Watch Kawhi Leonard Actually Grin In The New Spurs H-E-B Commercials

If you’re not familiar, H-E-B is a privately owned grocery chain based in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs, naturally, are a perfect for their ad campaigns, and a new set recently debuted featuring Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills. In a couple of them, Kawhi even cracks a smile (!!), and we get to see more of Duncan’s deadpan delivery.

Per the release:

“The H-E-B Spurs commercials reflect the very unique partnership we have enjoyed with the Spurs for over 20 years,” said Cory Basso, H-E-B Group Vice President for marketing and advertising. “We have a unique ability to showcase each player’s sense of humor in a way that fans may not see during a courtside or post-game interview. In just 15 seconds, we can give the fans a glimpse into the genuine personality of our hometown team.”

That’s an understatement. The H-E-B commercials are often the only time we get to see the stone-faced Spurs exhibit any personality at all until they’re dousing each other in champagne come June.

The first one features the fellas barbecuing. All of them team up — because they’re the Spurs, of course — to get Australian native Mills to repeat an infamous (and annoyingly over-used) Australian adage.

This next one, features Manu sporting some Pei Mei grooming as he repeats philosophical musings about mankinds oft-overlooked unity with nature — plus the extensive organic goods H-E-B is now stocking. Yeah, there’s some eye rolling among the Spurs here.

Finally we get to the Greek yogurt section where all the Spurs, minus Tim, are sitting around in togas. Tim comes in and reminds them they look ridiculous. Not only does this one riff off the famous toga party scene from Animal House, but it’s got Kawhi smiling AND offering up a jubilant “OPA” — sort of like the Greek edition of our American “HUZZAH.”

So great.

We hope the Spurs continue to work with H-E-B because we love the Spurs and in he ads they actually get away from their normally robotic countenances on the court. Now if only they can get Gregg Popovich involved…

Favorite Spurs H-E-B commercial?

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