The NBA's most famous commercial amongst younger fans is “Jingle Hoops” from 2013. On Tuesday, the league unveiled its first official recreation of the hit advertisement.
The original “Jingle Hoops” commercial famously starts with the Bulls' Derrick Rose telling the Thunder's Kevin Durant to “tune it up,” referring to making a shot and ringing the bells tied to the nets. Rose and Durant are revealed to be alongside the Warriors' Stephen Curry, the Rockets' James Harden, and the Lakers' Steve Nash. The five make baskets on five different rims to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”
The original NBA commercial sparked debate of whether or not the video was real, with the production team eventually revealing they used a green screen and other trade secrets to convince viewers. But this time, the advertisement doesn't look real at all. And it's on purpose.
The spot is fully animated and features Jayson Tatum in Rose's role and Luka Doncic in Nash's, with Durant, Curry, and Harden reprising their original roles. Fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice their opinions on the revamped commercial.
Sports social media personality Frank Michael Smith said the video was a “good effort” but lacked the touch only humans can bring.
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One Mavericks fan saw the commercial as the continuation of an unfortunate trend across the corporate landscape.
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This Bucks fan took the lack of Giannis Antetokounmpo's inclusion very seriously. The user clarified they know the Bucks' superstar was not included because Milwaukee does not play on Christmas, adding that their point was that they should be.
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This Lakers fan had the funniest comment of all, if you don't think it was too “fowl.”
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Fans seem to view the animated effort to bring on nostalgia for highlight reels dominated by players like Rose and Blake Griffin as disingenuous. PrizePicks recently remade the “Jingle Hoops” commercial as well, opting to do it live. The spot starred Joe Budden and internet stars such as Druski, and Sketch.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Kris Pursiainen is an Associate Editor for all sports based in the NJ/NYC area. Kris has experience all over the country as a New York Knicks, New York Jets, New York Mets, Super Bowl LVIII, and Big East beat reporter.