The NBA and Formula 1® (F1) today announced a first-of-its-kind content and promotion partnership to bring together the NBA’s and F1’s broad, global fanbases in honour of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary season and F1’s return to the United States.
Exclusive imagery featuring F1®cars in custom liveries representing all 30 NBA teams will be dropped on NBA and F1 social channels around the world to commemorate the US Grand Prix and the NBA’s 75th Anniversary season, with the first 10 cars showcasing the Central and Pacific Divisions being unveiled today.
Overview
F1 teams will compete in a free throw challenge at the NBA 75th Anniversary-themed basketball half-court within the Circuit of the Americas paddock on Thursday, Oct. 21.
NBA superstars will be on hand at the ESPN Studio to advise drivers as they fight to make the most free throws out of ten shots, with the winning team receiving $20,000 to donate to a charity of their choice.
The 2021 FORMULA 1 ARAMCO UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX will be held at the Circuit of the Americas track for the first time since 2012, when F1 returned to the legendary venue after a two-year hiatus due to COVID.
The NBA has a significant international presence, with games and programming available in more than 50 languages in 215 nations and territories, and merchandise available in more than 100,000 retailers in 100 countries across six continents.
The NBA rosters featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries at the start of the 2021-22 season.
The NBA’s 75th Anniversary season began on Tuesday, October 19, and continues tonight with a doubleheader on ESPN with the New York Knicks hosting the Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Denver Nuggets hosting the Phoenix Suns (7:30 p.m. ET) (10 p.m. ET).
Celebrating the return of F1 in USA
The NBA just unveiled ten new race car liveries in honor of its 75th season and the return of Formula One to the United States in 2021 at the Formula One United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
The liveries feature the colors of clubs from both the Central and Pacific Divisions, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, and Milwaukee Bucks, among others.
The first Formula 1 race in the United States after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 will be broadcast on ABC on October 24 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
NBA x @F1 ?
— NBA (@NBA) October 20, 2021
Celebrate the #NBA75 Anniversary Season and the return of F1 to the USA… which car is your favorite?
More to come this week ? https://t.co/4xAZ2dqtus
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team has been revealed in its entirety. Due to a tie in voting, the list includes 76 players who have had a significant impact on the league.
Players are “chosen for being pioneers who have helped create, define, and reinvent the game,” according to the NBA.
For the compilation of the unranked list, a panel of current and past NBA players, coaches, general managers, league executives, WNBA legends, announcers, and sportswriters voted without regard to position.
Eleven active players were named to the list, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook, as well as six international players from six countries: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Patrick Ewing (Jamaica), Tim Duncan (US Virgin Islands), Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk (Nigeria).
The final 25 players were revealed on October 21 in a series of 25-player exposes. With the exception of Derrick Rose, the NBA’s youngest MVP, every MVP winner in league history has been included on the list.
Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, Kyrie Irving, Pau Gasol, and Dikembe Mutombo are among the famous players who were left out.
The F1 Texas Grand Prix was held for long due to Covid-19
Formula One appears to have found a permanent home in the United States at the Circuit of The Americas. The United States Grand Prix will be held for the ninth time at the Texas circuit, which has hosted the race since 2012.
The popular marathon will return in 2021 after a year off due to the coronavirus outbreak. The course layout has been well received by drivers, and the A-list entertainment lineup has kept fans happy.
COTA is just 30 kilometers from downtown Austin, and there is lots to see and do there. There’s a lot to take in, from amazing music to great food. In Off-Track Activities, we’ve compiled a list of the greatest places to visit during your trip to the United States Grand Prix.
Unlike many other F1 races in 2021, the United States Grand Prix currently has no coronavirus-related entrance criteria. This may change as the race approaches.
Regardless, you should bring a facial covering to the event. Face coverings are encouraged by race organizers, and they may be mandatory in some portions of the event.
You may be asked to do a non-contact temperature check or fill out a short questionnaire upon entering the circuit to establish that you are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have recently been exposed to the virus.
Guests are also advised to keep social distance and wash their hands frequently, according to the circuit.
With around 268,000 fans going through the turnstiles during the race weekend, the United States Grand Prix was the sixth most attended race of the year in 2019.
Formula One’s popularity in the United States has risen in recent years as a result of more readily available television coverage and the smash Netflix series Drive to Survive.
Since 2012, the event has attracted over 220,000 spectators each year, with the highest attendance of 269,889 in 2016.
With extraordinary demand, the vast majority of tickets are already sold out, 2021 may well set a new record.
The W Series and the FIA Formula 4 United States Championship will both be on the bill at the United States Grand Prix in 2021.
The FIA Formula 3 season finale was also supposed to take place here, but it was moved to Sochi Autodrom as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
Fans celebrate NBA anniversary and the return of F1
After a brief hiatus, Formula One will return to the United States this weekend.
This year’s US GP was timed to coincide with the opening of the new NBA season, just months after the Milwaukee Bucks won their second league title in the 2020-21 season.
In the midst of the ever-increasing Basketball craze sweeping the western continent, F1 decided to join in on the fun.
F1 confirmed a Basketball competition for the drivers, and maybe the team managers, at the Circuit of The Americas, just days after showing NBA franchise-inspired custom liveries on social media.
As a result, a video starring Mattia Binotto, Ferrari’s team principal, went popular on Twitter.
In 2019, the Italian competed in a basketball tournament. Binotto can be seen in the video shooting basketballs into the hoop with ease.
The footage has resurfaced and is currently circulating on social media. With a really amusing comment, Motorsport tweeted the video.
Of course, when such films appear out of nowhere, F1 Twitter is the perfect place to be. It brought out some interesting responses. Here are a few!
Michael Jordan when he gets beaten by Binotto ? pic.twitter.com/AIoib3PPb3
— Formula 2 Insider (@Formula2Insider) October 21, 2021
His nickname growing up was Buckets Binotto.
— J sob (@sobotkjes) October 21, 2021
Mattia Binotto shootin’ his shot. pic.twitter.com/u47lBpDdNj
— Late Brakers (@LateBrakers) October 21, 2021
? | Early reports regarding Ferrari’s 2022 car:
— formularacers (@formularacers_) October 19, 2021
-> Their nose design is now defined, and will be “significantly different” to Liberty’s model at Silverstone.
-> 40 new technical & simulator specialists are working at Maranello.
[@GiulyDuchessa]
The drivers will compete in a free throw challenge on Thursday before the press conference, according to Formula 1. In addition, the challenge winner receives money for charity.
“On Thursday, Oct. 21, F1 Teams will battle it out off-the-track, in a free throw challenge at the NBA 75th Anniversary-themed basketball half-court, within the Circuit of The Americas paddock,” the statement read.
“On Thursday, Oct. 21, F1 Teams will battle it out off-the-track, in a free throw challenge at the NBA 75th Anniversary-themed basketball half-court, within the Circuit of the Americas paddock.”
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) October 20, 2021
No wonder Pierre and Charles visited the NBA game yesterday. https://t.co/cInOSCZbDE
Overall, this is shaping up to be an exciting weekend, with plenty of action on and off the track. But let’s concentrate on the first.
The majority of the drivers are presently vying for a higher ranking in the championship standings. And the desperation is expected to increase the likelihood of crashes during the next Austin weekend.
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