Basketball Royalty Toasts the NBA Finals in Stylized New Ad

The basketball nets appear to be made of Swarovski crystals, and nobody can dunk on that much drip. Ken Jeong catches a signature no-look pass from Magic Johnson—as if!—and Jimmy Kimmel expects a roomful of chatty party guests to “just be quiet for two hours.”

In those ways, the new short film hyping the upcoming NBA Finals is a fantasy-filled alternate universe. But in most of its other elements, it’s a highly stylized version of reality, packed with National Basketball Association royalty and Hollywood celebrities mingling in a Gatsby-esque setting.

The mini-movie, from longtime agency partner Translation, aims to whip up excitement for the postseason games that tip off June 6. It’s part of a broader marketing effort that includes out-of-home, digital, audio and print ads, along with a Times Square watch party, a premium pop-up lounge at the Governors Ball music festival, retail and global activations and the second-year tour of the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

The hero commercial, dubbed “The Toast,” intends to showcase “the pinnacle of the NBA season,” according to Tammy Henault, chief marketing officer. “We wanted to ensure that our creative captured the gravity of that.”

The video, directed by Hungry Man’s Dave Laden, features 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.” And because the league loves its boldface names, Wade gets an assist from Queen Latifah in playing host to NBA legends Johnson, Isiah Thomas and Ray Allen; ESPN commentator Mike Breen; and Women’s National Basketball Assocation stars Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. 

Jeong provides his trademark goofy comic relief—he catches only a cocktail napkin from Johnson and later awkwardly asks for an intro to Larry Bird. As in other NBA work, there are Easter eggs for the superfans, like Breen’s famous catch phrase—“Bang!”—and a reference to Allen’s three-pointers from the corner.

Tourney momentum

“The Toast” drops as ratings for the playoffs have decreased slightly from 2023’s banner year, no doubt dinged by early exits by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, two reliable audience draws. Meanwhile, live sports are all the rage in current upfront discussions for linear TV and streaming, prized for being appointment viewing in a highly fractured marketplace.

The campaign comes shortly after the league’s April promotion for the playoffs with an ad called “Playoff mode, it’s a thing.” The spot was narrated by Chris Rock and populated with current NBA stars; iconic players-turned-sportscasters such as Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley; rapper Lil Wayne; and others.

In the run-up to the finals, the league relaunched the Larry O’Brien Trophy tour, sending the hardware to rub shoulders with famous folks like Tom Brady, Mariah Carey, Fat Joe, Bad Bunny and UFC champions. It will continue to make the rounds of high-traffic destinations and glitterati meetups.

The trophy tour’s first year—in which it checked off a bucket list activity by skydiving into downtown Denver to be handed to the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets—snagged more than 200 million video views for its content and amassed nearly 100,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.