips or tricks for the community?

SP: Be on the lookout for players that fit your play style. Currently one of my favorite lineups consist of Gordon Hayward, Rodney Hood, Dirk Nowitzki, and Derrick Favors. I run a traditional Inside-Out offense where I try to force the defense to double-team my ball handler, then quickly kick the ball out to the open man. Be on the lookout for players that can contribute from the outside – Dirk Nowitzki and Rodney Hood are deadly with an open look and right timing. Also, FEEDBACK. We listen to what you are saying, and even though we can’t make everything that everyone wants, we like hearing about what you enjoy or what improvements you as the community would like. Those individuals that followed me for NBA LIVE console know that invest a lot of our time into making the game better.

CG: Thank you so much for doing this, We will certainly catch back up with you soon and see how your Jazz are doing. 

Alright, that's a wrap Thank you for coming to Courtside with me this week! We will see you Friday, August 19th at 1pm EST on Twitch.tv/EASPORTS. 

Of course, you guys should already know but you truly haven't seen anything yet.

Peace, 

NBA LIVE Mobile Community Manager, Cornell Gunter