For sports fans, one of the most important days of the year before the new season begins is when they find out their team schedule. It might sound like a basic thing, but it’s a big deal for sports fans. Your team’s schedule is the “preview” that can help you know just how well your squad will do and, potentially, what games you might want to shoot for ticket-wise. Due to the “ambiance” of the moment, many teams like to do some “fun things” to announce the schedule, and the Chicago Bulls are no different. They went really retro with their schedule announcement and have laid out a challenge that many teams will have to step up to.
So what did they do? On their official Twitter feed, the Chicago Bulls posted a video of their mascot, Benny, entering a Pokemon–style world reminiscent of the original Game Boy games and having to battle some of the players, coaches, and even the commissioner of the league to get the schedule reveal.
As you’ll see in the tweet below, they went all out to make this feel like the OG Pokemon titles, and we’re here for it! There are numerous references to the league and its legendary faces, including Coach Greg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs No.1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama, and Lebron James and Commissioner Adam Silver.
It’s a lovely tribute that many people will dissect to see how many references and Easter Eggs you can find. If you look closely, you’ll realize really quickly that you’re in the United Center for these battles and that the championship trophies won by Michael Jordan can be seen within.
The schedule is revealed at the end, with Benny shown in live-action playing a Game Boy with the promise of more coming via the “To Be Continued…” tag. More than likely, it refers to how the season will be coming, and thus “the journey continues.”
There are many questions as to what will happen this NBA season, including with the Bulls themselves. They were touted early last season to be contenders, but injuries held them back. They could be serious contenders in the Eastern Conference if they can bounce back from that.
But more importantly, the question that other NBA teams face, and other sports teams for that matter, is how they will top this massively beautiful gaming-style reveal. It must have taken a while for this to be made, and we’re curious to see who tries to make a better one.
