The league’s ‘NBA Lane‘ premiere celebrates 75 seasons of basketball, and the small nods to that span of history are everywhere. Below are some of the specific shout-outs to players’ personal and professional roots and accomplishments:
• The morning clouds look like Logoman
• Magic Johnson’s street address is 32 NBA Lane, Larry Bird’s is 33 NBA Lane – they (obviously) live across the street from each other on NBA Lane
• Dwayne Wade lives at #3 NBA Lane
• Oscar Robertson lives at #181 NBA Lane – a nod to the number of Triple-Doubles he recorded. He also is reading a newspaper article about Russell Westbrook breaking his record
• If you look closely, you’ll see Russell Westbrook is in an impromptu photoshoot by mascots
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is sitting in his iconic rocking chair from the night he retired
• Manu Ginobili is cooking Asado – a nod to both his Argentine roots and his time in San Antonio
• Trae Young is filling up an ice bath – a nod to his Ice Trae nickname
• Bill Walton is tending to his rose garden – a nod to is time in Portland, and utters his iconic catchphrase from his commentating days
• To depict the global impact of the NBA over 75 seasons, we have a large mural featuring international superstars (Dražen Petrović, Rudy Gobert, Yao Ming, Nikola Jokić, Hakeem Olajuwon, Luka Dončić, Joel Embiid, and Steve Nash)
• Robert Horry flashes a peace sign…and then 5 more fingers to total the number of NBA rings he has
• Zion Williamson holds a cup of Big Face Coffee he just ordered before breaking the backboard
• Gary Payton stops the Hoop Bus in its tracks with sheer defensive will
• Crosswalk signals on NBA Lane feature a Dikembe Mutombo finger wag for DON’T WALK and a Logoman for WALK
• NBA Hall of Famers gather for a reception inside a ballroom on NBA Lane (Julius Erving, Ray Allen, Grant Hill, Dikembe Mutombo, Artis Gilmore, Richard Hamilton, and Vlade Divac are featured)
• Kevin Durant is flanked by a hall of oil paintings featuring iconic players who have also won the MVP award (Wilt Chamberlain, Willis Reed, Moses Malone, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, and Giannis Antetokounmpo featured)
• Devin Booker pulls up to a Kobe Bryant mural featuring the “BE LEGENDARY” quote that Kobe signed on Devin’s shoes
• LaMelo Ball and Benny The Bull play 2-on-2 on an NBA Jam cabinet (LaMelo plays with The Hornets, Benny plays with The Bulls)
• Lil Penny of the famed Nike commercials plays chess against the mastermind of making moves, Jerry West. The Larry O’Brien Trophy sits with them, watching the game
• Kawhi Leonard holds a skateboard – a nod to his Southern California roots and his return to Los Angeles
• Anthony Davis crosses over Los Angeles/Staples Center rival Chuck The Condor
• Isiah Thomas drives an old school hot rod – a nod to Detroit and the Pistons
• Carmelo Anthony walks down NBA Lane like it’s a pre-game tunnel walk. Behind Carmelo is a wall of “concert posters” showing iconic NBA Finals match-ups from the last 75 seasons