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ESPN Marvel broadcast for Warriors-Pelicans game tonight

By Wesley Coburn

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 23: Juan Toscano-Anderson #95 of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a shot against Nicolo Melli #20 of the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center on February 23, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 23: Juan Toscano-Anderson #95 of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a shot against Nicolo Melli #20 of the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center on February 23, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The NBA season is winding down its regular season, with most teams already locked into playoff position, which means they’re essentially just coasting for a while. This means that TV broadcasts need some innovations to keep things interesting, which is why there will be an ESPN Marvel-themed broadcast of the Golden State Warriors-New Orleans Pelicans game tonight (Monday, May 3) at Smoothie King Arena.

While a standard broadcast will be available on ESPN, the ESPN Marvel broadcast, titled “Arena of Heroes,” will be shown on ESPN2 and on ESPN Plus at 7:30 p.m. ET, with a Marvel-themed studio featuring ESPN commentators Ryan Ruocco and Richard Jefferson, along with Marvel expert Angelique Roche.

Actual play-by-play will be provided by Dave Pasch, with color commentary from Mark Jackson and sideline reporting by Cassidy Hubbarth.

While this idea seems a bit ridiculous, it also sounds potentially fun as a one-off event, and it makes sense from a corporate perspective as ESPN and Marvel are both part of the Disney empire, and could potentially tie into John Stamos’ new Disney Plus sports drama Big Shot, where he plays a high school basketball coach along Gordon Bombay’s journey of self-discovery of human decency.

It also isn’t the first time Marvel has had a presence in real-life sports, as they’ve worked with ECHL teams in Double-A minor league hockey for various hero-themed jerseys for the past several seasons.

An ESPN Marvel broadcast will be used in tonight’s Golden State Warriors-New Orleans Pelicans matchup.

This ESPN Marvel news was previously reported by the sports media-focused news site Awful Announcing, and should be similar to the Nickelodeon NFL telecast from this past January, which prominently featured SpongeBob Squarepants characters and the classic green slime.

Three players from each team (Golden State’s Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, New Orleans’ Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson) will each earn something called “Marvel Hero Points” for their on-court play, while the one racking up the most points on the winning team will be named champion.

One point will be awarded for each point, rebound, assist, steal and block earned, while one point will be deducted for every missed basket, free throw or turnover.

Also, according to a press release, there will be an original Marvel story spliced into the telecast, which will feature MCU-favorite characters like Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange and Iron Man, coming to life through custom animation and graphics.

Essentially, the Avengers are following in the footsteps of the Nerdlucks from Space Jam, recruiting talent from the best basketball players in the world in order to stop an invading force. (Fitting, considering that LeBron James’ Space Jam: A New Legacy will release in June, which stars Rhodey himself, Don Cheadle as the antagonist.)

“The new Marvel’s Arena of Heroes telecast will be the first of its kind to bring Marvel’s storytelling directly to the real-time experience of a NBA game, and we are excited for fans to be able to watch their favorite players through the lens of Marvel’s mightiest heroes.” Mike Pasciullo, Marvel Entertainment vice president of marketing and communications, said in a press release.

While basketball hasn’t ever really featured into onscreen content as a major focus of onscreen superheroic projects, students at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters have been shown to be using their powers while playing in establishing shots in both X-Men and X-Men: Days of Future Past.  Additionally, the X-Men: Evolution episode “Speed and Spyke” (1.05) introduces Storm’s nephew, original character Spyke, and Pietro Maximoff by showcasing the feuding teammates during a high school basketball game.

Also, Clark Kent (Tom Welling) would frequently shoot baskets to blow off steam in the driveway on the hoop attached to the barn throughout the early seasons of the WB/CW series Smallville. 

Slightly more on topic with superheroics, the Ant-Man movies have been set in San Francisco, home of the Warriors, while in the comics the X-Men, Daredevil, Black Widow and more have lived there at various times, while Monica Rambeau/Spectrum (in the comics) calls New Orleans home, while onscreen it’s the setting for the Freeform series Cloak and Dagger and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is from the larger NOLA area.

The Warriors are currently holding the ninth seed in the Western Conference and fourth in the Pacific Division with a 32-32 record, eligible for the play-in series for one of the final playoff positions, while the Pelicans are 2.5 games out of 10th (the final play-in spot) at 29-35, fourth in the Southwest Division.

Related Story. Hoops Habit: NBA stars as Marvel characters. light

For more news, information, analysis and opinions of these teams, see our FanSided sister sites Hoops Habit, Blue Man Hoop and Pelican Debrief for general, Warriors and Pelicans content, respectively.

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