In NBA's 2023-24 Tip-Off Spot, It's 'Everyone's Game'
The site of Denver Nugget star Jamal Murray chugging up the cement steps of a stadium, followed by countless fans, pretty much sums up where the NBA is right now. It's an utterly ubiquitous cultural driver, revered around the world, primed to launch its new season on Oct. 24.
Murray's joined in a tip-off spot by the 76ers Joel Embiid, who works out on a lonely court, pounding an old tire into submission.
They're prepping for another grueling year, sweating out the kinks to get into top form and compete in "Everyone's Game."
Also appearing: NBAers Zach LaVine, Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox, Bradley Beal and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. WNBA legend Sue Bird and USWNT player Alex Morgan make cameos. (No sign of the NBA's biggest fan from last year's ads. Maybe he follows hockey these days.)
Leigh Powis directs with appropriately pulse-pounding precision, while the boss groove of "How You Like Me Now" plays into the insistent, epic feel. Translation developed the campaign.
Sure, it's basically a clip-show with quickie-cuts and game action. We get no complex narratives this time around. Still, it works. The NFL has Taylor Swift (for now), but hoops and soccer reign as sports' arbiters of action, thrills and style.
As for a hint of slippage, some sense of ambivalence, well, don't tell Embiid. He looks pissed.
"We wanted the campaign to reflect the moment the league is in right now as we tip off the 2023-24 season with a wide-open field and competition at an all-time high," says NBA CMO Tammy Henault. "The creative captures the passion and hard work that NBA players put in day-in and day-out, eliciting emotion and anticipation for an exciting and unpredictable season. 'Everyone’s Game' also has a dual meaning—it speaks to our values of inclusion and symbolizes the power of basketball to bring people together."
