Fans will vote on @Twitter for the player they want to see featured during the live stream of select regular-season and #NBAPlayoffs games airing on TNT as well as the 2019 #NBAAllStar Game. — NBA (@NBA) January 9, 2019

This might seem like a rather odd setup, especially if Twitter is looking to pull in basketball fans. But the company told Variety that this type of coverage is meant to complement traditional TV, not replace it. "Every single one of our deals has to look at that," said Kay Madati, Twitter's head of content partnership. "We're not here to encroach on the rights of our partners."

Twitter announced the deal, which was made with Turner Sports and the NBA, today.

Previously, Twitter has streamed MLB, NHL, WNBA, NFL and MLS games. It's also covered esports and PGA tournaments and hosted sports-centered news and analysis shows as well as live shows from ESPN.

The schedule of games and who will provide commentary during the streams will be announced later on. The games will stream on the @NBAonTNT Twitter account.