Issa Rae welcomes NBA fans back in 'whole new game' ad with season set to resume after break due to Covid-19
Issa Rae is here to remind us that the NBA is about to return, but it's a “whole new game”. A new NBA ad featuring ‘The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl’ actor dropped on Wednesday, July 22, and it looks like she is trying to lure fans back to the game.
In March, the NBA suspended its season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. But after months, it is about to begin again. According to reports, the 2019-20 NBA season will resume on Thursday, July 30, with a doubleheader on WarnerMedia’s TNT featuring the Utah Jazz versus the New Orleans Pelicans at 6:30 p.m. ET and the Clippers vs. the Lakers at 9 p.m. ET.
The league has brought the players and teams near Orlando, where they will play at a Walt Disney facility under strict rules. In the ad, Rae appears in an empty arena, talking about the tectonic shift the world has seen in the last few months. “A lot has been going on….a lot,” she says. “You know how they say you don't miss something till it's gone? Well, I've definitely been missing this.”
Suddenly, however, we see Rae superimposed into some of the most memorable scenes of action from 2020’s games. “It’s all back -- but with a slight twist,” she says. “It’s the game you love, the way you’ve never seen it before.”
She says, “22 teams all in one place ready to make history. This isn't the same NBA, it's a whole new game. But I think we can all agree, we're glad it's back.”
The 'Whole New Game' commercial is reportedly one of four commercials that will launch throughout the remainder of the restarted NBA season. According to Danielle Lee, the league’s chief fan officer, Rae “embodies fun and authenticity, and has an unapologetic way." The ad featuring Rae will reportedly be translated into ten languages to reach a global fanbase.
According to People magazine, the latest round of COVID-19 testing showed that zero players of the 346 in the bubble tested positive for coronavirus since July 13. Last week, the NBA revealed that two out of 322 players had tested positive for the virus during the first batch of tests in the bubble.
"In the event that a player on the NBA campus returns a confirmed positive test in the future, he will be isolated until he is cleared for leaving isolation under the rules established by the NBA and the Players Association," the NBA said.
Fans of both Rae and the NBA seemed to love the ad. A person on Twitter wrote, “I don’t know who came up with Issa Rae x NBA, but they need a raise. My good sis is collecting those coins. Love to see it.” Another wrote, “Issa Rae has me hyped.”
Fans seemed mostly happy that the NBA was finally returning, as they tweeted their collective excitement for the sport. "I love it I've been waiting five months for this," wrote a fan of the sport. Another wrote, "Okay. Let's have it, let's have it!"