A Kid Shooting Hoops Alone Hits the Big Time in NBA 2K23 Trailer

Sony Interactive Entertainment stages games within games for “The Shot Caller,” a :60 from adam&eveDDB New York hyping NBA 2K23. We open on a young fan named Willie Martinez shooting hoops in his driveway. Like NBA devotees the world over, our pint-sized hero enthusiastically provides a play-by-play while imagining himself as a star.

“Martinez is looking to bring it home tonight, but time is running out,” he begins, as a shot clock breaks through the roof of his garage, showing 10 seconds left in the game.

More CGI magic ensues as a Jumbotron drops from the sky and Willie finds himself competing in a sold-out NBA arena—with Mavericks point guard Luka Dončič on hand for comic relief. (Dude, pass the ball to the kid already. It’s his dream, not yours!)

Directed with appealing verve by Park Pictures’ Terence Neale, there’s a final twist, too—perhaps not so surprising given that the spot kicks off with the iconic PlayStation logo.

Turns out Willie’s been in his bedroom all along, immersed in NBA 2K23 on a PlayStation 5 console. The ad ends by urging viewers to “Feel the crowd on PS5. Feel the contact on PS5. Feel the moment on PS5.”

“The Shot Caller” does a fine job of illustrating that conceit, fusing real-world and digital gameplay with the images in Willie’s head. The narrative feels authentic, because we’ve all been there—calling shots on the blacktop, imagining ourselves as NBA heroes and popping pixels to beat the buzzer.

Of course, the NBA has long positioned itself as a cultural juggernaut. Its gaming extensions provide key chapters in that playbook, and Sony rightly lays claim to a piece of the action.

The film breaks this week across digital platforms in North America, the U.K., Spain, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China and South Korea.

CREDITS

Client: PlayStation & NBA 2K
Campaign: The Shot Caller

Client: Sony Interactive Entertainment
SVP, Head of Global Marketing Eric Lempel
VP, Global Marketing Isabelle Tomatis
VP, Global Partner Mktg, Analytics & Monetizations Shelby Cox
Global Brand Marketing Director Adam Grant
Senior Manager, Brand and Platform Marketing Dianne Segovia
Brand Manager, Global Brand and Platform Marketing Melanie Kwan
Group Manager, Global Partner Marketing Strategy & Planning Josh Viloria
Team Lead, Global Partner Marketing Alexander Terry
Partner Marketing Manager Glenn Stotz
Senior Partnerships Brand Manager Alexa Parker
Partner Marketing Group Manager Melissa Fricke
Senior Manager, Global Sponsorships James Oliver
Sr. Manager, Partner Marketing Jose Sa
Senior Lead Creative Agency and Localization Mgmt Renee Holt

Client: 2K Publishing
Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Bell
VP, Head of Global Marketing Alfie Brody
VP, Global Creative Marketing & Design Services Sami Thessman
Senior Director, Global Marketing Sophia Formoso
Senior Director, Global Communications Leah Barash
Director, Global Marketing Strategy Benji Han
Brand Managers, Global Marketing Strategy Joshua Lander
Director, Creative Marketing Production Kate Mazzeo
Sr. Manager, First Party Marketing Andrew Walenga
Manager, First Party Marketing Jenna White
Global Marketing Producer Jon Wilson

Agency: adam&eve nyc
Chief Creative Officer: Richard Brim
Executive Creative Director Daniel Bonder
Executive Creative Director: David Brown
Creative Director: Joel Francke
Creative Director: Frederick Nduna
Art Director: Willow Ennen
Copywriter: Gabe Santana: 
Chief Executive Officer: Mat Goff
Managing Director: James Rowe
Head of Production: Abbie Noon
Executive Producer: Adrienne Darnell
Senior Producer: Jonny Weiss
Account Director: Andy Chang
Account Executive Kenan Moos
Head of Business Affairs Matt Friday
Head of Project Management: Kimmy Harvey
Senior Project Manager Rikki Greenspan

Production Company: Park Pictures
Director: Terence Neale
Executive Producer Jackie Kelman-Bisbee
Executive Producer: Justin Pollock 
Producer: Rozanne Roca-Grey
Head of Production: Chelsea Schwiering
Director of Photography Todd Martin

Editorial: Cabin
Managing Partner: Maggie Meade
EP: Adam Becht
Editor: Sam Ostrove
Cutting Assistant: Talia Pasqua
Producer: Katy Lester

Finishing + Color Blacksmith

VFX Supervisor: Iwan Zwarts 
Lead Compositor Thomas Panayiotou 
CG Lead: Tuna Unalan 

Executive Producer Charlotte Arnold 
Head of Production Perry Tate 
Producer: Ashley Goodwin 
Production Coordinator Joey Witten: 

Compositors: Jake Slutsky
Eric Concepcion
Eric Sibley
Robert Bruce
Remedy Hyun

CG Team: Justin Diamond
Shihan Barbee
Eddy Estevez
Eric Schnell
Nick Owoyemi
Jackie Liao
Cathy Phan
Kushal Das
Rik Walia
Paul Wei

Colorist: Mikey Pehanich 
Color Assistant: Sam Howells 
Color Producer: Adam Vevang: 

Sound Design & Mix: Sonic Union
Sound Designer: Rob Ballingall
Mix Engineer & Sound Designer Owen Shearer
Producer: Gina Petrarca
Head of Production: Pat Sullivan

Music: The Hogan
Music Supervisor Sean Hogan
Composer: Jordan Crisp