NBA Draft 2014 News: Chat With Aaron Gordon, Andrew Wiggins, Dante Exum, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart & More Players Via Google+ Hangouts

By Nens Bolilan| Jun 25, 2014

Many are expecting the Cleveland Cavaliers to name Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins for the first overall pick at the NBA Drafts. But what if in the final moments, the Cavs suddenly name someone else?

That may be a remote possibility, but if the nightmare does happen during the June 26 event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, you can now tell the top seeds how you feel and hope they hang out with you as you lament--virtually, that is.

The NBA has promised that Parker, Wiggins, Aaron Gordon, Dante Exum and Marcus Smart, big names in this year's Draft, will "crash" some Google+ Hangouts created by fans "to answer their questions," says The Verge. Many other draftees will participate.

In a statement available on NBC Sports, the league said the first-ever Hangouts during the NBA Draft will "give fans around the world the opportunity to speak live with top draft picks using Google+ Hangouts moments after they are selected."

"Fans will have a chance to talk to a player on one of the biggest days of their lives," said Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, senior vice president of digital media, as quoted in a Wall Street Journal blog. "The NBA Draft brings fans from all around the world together, and this unprecedented access to our newest players is a great addition to our exciting and comprehensive digital offerings," she added, as quoted by NBC Sports.

Fans need only to mark their Hangout with the hashtags #NBADraftCrash or #[TEAMNAME]DraftCrash, and a player could end up there to answer questions and chat. Hangouts can be created at www.nba.com/draftcrash and www.plus.google.com/hangouts, NewsOK added.

This isn't the first time the NBA has dabbled in Google technologies, The Verge noted, with the Sacramento Kings, owned by technology enthusiast Vivek Ranadive, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers wearing the Google Glass off court. 

The feature is intended to keep the spotlight on the league after enjoying solid ratings for the NBA Finals, said the Wall Street Journal. It comes from a set of unique social media marketing stunts slated for the Draft, with Brenner saying that the basketball league was able to generate "hundreds of thousands of views" on another platform during the finals. It encourages the use of different media to get fans involved.

The NBA has begun endorsing the Google+ Hangouts on Tuesday, the report said, including promotion via hashtags such as #NBADraftCrash or #[TEAMNAME]DraftCrash. It also plans to take some clips from these hangouts and share them on its web platforms such as  Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, among other channels--where over 635 million fans/followers can view them.

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