ESPN Taking NBA Finals Celebrations to Next Level
Victory Goggles return, immersive fan experiences, new music, & more
The 2023 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV are set, and so are ESPN’s plans for the league’s biggest stage.
ESPN is launching a variety of activations on-site from inside the winning team’s locker room to new music from international stars, and more, all to celebrate the NBA Finals, which begin Thursday, June 1 in Denver.
ESPN x Michelob Ultra x Futura Collaboration:
Crowning an NBA champion happens on the court, but the celebration continues well into the locker room.
This year, ESPN is upping the locker room championship experience with customized ‘Victory Goggles’, celebratory locker room bottles, and winning team t-shirts through a collaboration with growing beer brand Michelob Ultra and graffiti artist Futura.
The Victory Goggles will have “2022-2023 NBA Champions” laser-etched into all player/coach editions with the NBA on ESPN logo on the outer band. More images here.
“From Warriors star forward Draymond Green using the Victory Goggles during his championship celebration to multi-platinum musical artist Ty Dolla $ign wearing them in his “My Friends” music video, these were a huge hit across both sports and culture with The Finals last year,” said Emeka Ofodile, Vice President of Sports Marketing, ESPN. “We are thrilled to bring back the Victory Goggles to become a new tradition of the NBA Finals. Now we wait to see which team will celebrate.”
Game 1 Watch Party:
ESPN, NBA, and iHeart are hosting an NBA Finals Game 1 watch party (Thursday, June 1) at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles, featuring a special performance by A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, fan experiences, food/drink, and more.
The event will be hosted by ESPN’s studio anchor Christine Williamson with DJ Lechero.
Myke Towers “MVP” NBA Finals Remix:
The culmination of ESPN and Atlantic Records’ 2023 NBA season custom music strategy wraps with a remix of “MVP” from multi-platinum selling Puerto Rican superstar Myke Towers in digital and social promotions throughout the NBA Finals. Accompanying the song will include highlights from the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat on their NBA Finals journey.
Immersive Billboards:
Fans can see immersive glow-in-the-dark advertisements during the NBA Finals in Los Angeles and New York. The OOH billboards will feature past and present NBA superstars and the Larry O’Brien trophy, and visually change from day to night in real-time with the glow-in-the-dark elements. Visuals here.
Champion Black Businesses Returns:
Returning for a fourth season, ESPN, in collaboration with the NBA, Andscape, and ABC, is the award-winning #ChampionBlackBusinesses initiative. New businesses have been chosen from Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and Phoenix.
You can learn all about what’s in store for year four here.