Teams across the league are gearing up for the 2020-2021 campaign, and with the new NBA season just around the corner, the media is getting a closer look at what’s going on behind the scenes as players and coaches prepare themselves for another 82-game grind in the perpetual quest for championship glory.
Many good and entertaining things can happen during media availability week, as spirits are still high and in the mode of maintaining a light atmosphere, which sometimes also results in candid and revealing moments that might not normally happen in the thick of the season.
It’s also the time for teams to let their marketing department get creative and drum up some excitement for what’s to come. Take the Washington Wizards, for example, who decided to build off the theme of what has been a contentious election cycle in America, tapping CNN’s John King and Wolf Blitzer as a quirky way to introduce their schedule for the coming season, with a little help from the election map so many of us have been staring into like the abyss.
It’s NBA Season in America!
Let’s go to @wolfblitzer and @JohnKingCNN for more.@CNN | @CapitalOne pic.twitter.com/AwYO2sQ0gL
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) December 4, 2020
It was the perfect gimmick for a team that is at the epicenter of the electoral process, executed brilliantly by the two CNN election stalwarts, who played it with a straight face from start to finish.
The Wizards, of course, made other headlines this week when they traded John Wall to the Rockets for Russell Westbrook, closing the chapter on an era that was once so filled with potential but had been derailed by injuries. But with a fresh start, Washington is hoping to get back into contention and secure the “votes” (wins) they need to secure the “White House” (NBA title).