Social activist, sportswriter and media celebrity Jemele Hill has lent her talents to the NBA on TNT with a moving dialogue in anticipation of the COVID-19 shortened season inside the Disney Bubble. Her message was a reminder that we can’t lose momentum in the fight for social equality because NBA games were back.
She challenged the basketball community to find a way to balance both objectives wrapped in her unwavering dedication to the social justice movement in this country,
The NBA has tabbed the creator of so many impactful TV shows and films to commercialize and unify the support that NBA players are providing the oppressed, marginalized, and underserved.
Issa Rae’s voice in cultivating, developing, captivating, challenging, and expressing Black culture through a brilliant and progressive lense speaks loudly and influentially these days.
So naturally, her wit and engaging presence is a solid fit to further uplift the NBA relaunch and unify the players and the fans.
WATCH: The Breakfast Club Interview With Issa Rae
Per Variety, the Insecure actress, writer and showrunner is now working with the NBA on a new campaign designated to “remind fans where basketball left off earlier this year and build new appetites for the restart of the season.”
The season was suspended back in March after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and the league is ready to restart on July 30th, live from inside the Disney Bubble.
First, teams will compete in three inter-squad scrimmages from July 22-28 in final preparation for the resumption of the season
In the first of four ads, Rae steps onto an empty court, in an empty arena and sets the mood. The one-minute commercial uploaded to the league’s official Youtube channel shows Rae superimposed in clips from various games both in the audience and amongst the players.
“It’s the game you love like you’ve never seen it before,” Rae says in the clip. “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.”
“It’s a Whole New Game.” Rae says in the ad.
Her presence is a channeling of energy to a central place. She represents the soul of the game, even when its stripped to its bare parts by COVID-19. The players are still the heartbeat.
It’s also just a message to fans of all races, creed and colors that the game is coming back under unprecedented circumstances and as long as the players are willing to put on a show in the middle of a pandemic, then we should support these guys and whatever messages of racial and social equality that they choose to express on their mission to complete the NBA playoffs, crown a champion and return to their families COVID-free.
