Taking a page from Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11, the NBA decided to stage a Las Vegas-style heist to promote its inaugural NBA Cup. The NBA collaborated with frequent partner Translation on the work.

Michael Imperioli (The White Lotus, The Sopranos) stars as the narrator and the mastermind in the NBA’s campaign, which launched this week and runs through early December.

“I got something,” Imperioli starts his pitch. “Something that’s never been done before. All 30 times. Single elimination. One NBA Cup. All meeting right here, the most unpredictable city in the world.”

Besides Imperioli, the campaign features such NBA stars as Los Angeles Lakers power forward Anthony Davis (“The Heavy”), Atlanta Hawks’ point guard Trae Young (“The Ice Man”), Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green and Los Angeles Clippers small forward Kawhi Leonard (“The Inside Man”). NBA great Magic Johnson joins Imperioli at the poker table in a later spot.

The crew is hatching a plan to nab the NBA Cup, which is secured inside a Las Vegas casino. Of course, another way to secure it is just to win it.

The NBA Cup starts on November 3 and culimates in a single-elimination semifinals and championship, which will be played December 7-9 in Las Vegas. The winning team takes the tropy and a $500,000 prize.

READ MORE: The Hollywood Reporter, Fast Company

Tags: nba nba cup trranslation


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