The setting
The virtual, live re-creation of the Spurs vs. Knicks game takes place on the iconic “Main Street, USA” in Magic Kingdom® Park as the teams play with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy and Chip and Dale cheering them on. Shots of “Main Street, USA” and other famous landmarks inside Magic Kingdom® Park will be on display regularly, including Cinderella’s Castle.

The story
The storyline behind the Immerse the Halls The presentation begins with Mickey’s Christmas wish to Santa Claus to bring the NBA players to “Main Street, USA” Magic Kingdom® Park at Walt Disney World Resort to play the first animated NBA game on Christmas Day.

The first technology of its kind
Each Spurs and Knicks player will appear as a motion-controlled, animated player for the special holiday matchup. State-of-the-art real-time visualization technology powered by Sony’s Beyond Sports, combined with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking, allows fans to watch Immerse the Halls will see every three-pointer, dunk, layup, pass and more from real Spurs vs. Watch the Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in New York as it happens.

More production highlights:

• During halftime of the Spurs vs. Knicks game, the Disney characters, led by Mickey Mouse, will compete in a special slam dunk contest;
• Santa’s Elves will operate the cameras for the game, while Santa himself will operate ESPN’s “SkyCam” during the game;
• The Disney characters will give pregame and halftime speeches to the players and decorate a large Christmas tree during the game;
• Fans can also find out if it will snow on “Main Street, USA” and see how many churros Goofy can eat.

ESPN commentators
Drew Carter will serve as play-by-play commentator alongside ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt. The duo will be joined by a very special guest – Daisy Duck – who will serve as a sideline reporter. Carter and McNutt will be animated in the style of the broadcast and will don ESPN Edge Innovation Partner’s Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from “Main Street, USA” thanks to VR technology and Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator Technology .

All five NBA Christmas games on December 25 will be available on ABC, ESPN, Disney+ and ESPN+. The traditional broadcast of the Spurs vs. Knicks game is called by Ryan Ruocco, analyst Cory Alexander and reporter Cassidy Hubbarth. For more information about the schedule, visit ESPNPressRoom.com.

Immerse the Halls continues the well-documented historic innovation of ESPN and the NBA, including alt-cast executions that leverage the unparalleled depth and reach of The Walt Disney Company. In 2021, ESPN and the NBA teamed up with Marvel for “Marvel’s Arena of Heroes,” an alt-cast of a regular-season NBA game. TWDC.com: ESPN and Marvel Debut First-Ever Marvel-Inspired NBA Special Edition.

ESPN recently announced that it will produce an animated, real-time alt-cast for Monday night football called on December 9 The Simpsons Funday Footballstreaming on Disney+ and ESPN+. For more information, visit ESPNPressRoom.com.

About Disney+
Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and many more. In select international markets, it also includes the general entertainment content brand Star, and in the US, Disney Bundle subscribers can also access expanded Hulu content, including next day TV and Hulu Original titles, on Disney+. Disney+, Disney’s flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service, offers an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney’s long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the latest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as a standalone streaming service or as part of bundled offerings, including Disney Bundle subscriptions in the US that give subscribers access to Disney+ and Hulu or Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. For more information, visit disneyplus.com or look for the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the #1 sports streaming platform, offering fans in the U.S. exclusive access to more than 32,000 live sporting events every year, an unrivaled library of on-demand replays and critically acclaimed original content, and premium writing by ESPN.com’s top reporters and analysts . Fans sign up for ESPN+ for just $11.99 per month (or $119.99 per year) on ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or in the ESPN app on mobile and connected devices. For more information, visit the ESPN+ press kit.

About the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has built a large international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2024-2025 season feature a record 125 international players from a record 43 countries. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.3 billion likes and followers worldwide across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community organizations around the world to address important social issues in education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness.

Media contacts
ESPN: (email protected); (email protected).
Disney+: (email protected).