Tatum (26) announces the reigning champions’ presence, while 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama (20) from the Spurs waves him off. Loud New York Knicks fans draw a sigh from Adebayo while streamer Kai Cenat posts a video from the middle of a stampede.
From his seat on one of the hoops, Dončić (25) passes the ball to Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky in midair before it’s returned to the referee. In just over a minute, the NBA lets viewers know that its fandoms, its followers from various corners of media, and its new generation of talent—who are an average of 26 years old in this spot—are all its most valuable players heading into the 2024-25 season.
“We wanted to elevate fan favorites and make sure that we have some of the biggest stars and biggest names, and we’re showcasing the high-level competition that we expect from the season,” said NBA CMO Tammy Henault. “But we’re definitely starting to elevate more and more of our new fresh faces and some of the younger stars.”
NBA 365
The fifth and decisive game of the 2024 NBA Finals was played on June 17. By July, the NBA and its partners were in Las Vegas shooting this ad around the USA Basketball Showcase of pre-Olympics exhibition games.
Shot in a ballroom at the Bellagio with more than 100 extras of diverse ages and audiences playing fans of different teams, the spot was filmed in tandem with ads for the league’s NBA Emirates Cup in-season tournament that doesn’t begin until mid-November. It also required some additional shots to accommodate Dončić’ and Wembanyama—whose Slovenian and French national teams weren’t in town for the event.
