Charles Barkley Starring In New FanDuel Campaign For NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs are here, and plenty of sports bettors will be backing their favoite teams as the NBA Play-In Tournament tips off on Tuesday, April 11th. To commemorate the start of the pro basketball postseason, FanDuel Sportsbook is rolling out a new series of advertisements with Hall of Fame NBA player and NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley.

These advertisements will launch at the start of the Play-In Tournament and go through the entire NBA Playoffs, finishing during the NBA Finals series.

FanDuel Releasing “Think Like a Player” Campaign With Charles Barkley

The new “Think Like a Player” campaign is about to debut from FanDuel Sportsbook. The advertisements will star Charles Barkley, but with a bit of a twist. A deepfake version of Barkley from the 1990’s will be used in the commercials, with the character referred to as “Young Chuck” throughout the campaign.

The Young Chuck character and Barkley will then collaborate on building Same-Game Parlay bets (one of the most popular features of the platform) with wagers on different NBA stars. In a press release announcing the new ads, Andrew Sneyd (the Executive Vice President for marketing from FanDuel) expressed excitement for the creative direction behind the new advertisements.

Barkley himself is no stranger to starring in commercials, as March Madness saw the popular media personality in numerous Capital One ads alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Magic Johnson, Spike Lee, Jim Nantz, and Jennifer Garner. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Barkley has also appeared in commercials for Nike, Subway, Ruffles, Coca Cola, and Weight Watchers throughout his career.

NBA Playoffs Should Be Major For FanDuel and Other Betting Apps

Even though some bettors are still just getting over the conclusion of March Madness, the betting opportunities haven’t slowed down at all, as the NBA postseason is here. The NBA Play-In Tournament will determine the final seeding in both conferences as teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and New Orleans Pelicans look to make it to the next round and make a deep run for the championship.

The major favorites to win it all right now include top-seeded teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets, as well as the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, and Philadelphia 76ers. The betting handle should be big across the U.S. for FanDuel Sportsbook, as well as other sports betting operators on the market.

FanDuel Sportsbook is one of the top mobile betting apps in the industry, with reports last month that the platform had increased its market share to 50% in Q4 of 2022. DraftKings Sportsbook is close behind, followed by other popular betting sites such as BetMGM Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook.

The Massachusetts sports betting numbers will be interesting to watch throughout the playoffs, considering mobile wagering has only been available for a month and the local Boston Celtics are considered a major threat to win the title. The state is also home to the Boston Bruins, who will likely attract plenty of bets throughout the NHL Playoffs as the team continues its historic run.