Outgoing chief marketing officer (CMO) Tammy Henault has put her stamp on the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Through celebrity cameos and cinematic storytelling, the marketer has helped cement the NBA’s place in culture while courting a global fan base since joining in 2022. During her tenure, Henault helped the NBA break attendance records, reaching its second-highest numbers for the 2024-2025 season following an already record-breaking season prior.
Now, after three years in the role, she’s preparing to step down. Marketing will be led by “the group’s current leadership team on an interim basis,” per an NBA spokesperson, while the league searches for a new CMO.
“What an extraordinary privilege it has been to help grow and evolve one of the most iconic brands in the world—expanding our global audience, deepening fan engagement, driving digital innovation, and strengthening the NBA’s cultural impact,” Henault wrote in a goodbye message on LinkedIn.
Here are four of the buzziest campaigns that helped Henault and her team flip the script for basketball and make history.
1. ‘We’re All in the Finals’ (2023)
Henault’s first star-studded campaign for the league landed on social, linear TV, and the NBA app in May 2023.
Produced by Brooklyn agency Translation, the hero spot captured the global excitement surrounding the NBA Finals and the whirlwind of emotions that fans and players experience during every game.
Set to “Hometown Glory,” by British artist Adele, and narrated by actor John Malkovich, the 60 second ad showed NBA legends, sports icons, and celebrities watching the finals with bated breath. Cameos included rapper and NBA ambassador SUGA and skateboarding icon Tony Hawk. TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel and NFL champions Peyton Manning and Eli Manning also featured.
The spot closes with NBA icons Larry Bird and Magic Johnson marveling at their combined championship rings.
In the run-up to the finals, the league relaunched its Larry O’Brien Trophy tour, sending the hardware to rub shoulders with famous folks like Tom Brady, Mariah Carey, Fat Joe, Bad Bunny, and UFC champions.
The 2023 tour was a hit on social, garnering more than 200 million video views and attracting nearly 100,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.
Following this success, Henault continued to send the trophy to high-traffic destinations and glitterati meetups each season.
2. ‘Playoff Mode. It’s a Thing,’ (2024)
“Playoff Mode. It’s a Thing.” narrated by comedian Chris Rock landed in April 2024 to promote the NBA Playoffs.
The hero spot showed NBA players try to play it cool about going to the playoffs—even though they are a huge deal. All-stars such as Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, and Nikola Jokic featured in the campaign.
The creative played on the idea that the “playoffs unlock an elevated version of all of us, from passionate fans to the unrivaled competitors across the league,” Henault said at the time.
The work, again from Translation, launched alongside the NBA’s first sonic brand identity, which mashed up snippets of balls bouncing on courts, sneakers squeaking on hardwood, roaring crowds, and swishing nets.
This campaign was swiftly followed a few weeks later by “The Toast,” which featured former pro basketballer Dwyane Wade as the master of ceremonies in a glamorous, mood-lit speakeasy, raising a glass of bubbly to “the season that was and the champion to be.”
Queen Latifah also took a starring role, alongside NBA legends Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Ray Allen; ESPN commentator Mike Breen; and Women’s National Basketball Association stars Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. Kimmel featured once more, with debuts from fellow comedian and actor Ken Jeong and legend Magic Johnson.
3. ‘The Heist and The Heist II’ (2023 and 2024)
In 2023, to hype its inaugural In-Season Tournament, Translation and the NBA premiered “Heist,” a stylized homage to Ocean’s Eleven with basketball superstars playing key roles in a swagger-filled crime-lite caper.
Acting as “the mastermind,” Michael Imperioli, best known for roles in Goodfellas and The Sopranos, led viewers through the fast-paced short film designed for social and online where the decorated athletes stalk their prize—the NBA Cup.
After the original racked up over 500 million views, a sequel dropped in Oct. 2024. “The Heist II” announced the upcoming 2024 Emirates NBA Cup.
Actor-producer Rosario Dawson joined the cast in her first ad for the NBA, with Imperioli and Los Angeles Lakers veteran Anthony Davis reprising their roles.
“We wanted to keep the narrative and the storytelling vehicle consistent,” Henault told ADWEEK at the time. “We’re continuing to build awareness and to educate people about this tournament, and we’re trying to speak to a broad base—casual fans, women, multicultural audiences, Gen Z.”
4. Unforgettable Awaits (2025)
Henault’s farewell campaign for the 2025 NBA Finals signed off with a blend of hoops, music, and nostalgia.
Set to “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole, the Translation-created spot launched in May 2025 as an ode to the legendary moments that have defined NBA finals history, from LeBron James’ chase-down block in Game 7 of the 2016 finals, to the 2000 embrace between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
Interwoven with these historic highlights are reels of everyday NBA fans recreating the moments in their own lives, showcasing just how “unforgettable” the big event can be. Actors Kevin Costner and Mindy Kaling even get a cameo.
As well as linear and digital buys, a corresponding print, digital, audio, and out-of-home campaign extended “Unforgettable Awaits” globally.
Cooper Flagg and AT&T schooled brands on NBA Draft values with a Times Square activation centered around the No. 1 pick, his family, and his community.
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