The NBA today launched a new brand spot named “Playoff Mode” as it prepares for the 2023 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. The advertisement commemorates the start of the most thrilling part of the season when fans yell even louder, and players step up their game to win the NBA’s top reward, the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
NBA All-Stars Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Julius Randle (New York Knicks), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), and Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray are featured in “Playoff Mode,” along with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Charles Barkley of Turner Sports, actor Terry Crews, and tennis legend John McEnroe. With Mitchell chucking down a vicious dunk, Randle boosting weight to his bench press, Jackson ratcheting up the treadmill speed, and Murray putting on a ball-handling display, each athlete exemplifies the degree of energy and focus required for the NBA Playoffs.
To get fans excited for the Playoffs, NBA superfan “Non-Stop” (played by actor Keyon Bowman) makes a comeback. Non-Stop demonstrates that anyone may enter “Playoff Mode” and lock in from the Play-In Tournament all the way to the Finals, from Boston to Serbia.
Terence Neale directed the ad, which was produced in collaboration with the independent creative firm Translation. When the AT&T NBA Play-In Tournament begins tonight on TNT with the Atlanta Hawks traveling to Miami HEAT, it will make its television debut. (7:30 p.m. ET). Both the NBA App and the @NBA social media outlets will feature “Playoff Mode.” In addition, NBA teams like the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and New Orleans Pelicans will step up their postseason efforts in “Playoff Mode.”
The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 15. Playoff games will air on ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV.
You can watch “Playoff Mode” below.
