Reimagining NBA Fandom, One Funny Little Habit at a Time
What happens when your mum’s retirement coincides with a commercial brief from the NBA? For SOFTSPOT* founder and director Tomás Whitmore, it meant finding the emotional and comedic key to unlock a fresh take on fandom — and helping audiences rethink how they consume basketball in the digital age.
The NBA's latest campaign, developed by longtime creative partners Translation and brought to life by production company SOFTSPOT, sets out to change the way people engage with the game. With a focus on the NBA App and League Pass – digital platforms that offer unprecedented access and depth – the campaign’s aim was both simple and bold: to instil new viewing habits and position the NBA’s digital touchpoints as essential companions for fans.
But rather than lecture audiences into adopting the app, the campaign leans into lighthearted humour, authentic character relationships, and deeply relatable habits – albeit exaggerated ones. Think: fans obsessively collecting newspapers for box scores, or communicating exclusively through walkie talkies in order to get the latest game updates. Each of the spots embrace absurdity, but never lose their heart.
For Tomás, the approach was rooted in real life. “Ironically, at the time, I was helping my mom retire and move to Madrid,” he recalls, “she was clearing out decades of stuff and holding on to things like shoulder pad suits and old appliances. I was trying to show her there were easier, more modern ways to live. When I read the scripts, I immediately connected. Each spot has a character clinging to some outdated ritual, and someone else gently nudging them toward a simpler, smarter way. It was funny – and felt very familiar.”
This tension between affection and absurdity became the creative heartbeat of the campaign. Each film opens in the inner world of a die-hard fan who is stuck in their ways. “I wanted to make sure that the scene is set up in a way that allows us to jump into their world. We start in their headspace, presenting how serious this thing is, or how dramatic, or how important their behaviour is to their unique fandom,” he explains. “We see other characters trying to help this person that they care about, and say, ‘Hey, there’s maybe a better way to do things.’ The humour of it all was centred around the relationship between the characters.”
That focus on relationships was no accident. From the very beginning, SOFTSPOT and Translation shared a commitment to character-driven storytelling. While the NBA’s creative legacy has often leaned toward spectacle, this campaign opts for nuance — adding dimension to archetypes and letting comedy arise from personal dynamics, not punchlines.
Casting, Tomás says, was crucial. “We worked really hard to find the right folks to embody these characters. There's one spot with a guy using walkie talkies and his friend comes in — those two guys are actually friends. This meant they had an immediate rapport and way of being with each other, which we didn't realise until after their first audition. It was really fun to lean into the way they naturally spoke to each other and do a ton of improv. Working with the cast was maybe the most fun part of it all.”
That kind of organic discovery was baked into the process. Translation, known for its culturally resonant work and its long-standing relationship with the NBA, brought SOFTSPOT in not just to shoot but to shape. “It was cool to be connected with Translation, and to know that the work we were doing had caught their eye, because we've only been around for three years now,” says Tomás, “this project felt like the perfect entry point to collaborate. We felt really trusted. Everyone – from their ECDs down to juniors – was involved and invested. It was very hands-on, in the best way.”
And it had to be. The NBA is one of the last strongholds where traditional broadcast spots still hold major cultural real estate. For SOFTSPOT – a production house best known for visually driven, culturally textured work – it was important to inject freshness into a legacy format.
“There's a freshness that we were able to bring to something that could come across as very traditional broadcast spots,” says Tomás. “Sports is a part of what we do and what we've done for a long time, so we understand the cultural context and how the game shows up in people's lives. We know that identities get built around the sport.”
That authenticity extended to the visuals. Rather than over-stylise, SOFTSPOT leaned into environments and details that felt honest, from dated living rooms stacked with magazines to awkward family interventions. The result is a comedic world that’s heightened, but never hollow.
At the same time, the campaign had to deliver on utility. The NBA App and League Pass aren’t just products — they’re platforms promising immediacy, interactivity, and behind-the-scenes access. The creative challenge? Make that functionality feel desirable without a hard sell.
“There was definitely a line we had to walk,” Tomás says, “and we didn’t want it to feel patronising, or like a lecture. One of the early scripts had a teenage daughter scolding her dad for his old-school habits, and we were like, ‘How do we soften this?’ Ultimately, we came back to care. Every interaction in these spots is driven by love – by someone wanting to help someone else.”
And if the campaign succeeds in changing habits, it’s because it understands where those habits come from in the first place. It doesn’t dismiss the past; it reframes it with empathy and wit. After all, who among us hasn’t clung to some outdated way of doing things, whether it’s taping games on VHS or refusing to delete an old playlist?
In the end, the message is clear: you don’t have to give up your fandom. You just need the right tools. And maybe a nudge from someone who gets it.
