The 2024-25 NBA schedule is officially out and (most) teams got creative to hype up their fans. Many of the social media teams cooked in the most literal sense because there were a lot of food videos. Meanwhile, Minnesota might be seeing a surge in tourism as Anthony Edwards’ iconic invitation for Charles Barkley made the rounds.
Some videos were exactly what you expect to see every year, while others — looking at you Orlando Magic — can’t really be explained. The Magic did make up for it by being extra supportive and showing up in every team’s comment section.
The NBA season will officially tip off on Oct. 22 with a doubleheader. The defending champion Boston Celtics will host the New York Knicks, and later, the Minnesota Timberwolves will visit the Los Angeles Lakers.
Here are all 30 NBA schedule release videos ranked from worst to best:
30. Mami Heat
They gave us the schedule, that’s it. Let’s move on.
29. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers shared aesthetic LA photos, but they were in different posts under a thread, which is kind of inconvenient. And to be honest, it’s hard not to expect a fun video from the city that has Hollywood.
28. New Orleans Pelicans
The art they displayed was great, but the video itself did not mention the opponents and instead redirected fans to their website. To be fair, it did match the message they were trying to send: “What if I told you matchups don’t even matter when you have unfinished business?”
27. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets invited season ticket holders to play a word search game. It seemed like a fun time for them, and they even got their tickets upgraded, but overall, this was more of a nice moment for those fans than an actual schedule release video.
26. Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s a well-made video with some nice transitions, but there were more creative videos out there. It also felt a little bit like a commercial for a new phone.
25. New York Knicks
Using members of the “Alumni Row” was a cool way to hype up the season, but the video didn’t share the schedule/opponents except for a link.
24. Denver Nuggets
The time Nikola Jokic dressed up as Gru from the Minions movie is engraved on everyone’s mind, so the Nuggets’ marketing team took advantage of this and used the charismatic yellow creatures to show their schedule. It was cute, but maybe they could have gotten Jokic more involved.
23. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs used an auctioneer to name their matchups, which was a unique concept, but it was also hard to catch the dates and opponents because of how impressively fast he could talk. The rodeo setting was great, but maybe more visuals would’ve made the matchups easier to remember.
22. Altanta Hawks
Another well-made video, but there was just so much good stuff posted on Thursday. The storyline is not particularly creative as it is a basketball rolling through the city to find the little girl who owns it. It does provide a nice view of Atlanta, and the French music is a cool little shoutout to Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.
21. Boston Celtics
The Celtics are fresh off their 18th NBA championship and their first one since 2008. They were a dynasty once upon a time, and this video tries to evoke a feeling of nostalgia by using cassette tapes to show the highlights of the Celtics. Unfortunately, they only used recent clips, nothing from their golden era. Using a combination of both would have probably elevated this video and made it more memorable.
20. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons chose to unveil their schedule through a video showing the jit, a dance that originated in Detroit in the 1970s. This is very catchy and definitely brings the energy you want fans to have ahead of the season.
19. Golden State Warriors
Another video with a vintage vibe. The Warriors put their twist on the old “Now That’s What I Call Music!” commercials with great use of music and a voiceover. The line that really leveled this up was, “We’ll visit some of your coziest bedtime memories,” while showing Steph Curry’s iconic night, night celebration.
18. Toronto Raptors
Awesome mixtape. The combination of older and newer clips was what the Celtics should have done for their cassette tape video. Based on the comments, this hyped up Raptor fans and made them even hungrier for the return of the purple dino jerseys.
17. Portland Trail Blazers
I loved this video. Probably not for the right reasons. I was not paying attention to the matchups, but now I have a list of restaurants I need to check out next time I’m in Portland. Excellent marketing for the city’s culinary experience.
16. Memphis Grizzlies
Tony Allen will have his jersey retired this season, so it made sense for him to be included in the video. He provided commentary while watching clips of the opponents on TV. One of the best moments was when he saw the very unforgettable clip of himself walking on the court in the middle of a kids’ halftime performance during the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals at Oracle Arena.
15. Sacramento Kings
There was definitely some effort put into this cool lion animation, and the marketing team gets extra brownie points for using Keegan Murray’s voiceover when the lion lights up the beam.
