For 75th Season, League Takes Trip Down ‘NBA Lane” With Players, Michael B. Jordan
Monday, October 4, 2021 at 03:56PM By Barry Janoff
October 4, 2021: As part of its 75th Anniversary Season celebration, the NBA today unveiled “NBA Lane,” a short film celebrating the league’s history.
The full three-minute film stars actor and producer Michael B. Jordan and more than 30 NBA players and legends — although Michael Jordan appears in just a second of montage footage near the end of the spot — “coming together to tell the story of the past 75 years through a comedic and fun lens,” offered the NBA.
"NBA Lane" will stream across all NBA media partners, social platforms and on NBA.com/75 beginning Oct. 7 as part of the “NBA 75” flagship campaign.
Current players appearing in "NBA Lane" include Carmelo Anthony (Los Angeles Lakers), LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns), Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans) and Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks).
NBA Legends include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo, Dirk Nowitzki, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Isiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Bill Walton and Jerry West.
The production also includes NBA mascots and the legendary Penny Hardaway puppet, Lil Penny, which starred in a series of Nike commercials.
Along the route, the bus driven by Jordan stops in front of a mural of Kobe Bryant, which reads, "Be Legendary."
See full list below.
“‘NBA Lane’ was created as a way to honor both the history and future of the NBA,” said Kate Jhaveri, NBA CMO, said via the league.
“We are thrilled to bring together some of the league’s greatest players and legends to celebrate not just the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Season, but also the connection fans have built with our game.”
According to the NBA, “Jordan’s participation in “NBA Lane” stems from his love for the game of basketball and his shared commitment in spotlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”
Jordan’s Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic will feature an HBCU doubleheader on TNT and highlight HBCU life and culture. It is scheduled for Dec. 18 in the Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.,
Jordan serves as the neighborhood “Hoop Bus” driver taking a group of children on a tour of the NBA neighborhood that houses 75 years of basketball culture.
As the bus rolls through the streets of the community, passengers encounter Magic Johnson and Larry Bird becoming friendly nesxt-door neighbors; LeBron James tending to his garden; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar teaching Dirk Nowitzki the art of the hook shot; and Zion Williamson breaking a backboard at the street court,
“As someone who has been a member of the NBA Family for the past 65 years, I can truly say, like I do in ‘NBA Lane,' being a part of this film, alongside so many greats representing nearly eight decades of the league’s history, is a great thrill and a tremendous honor," Bill Russell said via the league.
The full cast of “NBA Lane” includes:
• Narrator and Bus Driver: Actor and producer Michael B. Jordan
• NBA Players: Carmelo Anthony (Los Angeles Lakers), LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls), Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Russell Westbrook (Los Angeles Lakers) Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans) and Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks).
• NBA Legends: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ray Allen, Larry Bird, Vlade Divac, Julius Erving, Artis Gilmore, Manu Ginóbili, Richard Hamilton, Grant Hill, Robert Horry, Magic Johnson, Dikembe Mutombo, Dirk Nowitzki, Gary Payton, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Isiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Bill Walton and Jerry West.
• Mascots: Benny the Bull (Chicago Bulls), Boomer (Indiana Pacers), Burnie (Miami Heat), Chuck the Condor (LA Clippers), G-Wiz (Washington Wizards), Hugo (Charlotte Hornets) and The Raptor (Toronto Raptors).
• Puppets: Lil Penny
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