Sync Slam Dunk: NBA Licenses Aerosmith, Scores Shaboozey and Sheila E. Appearances for Playoffs Promo

A live performance from Sheila E., who, along with Shaboozey and others, is featured in a new NBA playoffs spot. Photo Credit: Justin Higuchi

Monster sync alert: The NBA has licensed Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” for a new playoffs advert campaign featuring Shaboozey, Sheila E., and others.

The NBA officially launched this campaign, aptly called “Don’t Miss a Thing,” today. Though the league’s playoffs are scheduled for the coming weekend, a “play-in tournament” is beginning tonight to round out the postseason match-ups, the NBA explained on X.

Consequently, then, the spot and the involved professionals are poised to receive plenty of additional views during the approaching weeks. In the advert’s 92-second YouTube upload, Shaboozey, Sheila E., actor Rob Lowe, and several others can be seen making time to tune in for the playoffs.

For Shaboozey, that refers to watching from the studio. By contrast, a more laid-back Lowe is situated in a comfortable-looking chair while taking in the on-court action. In any event, both are working not “to miss a thing.”

Of course, it’s unclear how much the two (as well as NFL vet Jerry Rice, TikToker Khaby Lame, and YouTuber Fede Vigevani, to name some) pocketed for their appearances.

But at least on the music front, the spot’s benefits might extend beyond straight paychecks. Bearing in mind sync’s well-documented potential to fuel streaming boosts, Shaboozey (perhaps not coincidentally) dropped a single entitled “Blink Twice” last Friday.

(Technically, Shaboozey’s work wasn’t synced here; nevertheless, logic suggests that there’s some sort of commercial upside for artists featured in big ads.)

Meanwhile, Aerosmith certainly scored a nice payday for lending “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” to the campaign. 

However, as pointed out by some disappointed fans – “How can you have Aerosmith’s song and not the band itself in this ad?!” reads one YouTube comment – Aerosmith’s members didn’t find their way into the promo.

Regarding the size of the advert’s reach and paychecks, it’s worth highlighting the NBA’s reported audience-size falloff. According to SportsEpreneur, the league’s overall viewership plummeted 48% between 2012 and last year. Even so, 2024 saw the NBA secure a reported $76 billion in media-rights deals spanning 11 years.

Separately, despite the NBA’s music-focused playoffs advert, various teams have yet to move past their copyright-litigation woes. Music publishers sued over a dozen teams for alleged social-media infringement last year.

While some of the defendants have settled or are attempting to do so, the still-active cases remain entangled in a multifaceted discovery dispute, legal documents show.

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