Spike Lee’s love of the New York Knicks is legendary at this point, but despite the Knickerbockers’ early postseason exit the director will have a big impact on the upcoming NBA Finals.
According to Variety, Lee will direct the opening segments aired on ABC before the games that will determine this year’s NBA champion. The openings, which will feature Lee on screen and behind the camera, hopes to encapsulate the enormity of the Finals ahead of the Phoenix Suns hosting their Eastern Conference opponents in the upcoming championship series.
Each game on ABC will air one of Lee’s four episodes, inspired by NBA legends of both yesterday and today. The openers use a combination of video footage and still images, incorporating historical highlights of the players who have made their marks on the league’s championship series.
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In the teaser for the first opener, Lee says, “From the blue seats [of Madison Square Garden], to the ticker-tape parade: We’re all in this game together. Every possession, every call, every chant of ‘Defense!’… It’s the NBA Finals, Game 1!”
It’s unclear if Lee will produce more openers if the series goes past four games, which is likely barring a resounding sweep. But either way, Lee sounds very excited about getting a crack at the opens to the biggest games of the season.
“As a basketball aficionado and an orange-and-blue faithful it is my honor and pleasure to direct the NBA Finals opens,” Lee said in a statement to Variety. “I thank Commissioner Adam Silver, ESPN and ABC for giving me the opportunity to do what I love — sports and cinema. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF.”
[via Variety]