The Portland Trail Blazers became the first NBA team to offer the service to visually impaired fans. Using a laptop-sized device that has the outline of the basketball court, users feel vibrations that indicate ball movement.

Brian Vu has been a fan of the NBA for 14 years, but he has never experienced a game like the one he attended last week in Portland.

Not only did his hometown Trail Blazers beat the Memphis Grizzlies, but also for the first time in his life, Vu said he felt involved in the game, every bit a part of the 18,491 in attendance at Moda Center.

Vu, who has low vision, didn’t see one play during the Blazers’ 115-99 win. But he felt every score, every turnover, every shot.

The 32-year-old Vu used a haptic device that allowed him to follow the action in real time through vibrations felt through his fingers. The device was unveiled this season by Seattle-based OneCourt. After three pilot trials last spring, the Trail Blazers in January became the first NBA team to offer the service to fans. Since then, Sacramento and Phoenix also have been offering the devices at games.

Using a laptop-sized device that has the outline of the basketball court, visually impaired users feel vibrations that indicate ball movement. An earpiece gives updates on the score, as well as the result of a play, whether it’s a steal, block, 3-pointer or something else.

“It’s pretty cool. I feel more independent,” Vu said. “I’m usually bugging my friend during the game, asking him, ‘What’s happening?’ So now, I can interpret the game in my head … and I don’t feel excluded.”

Vu attended the Blazers-Grizzlies game with his friend James Kim, the recipient of many of Vu’s elbow jabs and questions during games over the years. As the Blazers pulled away in the third quarter, Kim and Vu were in sync, oohing and aahing when Shaedon Sharpe dunked or Donovan Clingan rejected shots.

“Usually, he’s like, ‘Who shot that? What just happened?’ It was not that big of a deal for me, but this is definitely an upgrade,” Kim said of Vu. “He can enjoy the game without having to stop and get the details from me, so I think it’s great for him.”

Vu’s experience is exactly what Mace hoped for when he brainstormed the idea as a student at the University of Washington. Mace, 24, grew up in Spokane, Wash., with parents with disabilities. He also wore glasses so thick he was called “goggles” by classmates. He had astigmatism in his left eye — what people could see 80 feet away, he would see at only 20 feet — and although his vision improved through surgeries and by wearing a patch over the right eye, he was left with a lasting empathy and understanding for those with disabilities.

“You bundle those experiences together, and I think that just primed my heart for this work,” Mace said. “I think it’s given me a ton of perspective and appreciation for what it’s like to experience the world differently.”

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6228609/2025/03/28/nba-visually-impaired-fans-haptic-devices/