14. Milwaukee Bucks
It’s another food video, but I’m not complaining, and neither are the fans who commented with different variations of “You cooked with this one.” The social media team did its research and showed food that represents each of the teams the Bucks will be playing this season.
13. Houston Rockets
The Rockets found a clever way to engage fans and get them excited about the schedule. They created hype by giving out free tickets to their preseason game against the Pelicans, but the catch was that fans could only get them if they managed to scan the QR code that was being worn by a guy running around town (but the code also works if you scan the screen).
12. Cleveland Cavaliers
This schedule release was cool because it was more of a conversation and maybe a little trash-talking. In the latest episode of The Bench Seat, Cavs forward Georges Niang answers what his favorite and least favorite things are from each city. When asked about Philadelphia, Niang might have thrown some shade toward his former team by saying opponents who are winning at Wells Fargo Arena don’t have to worry about fans.
11. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers did more than one video, but the one that got them this ranking is the team’s very own Bennedict Mathurin making some cupcakes and sharing how he discovered his love for baking. It’s a good way to showcase the schedule while giving fans other content they might also care about. A few hours later, the social media team was probably bored because they decided to share another video in which they put a 1000 degree hot metal ball on top of different things, including cheese and aloe vera.
10. Washington Wizards
It’s a mascot guessing video, which has been done a million times, but honestly, it is still entertaining. The Jr. Wizards made some great guesses and kept trying to get the “Arizona Cardinals” to the NBA. They also put a lot of effort into some drawings despite not knowing what a “Laker” looks like.
9. Brooklyn Nets
Another team with multiple videos, and the effort is very much appreciated. The first one shows people in Coney Island trying to guess NBA logos. The second video clearly shows the social media team is on TikTok because they decided to rate the scoopability of the different candy representing each opponent.
8. Philadelphia 76ers
Interviewing kids seems to always provide entertaining content, and this video was no different. One boy decided to give the Warriors a warning by saying, “They got Curry, but we got Tyrese Maxey.” Meanwhile, another kid said he hates the Celtics and seems to have a major beef with Jayson Tatum.
7. Phoenix Suns
Phoenix is no stranger to heat warnings, and the team has used this to its advantage. They put different objects representing opponents out on concrete under the hot sun and then showed the aftermath. While some of these were very straightforward, like using wolves candles for the Timberwolves, others got more interesting. There was some shade thrown at the Thunder, as toothpicks and guitar picks were scattered on the ground while the NBA Draft pick sound played in the background.
6. Orlando Magic
The Magic also had more than one video, and one of them straight up feels like a fever dream. The caption for it is “erm what the sigma?!” so watch at your own discretion. The other video shows cartoon versions of Jonathan Isaac and Cole Anthony exploring The Magicverse. It includes some pretty fun details, including Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo labeled as “Freak” in a lab, right next to Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama as “Alien.”
5. Utah Jazz
The Jazz used board games to show their schedule while throwing in some memorable sound clips for each opponent. They started out with a quote from the new Lakers coach, JJ Redick, saying he has never coached in the NBA before. Minnesota got Anthony Edwards’ invitation for Charles Barkley.
4. Los Angeles Clippers
Very much a Hollywood production. The Clippers cleverly used a drone to show off their brand new Inuit Dome while giving out the schedule and sprinkling in some cool cameos, such as Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford playing on the outdoor court.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
This was a “not very demure nor mindful” video, and it’s worth watching. It’s a bunch of chaotic clips that do an excellent job at whatever admin decided the goal was.
2. Dallas Mavericks
Dereck Lively II put in some serious overtime for this. He made a video showing each team’s logo made out of legos — a well-known hobby of his — and then stared in another video where he went to Dinosaur World. While exploring, Lively made references to each opponent. The video ends with him finding a dinosaur egg and then recreating a certain celebration from when the Celtics won the 2024 NBA title.
“People always wanted to know what would happen if I never found the egg?” Lively asks. “I guess we’ll never know.”
1. Chicago Bulls
This is art, plain and simple. It showed a lot of creativity and dedication. Who knows how long it took and how many paper cuts the artist went through?
