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NBA's Biggest Fan Will Get You Amped for the 2022-23 Season
Translation spot moves in a fresh direction
Why put NBA stars and legends like Steph Curry, Joel Embiid, Bill Walton and Tim Hardaway Sr. at the center of a tip-off spot when Keyon Bowman‘s on hand?
Keyon WHO?
The relatively unknown actor slays as a league superfan, nicknamed “Non-Stop,” hobnobbing with hoops royalty in a short film from Translation heralding the NBA’s 2022-23 season, launching Oct. 18.
Bowman’s exuberant performance anchors nearly three minutes of action, which shows how the NBA continues to evolve as a source of entertainment, excitement and cultural influence:
Director Calmatic, aka Charles Kidd II, who made Lil Nax X’s “Old Town Road” video and feature films like House Party, serves up vivid quick-cut visuals (DeMar DeRozan buried in an avalanche of sneakers is a highlight) while Bowman lays down rapid-fire NBA references:
“We got sneaks-on-the-ground on four coasts…
From a Serbian serpent moving like Mamba…
To a Greek-Nigerian-Milwaukean changing the face of the game…
To an ice-cold Trae in the heart of Hotlanta…
To a couple brothers in the Bay with wet jays splashing their way back to try to go back-to-back…”
Calmatic breaks it down in this BTS clip, grinning like a kid as he recounts the fannish joy of working with Jayson Tatum and the others notables:
Also appearing in the spot are players Paul George, Tyler Herro and Damian Lillard, coach Tyrone Lue and influencer Crissa Jackson.
All in all, it’s a fun ride that celebrates the game’s past, present and future (Bowman morphs into a metaverse avatar at one point, natch). Though it shares themes with last year’s epic “NBA Lane” campaign, the new effort’s fan’s-eye-view feels like a change of pace for a juggernaut that never stops driving the worlds of sports, fashion and music in unexpected ways.
A second tip-off commercial below, “This Is Happening,” features LaMelo Ball and Jordan Poole. The :30 from agency Mekanism touts the NBA App, with Ball turning on the charm. (Give the dude his own cereal already!)
