ESPN and Atlantic Records Join Forces To Soundtrack The 2022-23 NBA Season
Campaign Kicks Off with the NBA on ESPN Remix of Ty Dolla $ign and Mustard’s “My Friends”
“My Friends” [NBA on ESPN Remix] will be available at all DSPs this Friday, October 14
ESPN and Atlantic Records are teaming up to soundtrack the 2022-23 NBA season. The season-long campaign will include NBA on ESPN exclusive remixes and bespoke songs from some of Atlantic’s biggest stars. Kicking off the campaign is a remix of “My Friends,” the new single from globally renowned music superstars and West Coast legends, Ty Dolla $ign and Mustard. The original version of the song features Chicago rapper Lil Durk and will appear on Ty Dolla $ign and Mustard’s forthcoming joint album.
Key moments currently set for new custom music tracks outside of NBA Tip-Off include Christmas Day, Saturday Primetime matchups, NBA Play-in Tournament, NBA Playoffs, and NBA Finals.
“We couldn’t be more excited about this new partnership with ESPN for our artists and the upcoming NBA season. ESPN has proven itself as a first in class network for the way they use music across all their programming. This is a fantastic way for our world class roster of superstars to reach fans where they live everyday,” says Kevin Weaver, Atlantic Records’ President, West Coast. “We have a history of successful partnerships with ESPN and are thrilled to continue that with the NBA on ESPN remix campaign for the 2022-23 season,” continues Joseph Khoury, VP of A&R and Marketing at Atlantic Records.
“Ty Dolla $ign and Mustard are setting fans up for an exciting NBA season on ESPN. The energy and passion in this track inspires the promise and hope every fan feels early on when their favorite team begins their championship journey,” said Emeka Ofodile, Vice President of Sports Marketing, ESPN. “We are excited about the collaboration with Atlantic Records, and look forward to creating more custom music with their roster of incredibly talented artists all season long.”
Name-dropped within the track include NBA Champion and Golden State Warriors guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, and many other NBA superstars.
ESPN looks to build off last year’s successful custom music strategy, where they created seven custom tracks in collaboration with nine different artists that generated over 37 million streams
ESPN’s 2022-23 NBA game coverage tips off with a doubleheader on Wednesday, October 19, as the New York Knicks visit the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:30 p.m. ET. The telecast will be exclusively on ESPN in the New York market. Then, the Phoenix Suns host the Dallas Mavericks at 10 p.m. in an exclusive telecast in the Phoenix market.