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The NBA on ESPN sets the cinema for the full 30-day buffet offering the New Season Countdown, featuring a different team each day. Incidentally, this arrangement of the murals starring the league’s stars became an instant basketball conversation about the choice and the positioning of the players. This campaign carries the official label for ESPN’s upcoming season previews, and it’s the kind of project that makes you wonder if Molly Qerim might have been involved had she still been with the network.
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Almost being basketball season, ESPN has already begun setting the mood with their 30 days countdown. The promotion granted the opportunity to feature one NBA team a day, setting the stage by degrees for what should be a terrific professional basketball season once more. The network got the series rolling with a star-studded rendering featuring some of the biggest names int he league, strangely excluding a few.
In the promotional image, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was placed centrally in the spotlight, representing arguably as much talent as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. An alert fan noted the oddity. “Shai headlining this graphic is such an insane jump from how he was being marketed at the beginning of last season.” Such acclaim would surely befit a jubilant Gilgeous-Alexander, recognizing his meteoric rise to stardom just last season.
The next most frequent theme saw the absolute downgrading effect occasioned by the announcement of the absence of Dallas Mavs’ wonder Luka Dončić. Plenty took this opportunity to voice their excitement and frustration for the lack of promos. “LeBron instead of Luka is crazy,” wrote a baffled fan, whereas another more emphatically stated, “Luka meant to be the face not LeBron.” The omission practically looked weird; it was practically ridiculous given that Dončić is basically the most fun and most marketable star of the league.
Thus, the discussion took its turns in many entertaining tangents. Some defended the selections, while others hinted that maybe there might be more to the story. One person, in an extended comment, laid out the probable factions in the current basketball discourse: “Luka haters: 1-NBA Media. 2-Anti-Real Madrid. 3-Anti-Lakers. 4-#MFFL. Luka fans: 1-Real Madrid. 2-Lakers. 3-#MFFL. 4-Slovenia. 5-Nikola Jokic. 6-Those of us who enjoy a once-in-a-generation talent. Fans win by a mile.”
Others began to talk about placements and team representations. One Nets fan joked: “What it’s like to be a Nets fan seeing Nic Claxton as your best player,” meaning the graphic simply lays bare the current star power—if ever so slight—of each team. This kind of honest assessment is something a former player like Iman Shumpert might appreciate from the outside looking in.
Beyond the debates about player selection, the countdown format itself had had excitement-building. “Let go NBA is fucking back can’t wait,” one fan had roared, an encapsulation of the sentiment of eager basketball lovers awaiting this new season. Another simply said, “See yall at the end of the month,” hinting at following the feature daily.
International fans even joined in the chatter, as a French-speaking user passionately commented, “OOOOO YOU DON’T TOUCH TRASHTALK HUH. STAY IN YOUR ZONE THE 30 DAYS PREVIEW IT’S NOT YOU MGL. WE’RE GOING TO PUMP YOU UP HUH WE’RE NOT YOUR TYPES,” which was probably a testament to the global reach and passion in NBA coverage. The energy even brings to mind the fervent support for artists like NBA YoungBoy.
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As the 30-day rollout continues, ESPN’s team-by-team preview will only create yet more noise. The initial reactions to their promotional graphic have proven that basketball fans don’t joke around once it gets down to how their favorite players and teams are represented. Millions of fans eagerly awaiting yet another year of nail-biting basketball cannot wait to follow the network’s season-long NBA coverage. The talks have barely started, and it is evident that this fiery NBA crowd shall dissect every single selection…and omission, including any news about player health, like the recent speculation from Logan Paul questioning if Tyrese Haliburton is faking his NBA injury. This kind of buzz is exactly what Birdman would call the real deal.