Between Beyoncé and the Chiefs on Netflix, the NBA will also be playing games on Christmas Day. And in an effort to hype up the league’s slate of games on a holiday it used to own, the NBA will bring back a fan-favorite commercial.
On Tuesday, the NBA released the latest edition of its “Jingle Hoops” ad spot. The commercial debuted in 2013 and is back this year along with three players from its original release.
Featuring toy versions of NBA stars, the ad shows players like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant competing against one another amongst other Christmas toys. Durant swings on a strand of Christmas lights to dunk a toy, while James slides off a ramp with a toy car for a dunk of his own.
Mixed in are younger stars like Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey.
The NBA is bringing back the “Jingle Hoops” Christmas commercial. The new edition features Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic shooting alongside three players from the original version: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant.pic.twitter.com/xiQ1CmGOMo
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) December 10, 2024
This year’s NBA Christmas features Wembanyama at Madison Square Garden as well as a rematch of the Western Conference Finals between Minnesota and Dallas. Later in the day, James and the Lakers host Curry. To close out the night, Durant hosts Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in a rematch of the 2023 West second round.
ESPN and the NBA also announced last month that they will team up for a “Dunk the Halls” animated alt-cast, having just come off a Simpsons-inspired edition of Monday Night Football in Week 14. “Dunk the Halls” will take place on Disney’s classic Main Street USA from its parks, where Mickey, Minnie and Co. will face off in a game of hoops.
The NBA will face enormous competition on Christmas Day as Netflix makes its first foray into live sports with its Christmas Gameday NFL slate. The streamer will air Chiefs at Steelers and Ravens at Texans in a full day of football, which will include a performance by Beyoncé at halftime in Houston.
The NBA is still synonymous with Christmas and has ESPN on its side. The league will certainly get a boost with all five Christmas Day games being simulcast on ABC (as opposed to just two last year). And it is trying to reinforce that festive connection in the days leading up to an important test case for its continued hold on the holiday.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.