Although more basketball fans are getting their NBA news on the go than ever before, we still haven't seen a mobile app that gives fans all the news they care most about. We took a look at the options out there, and we’ve come up with this list of the five best iOS apps for NBA fans:
TheScore Mobile
Free, Download HERE
Combining a high-quality content with a visually appealing, easy-to-use platform, TheScore has done well for themselves. NBA fans will find solid coverage of all their favorite teams, and this app helpfully lets users customize their experience based on their favorite teams.
TheScore's only real weakness is the lack of depth - hardcore fans will want more than 1-3 articles a day on their favorite teams, and there isn't quite enough substance underneath the shiny exterior. Still, casual fans will have a hard time finding a more complete, cohesive mobile app for NBA news.
SI.com
Free, Download HERE
Sports Illustrated is a respected brand with high-quality writing and excellent reporting, so it's a shame that they've packaged it so poorly for a mobile audience. If SI didn't have guys like Chris Ballard and Ian Thomsen writing for them, they wouldn't have made this list at all - the app experience is just that bad.
So, what went wrong? First of all, the design is a mess. It looks like someone took a desktop website and decided they'd re-format it for mobile, but then they stopped halfway through and never finished. Mobile devices aren't large enough for more than two or three stories on the screen at once, but SI somehow decided they'd try to cram in nine at once (see below). If that wasn't enough, choppy transitions and visual bugs also earn demerits here.
Basketball fans will enjoy the quality of the writing they find here, but that won't be enough for most of them. If SI really wants to compete for the mobile audience, they'll need to step their game up in a hurry.
SportsFeed
Free, Download HERE
While SportsFeed has a large library of content, it's held back by design and navigation problems that make it difficult to find the news you're looking for. Everything story from every major sport is aggregated into a single stream, and users are unable to customize it beyond just picking out which leagues they want to see.
While the app is aesthetically pleasing, the lack of personalized customization hurts SportsFeed when you stack it up to the competition. Fans of a specific team are unable to see just the news on their team - in this day and age, with the competition that's out there, that just isn't enough. Like with SI's app, there might be enough here for casual fans, but the diehards are going to need more.
CBS Sports
Free, Download HERE
CBS Sports has one of the better apps out there for NBA news - it combines intuitive design with personalized, high-quality content. With scores, stats and the complete suite of features you’d expect from a major outlet, the CBS Sports app only has two problems we took issue with.
First off, it only has content from CBS Sports. If you’re looking for a wide range of opinions and a wider view of the sports world (or if you’re a news hound looking for ALL the latest news), that just won't cut it. The second problem isn't unique to CBS Sports – the annoying, distracting banner ads that run across the bottom of your screen at all times. We know finding real estate for ads on mobile is tough, but if it has a negative impact on user experience, you’re doing it wrong.
US Basketball News (by SportFusion)
Free, Download HERE
Don't be fooled by the weird name or the bargain-brand, generic design - there's actually a ton of good content here. This app aggregates from a number of high-quality sources, and everything is presented in a user-friendly, easily navigable way.
The downside? Tiny, choppy thumbnail images that weren't meant for mobile consumption (not a big deal, but certainly not the most professional look) and the occasional random crashes. There are also a few issues with quality control (we aren't sure this story is what someone checks 'US Basketball News' to see):
So, what’s the verdict?
Each NBA news app currently on the market has its distinct pros and cons. We preferred TheScore’s mobile app and the CBS Sports app, but the small amount of team-specific content means the hardcore basketball fans out there won’t be satisfied. There’s still plenty of room for a killer app to come along and blow these guys out of the water, so keep an eye out for some new challengers in the near future.
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