Following this success, Henault continued to send the trophy to high-traffic destinations and glitterati meetups each season.
2. ‘Playoff Mode. It’s a Thing,’ (2024)
“Playoff Mode. It’s a Thing.” narrated by comedian Chris Rock landed in April 2024 to promote the NBA Playoffs.
The hero spot showed NBA players try to play it cool about going to the playoffs—even though they are a huge deal. All-stars such as Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, and Nikola Jokic featured in the campaign.
The creative played on the idea that the “playoffs unlock an elevated version of all of us, from passionate fans to the unrivaled competitors across the league,” Henault said at the time.
The work, again from Translation, launched alongside the NBA’s first sonic brand identity, which mashed up snippets of balls bouncing on courts, sneakers squeaking on hardwood, roaring crowds, and swishing nets.
This campaign was swiftly followed a few weeks later by “The Toast,” which featured former pro basketballer Dwyane Wade as the master of ceremonies in a glamorous, mood-lit speakeasy, raising a glass of bubbly to “the season that was and the champion to be.”
Queen Latifah also took a starring role, alongside NBA legends Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Ray Allen; ESPN commentator Mike Breen; and Women’s National Basketball Association stars Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. Kimmel featured once more, with debuts from fellow comedian and actor Ken Jeong and legend Magic Johnson.
3. ‘The Heist and The Heist II’ (2023 and 2024)
In 2023, to hype its inaugural In-Season Tournament, Translation and the NBA premiered “Heist,” a stylized homage to Ocean’s Eleven with basketball superstars playing key roles in a swagger-filled crime-lite caper.