NBA Airs Valentine Greeting to Seduce Fans

The National Basketball Assn.’s latest fan-friendly commercial--a Valentine’s Day greeting featuring Los Angeles Laker star Shaquille O’Neal--aired during Monday night’s broadcast of the Laker game with the San Antonio Spurs. The commercial, which also featured several other NBA stars who are jockeying to replace Michael Jordan as the league’s best-known player, is part of a wider campaign aimed at persuading fans to return to NBA arenas and television broadcasts. The Valentine’s Day theme also will be evident in electronic greeting cards that the league will send to more than 750,000 fans, including season-ticket holders. NBA Commissioner David Stern will sign cards being sent to the league’s national and international business partners. The new commercial and the cards are part of an ongoing NBA marketing campaign that began a few days before the league opened the current season, which was delayed for three months by a labor dispute.