Kevin Garnett is enjoying life in retirement. At least that’s the premise of the Hall of Famer’s new ad campaign with online sportsbook BetMGM.
Garnett’s competitiveness, his drive to win is what made him a great player, earning NBA Most Valuable Player honors and an eventual championship during his 21-year professional career.
As we see in the ads that will debut during the NBA games on Christmas Day, Garnett is apparently enjoying the tranquil life of smelling the roses in his garden and lounging by the pool. But hitting a big parlay through BetMGM gives him some of the juice, the thrill of winning that he enjoyed from his playing days.
You can check out the first ad below:
“See, this is what retirement is all about,” Garnett says to his friend Gary. “Slowing down, smelling stuff.”
Tossing the rose petals in the air calls back to Garnett’s pre-game talcum powder toss, of course, along with his jubilant “Anything is possible!” exultation after winning the NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. He should probably be nicer to Gary, though.
In the second ad, Garnett is enjoying the good life by the pool outside his luxurious mansion. As he explains to the pool cleaner, his competitiveness and intensity is supposedly repressed in retirement. That is, until “Big Ticket hits big parlays!”
The pool cleaner gets a bit too caught up in Garnett’s intensity, however. Remember whose house it is, pal. Was he banished to the garden to stand with Gary, not allowed to look at the flowers? Maybe that will be the next series of ads for BetMGM.
Garnett’s BetMGM ads were produced by 72andSunny New York and directed by Aaron Stoller, who’s also helmed commercials for Tide, Google, Jose Cuervo, and several others.
Are these ads as entertaining as the Caesars Sportsbook spots featuring J.B. Smoove? That may depend on your taste. Plus, that campaign also features the Manning family, Patton Oswalt, and Halle Berry as Cleopatra. Quite a lineup. But give Garnett some time. If his spots take off, maybe we’ll have a fun sportsbook ad rivalry.
About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.