It’s a new dawn for the NBA, as Amazon and NBC are set to join as league broadcast partners this fall. Already, the NBA on Prime is getting fans ready with a promotional push for the Emirates NBA Cup in-season tournament starring Blake Griffin and Chet Holmgren.
The ad sees Griffin flex his comedic chops as the clueless old-timer attempting to claim the Thunder’s NBA championship as his own, being a native Oklahoman. Griffin video calls Holmgren like an overly familiar uncle, then delivers a goofy motivational speech that Holmgren didn’t ask for.
Prime Video dropped the commercial in conjunction with the announcement of the group draw and schedule for the NBA Cup.
The subtle touches will make NBA fans excited for what Amazon could bring to the table as an NBA broadcaster this season and beyond.
Holmgren, a key piece of the allegedly un-marketable, boring Oklahoma City core, is in the stands at his Minnehaha High School for the ad. Both he and Griffin reference the NBA Summer League in the commercial, promoting the entirety of the league calendar despite Amazon not airing those games. And after Griffin hangs up the call, he hums the “What a Girl Wants” parody that Holmgren and his teammates sing in their much-maligned AT&T commercial.
The in-season tournament is one of the jewels of Amazon’s package, and the streamer clearly sees Griffin as one of the key stars of its broadcast team (regardless of what Charles Barkley might think of him). On top of that, Holmgren is quickly becoming a household name for NBA fans.
Coming off a season in which “face of the league” debates and NBA viewership were unusually prevalent talking points, Amazon appears to have been taking notes. This ad, by showcasing more of Holmgren’s backstory and placing Griffin front and center in a positive and entertaining role, is a great start.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.