The NBA and NBPA have announced "NBA All-World," an officially licensed geolocation-augmented-reality basketball game with Niantic, the creators of Pokémon Go.

The free-to-play game allows users to find and compete against today’s NBA players, then recruit them to join their team. NBA All-World is available globally on the App Store and Google Play.

Just like with Pokémon Go, players will explore neighborhoods around the world and encounter today's NBA stars. Users can challenge the players, add them to their team, level them up and compete to become the ruler of local courts. Real-world drops will allow players to collect gear from well-known brands. Players can also chat with friends, and compete in one-on-one tournaments to win in-game items.

“Sports are a huge part of people’s lives and a huge part of pop culture,” said John Hanke, the founder and CEO of Niantic. “Our version of an NBA basketball game starts with exciting one-on-one gameplay and expands from there to include the major elements of basketball culture, including music, fashion, sneakers and more – all of which are integrated into real-world locations.”

Are you ready to ball? Get into the gameplay of NBA All-World in episode 2 of “Beyond The Game.” @NBAAllWorld 🏀 pic.twitter.com/6Q55ogVuAR

— Are you ready to go All-World? 🏀 (@NianticLabs) January 24, 2023

“We look forward to our fans fully immersing themselves in NBA All-World as they develop deeper connections with players, the league and each other,” said Matt Holt, the NBA's head of consumer products. “Through our collaboration with Niantic and the NBPA, this game helps expand the world of the NBA and its culture into virtually every neighborhood around the globe.”

As Niantic’s first officially licensed sports title, NBA All-World inspires people to explore the world to experience everything the game has to offer:

• Explore Your World: Get out and move in the real world to discover NBA players to compete against and recruit to your roster, as well as Gear, Boosts, Challenges and more.
• Build Your Team: Go head-to-head against today’s NBA stars in a variety of challenges to recruit new players. If you’ve already recruited a player, challenge them again in your next encounter to practice your shot and earn more Cred. Recruit stronger players as your Team Level increases. 
• Push Your Limits: Power up players with Offense, Defense and Fitness Boosts. Make sure you keep Energy high with Energy Drinks.
• Rule the Court: Compete in leaderboard challenges at more than 100,000 basketball courts in the real world with Rule the Court. Challenge friends and other players for the top spot.
• Rep the Lifestyle: Pick up rare Gear from some of your favorite brands at Drop Zones. Look out for special Gear that improves player stats and outfit your team with sneakers and accessories that help you stand out from the crowd.

“We want to help make NBA All-World be as authentic as possible, as well as reach new audiences by bringing NBA players to Niantic’s augmented reality game,” said Josh Goodstadt, the chief commercial officer for THINK450, the partnership and innovation arm of the NBPA. “We look forward to users competing against and assembling their rosters from their favorite NBA players around the world.”

Niantic is the company behind Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom and Ingress, and NBA All-World is the latest augmented-reality game to be built on their Lightship platform.