It will be a Mickey Mouse production for the NBA on ESPN.
On Christmas Day, the network and the league will continue the trend of presenting alternative broadcasts when the New York Knicks face the San Antonio Spurs at noon, Disney announced Wednesday.
While the traditional broadcast will be available on places like ESPN and ABC, ESPN2 will have what is being dubbed as “Dunk The Halls,” the first animated game in NBA history. Both versions will be available on the streaming services, ESPN+ and Disney+.
The presentation will utilize Sony’s “Beyond Sports Technology” by recreating the game action of stars like Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson on Magic Kingdom’s “Main Street USA.” Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy and Chip and Dale will cheer on the players and deliver pretend pre-game and half-time speeches.
At intermission, the Disney characters will compete in a slam dunk contest.
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After a long night of work, Santa’s helpers have been contracted to operate the cameras, while Santa, himself, will work ESPN’s “SkyCam” during the game.
Drew Carter, Monica McNutt and sideline reporter Daffy Duck will be the trio on the broadcast. The traditional telecast will feature Ryan Ruocco and Corey Alexander with Cassidy Hubbarth on the sideline.
ESPN said in its release that fans will also find out if snow will fall on “Main Street,” though it is doubtful any betting sites will take wagers (a white Christmas is a strong favorite, nonetheless). If that is not enough to entice viewers, Goofy will see how many churros he can eat.
The telecast continues the trend of alternative broadcasts. In 2021, the NBA and ESPN teamed up with Disney Marvel characters for an alt-cast.
Required reading
- NBA’s Christmas Day slate to feature Lakers-Warriors, Spurs-Knicks, 76ers-Celtics, more: Sources
- ‘Simpsons’-themed ‘MNF’ broadcast means Bengals-Cowboys won’t be flexed in Week 14: Sources
(Photo: Courtesy of ESPN)
