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Could LeBron James be the one to bring virtual reality mainstream?
Exactly one year after James launched his video diary project “Uninterrupted,” the biggest basketball star on the planet partnered with Facebook-owned Oculus to launch a 12-minute virtual reality film about how he trains for the NBA.
Some of the footage has already appeared on Facebook as part of the company’s 360-degree video push. But this is the first time the two have partnered on a VR film, which Oculus funded and VR content studio Felix and Paul Studios produced.
The video is pretty great for Oculus, which is set to roll out its own VR headset in Q1 of 2016. It’s unclear if James was paid or takes a share of revenue from ads sold alongside the video, but having the world’s biggest basketball superstar creating content in VR is a pretty great tease. Oculus and virtual reality in general still feel like products for gamers. Bringing someone like James into the fold early should help drum up some more mainstream attention.
It’s also interesting for James, who is appearing on more and more screens. He clearly has an interest in media — that’s why he started “Uninterrupted;” his media company Spring Hills Entertainment recently signed a deal with Warner Bros. Now he’s one of the first big-time athletes to get his size-15 feet into the world of VR, too.
The video is only available through Oculus to those with a Samsung Gear VR headset. You can also watch a shorter, 360-degree snippet of the film below.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
