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In anticipation of the 2024 NBA Finals, the association just launched a jam-packed short film starring former NBA star Dwyane Wade and a handful of familiar faces.
In the near-two-minute spot, Wade leads "The Toast" in front of celebrities and fellow NBA legends who have come together to celebrate the highly anticipated event.
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It kickstarts with the former point guard rehearsing his lines backstage.
"Welcome. Or should I say, welcome back? Tonight, we're celebrating the moment that we've worked for all year," Wade says, as scenes flip between his rehearsals and the actual event proper.
Throughout the spot, we see a series of cameos from Wade's co-host Queen Latifah, actor Ken Jeong, talk show star Jimmy Kimmel, Lakers legend Magic Johnson, as well as WNBA's very own Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.
As its name suggests, the commercial ends with everyone raising their glass to share a toast to the Finals, and an excited Mike Breen popping a bottle of champagne.
NBA's Grand Setting Awaits Celebration
Directed by Emmy award-winning director David Laden, NBA's "The Toast" isn't only a star-studded spectacle — it's also an ode to the greats that have made the popular sport what it is now.
"The glamorous setting for 'The Toast' helps match the moment," NBA CMO Tammy Henault shared.
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According to the CMO, it served as a place for celebrity fans, NBA champions, and WNBA newcomers to partake in the grandeur of one of the sports' biggest annual events.
While the commercial from Translation plays out like an actual awards ceremony, the "Finals" portrayed in the advert was just pure fiction.
"We wanted to ensure that we could generate some emotion for fans, and for it to feel like we had reverence and appreciation for the season that we had just witnessed, but also get that sort of tingly on your fingertips feeling of anticipation," Henault added.
The NBA Finals 2024 starts on June 10.
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