The NBA regular season tips off tonight with the Rockets facing the Thunder at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Warriors hosting the Lakers at 10 p.m. ET.
Beyond opening night, the league has packed the 2025-26 calendar with milestones: the Emirates NBA Cup group play begins October 31, the annual Christmas Day slate drops five matchups across ABC and ESPN, Rivals Week returns in January, and Los Angeles hosts All-Star Weekend in February. The season closes on April 12, before the Play-In Tournament and playoffs officially begin.
As the schedule heats up, basketball’s cultural reach is already making noise off the court. According to Little Black Book, PrizePicks’ new “It’s Good to Be Right” campaign launched this week, bringing together Allen Iverson, Candace Parker, comedian Druski, and actor Sam Richardson. The spots showcase the lighter side of basketball fandom, leaning on humor and personality to mirror the energy of tip-off week.
Iverson, who has fronted some of the most iconic ads in basketball history, said the vibe on set felt familiar. “Man, those were all about attitude and truth. That raw energy,” he said. “This one has that same feel, just with more laughs. It’s about your crew, your picks, your bragging rights. Real talk, and it’s still got that AI vibe to it.”
For Parker, the timing lined up perfectly with the start of the season. “I’m a big fan of the game and love how people connect around it, so when I heard about their plans for basketball season, I was all in,” she said. “Even though I’m not on the court anymore playing, I’m always going to be competing with folks, so this was a fun way to show I’m still doing it.”
Druski leaned into that competitive energy, joking about sharing the stage with two Hall of Famers. “Candace Parker was a trailblazer in her sport, winning national championships in college & then going on to win the chip in the WNBA. I thought she was going to dunk on me during filming!” he said. “To be in the same campaign with Allen Iverson is for sure surreal. I grew up watching him & was a big fan of his game.”
Richardson echoed the sentiment, saying the combination of comedy and basketball clicked naturally. “My whole goal doing these commercials was just to have fun and to hang out with Allen Iverson,” he said. “Basketball players are ultra cool, and AI is among the coolest of all of them. So to get to juxtapose that with a goofy, silly guy, lends itself to good comedy pretty easily.”
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