The tenth season of NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC tipped off Saturday afternoon, and ESPN has teamed with a popular figure to help promote the package.
Award-winning singer, record producer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams will appear in spots to hype the NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC games, along with his track, “Piece by Piece.” The first spot dropped Saturday during ESPN’s NBA Paris Game between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers.
According to an ESPN press release, Williams’ “Piece by Piece” track “infuses the idea that the visual layers in the double exposures represent the ‘pieces’ that build both a great team and an unforgettable Primetime matchup.”
Translation: “Williams is an Grammy Award-winning, big name figure with a great song we would like associated with our promotional campaign.”
ESPN has two other artists and tracks planned for future spots, with N.E.R.D’s “Rock Star” and Clipse’s “Grindin.’”
“We wanted this campaign to tell a story that extends beyond basketball,” Curtis Friends, Vice President of Sports Marketing at ESPN, said in a statement. “The NBA has always been a global entertainment powerhouse, and this campaign celebrates that by fusing the energy of the game with music, style, and artistry. Pharrell is a visionary, and his collaboration has helped us craft a narrative that transcends the court, bringing a fresh and dynamic experience for fans to experience NBA Saturday Primetime.”
The campaign will run through March 16 and will air throughout NBA Rivals week matchups and during NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC.