We did it. We survived the long summer and early bits of fall without true NBA basketball to give us comfort. The offseason is officially behind us now, and much like last year, the gap between 2018 NBA seasons featured some now-expected weirdness and drama.
Kawhi Leonard was traded in the middle of the night. Jimmy Butler is trying to turn the Minnesota Timberwolves into a boot camp episode of Maury. Something weird happened with burner accounts again — I think it got a general manager fired? It’s all very vague and happened at least 35 years ago now.
But now this: real basketball games. The NBA is back, baby, and Mark Hinog — Twitter user @tole_cover — has created the perfect anthem to bridge the final moments between you and the Association’s official return. Hinog has brilliantly taken one of the many weird offseason moments and made with it the beloved NBA on NBC theme song. Behold, the beautiful music made by Kawhi Leonard’s awkward laugh.
https://twitter.com/tole_cover/status/1052046504343601152
This really is spectacular work. Clever video editing can make anything funny — even a Law & Order: SVU episode about incels can be cut to make everyone sound completely insane. But what Hinog has done here is not just funny, it’s art. It’s a well-done piece of video work that actually does get you excited about basketball being back, too. When the song jumps up that extra octave at the end, and Leonard’s voice follows suit? Good lord. Goosebumps.
That theme song is a banger, obviously, and just nostalgic enough to make you remember how you fell in love with basketball in the first place. Tying in a Weird Twitter moment to make a new version of the song is a pretty awesome synthesis of what makes today’s NBA so fun to follow as fans. The basketball is great, the characters around the game are entertaining even when they appear to lack the proper software update to correctly calibrate their laugh macro and the people online following the league are truly creative and fun.
All that’s missing is some highlights of improbable athletic feats and maybe some NBA player beefs on Instagram. But that’s all coming. Because basketball is back, folks. Cue the dang music.
