If you think the world doesn’t have enough NBA themed cartoons, read on.

When I was little, when the NBA was trying to convince kids to do anything, they’d just trot out Bob Lanier and have him talk to kids on TV.  Without Bob Lanier I probably would have never gone outside, or stayed in school, or created this blog.  Those NBA Stay In School Jams that had all those NBA players and like Boyz II Men performing on them? That did the trick.  With today’s kids?  The NBA has decided to go a little more “traditional”, and give everyone the inspirational cartoon.  Since no one does cartoons better than Cartoon Network (and Turner Broadcasting on a larger scale), a partnership seemed natural,

Cartoon Network today announced a multifaceted partnership with the NBA to develop long- and short-form basketball-themed content across a wide variety of platforms, including online, mobile, VOD and on-air. Through this partnership and the network’s alignment with Turner Sports, this announcement continues a long-standing relationship the NBA has had with Turner Broadcasting for over 25 years.

“We’re thrilled to be teaming up with one of the world’s most preeminent sports brands,” said Stuart Snyder, president and COO of Turner Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media. “This partnership with the NBA is part of the ongoing sports strategy at Cartoon Network and is a perfect extension of our brand that will allow us to continue to create even more relevant and compelling content that speaks directly to our audience.”

Cartoon Network’s first show, My Dad’s A Pro, is schedule to premier in conjunction with the beginning of the 2009-2010 season.  The show, which focuses on the kids of NBA players, deals with the thrills and challenges that accompany the lifestyle of the child of the superstar.

Seeing as how the NBA has had a longstanding relationship with Turner Sports, this move to cartoon network seems like a pretty easy transition.  My hope is that the ‘toon does something positive, as well as describing the thrills and challenges of a superstar’s child.  Like maybe explain that that sort of lifestyle does not happen to everyone, or that not everyone is entitled to have million dollar club houses?  Just a thought.

If for some reason it fails? I hear that Bob Lanier is still available.

Turner.com — Cartoon Network partners with NBA

Tags: Basketball, basketball cartoon, cartoon, Cartoon Network, NBA

Category: Basketball