The NBA is on the verge of its 75th anniversary. The league has already announced a whole host of ways that it will celebrate the milestone, including an upcoming list of the 75 greatest players to ever grace the hardwood and some special uniforms. And on Thursday, the NBA decided to kick things off by debuting a short film narrated by Michael B. Jordan titled “NBA Lane.”
Welcome to NBA Lane. #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/SOCCOBj1RB
— NBA (@NBA) October 7, 2021
The video features 14 active NBA players, 20 ex-players who have headed off into retirement, seven mascots, and perhaps most importantly, Lil Penny. Jordan — the actor, not the basketball player — serves as the driver of a bus that takes a group of children around the fictional town, with the aforementioned NBA players leaning into some of the things that made them legends of the game. There are a number of nods to moments in league history, and at one point, a gigantic mural paying tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.
The NBA will kick off its 75th anniversary on Tuesday, Oct. 19 with a double-header on TNT. The reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks will start things off with an Eastern Conference Semifinal rematch against the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. EST, while the Golden State Warriors will head down to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers at 10 p.m. EST.