NBA Re-Dunking The Halls Xmas Alt-Broadcast With Disney, ESPN
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 07:58PM By Barry Janoff
November 18, 2025: Disney, ESPN and the NBA had so much fun with ‘Dunk the Halls” in 2024 that they are brining back the real-time, animated alt-telecast of a NBA game for 2025.
Using Sony’s Beyond Sports technology, the New York Knicks hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a five-game Xmas package on ABC and ESPN will air a “Dunk the Halls 2” alternate presentation on ESPN2, Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and the ESPN App.
As happened with “Dunk the Halls” last year, the game will unfold on “Main Street, U.S.A.” in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Chip and Dale will return to cheer from the sidelines with Stitch and other added guests.
Each player will appear as a motion-tracked animated version of themselves, captured live through Sony’s Beyond Sports real-time visualization and Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking.
Viewers will see every dunk, layup and pass from the actual game at Madison Square Garden as it happens. (The 2024 game was also in The Garden when the Knicks hosted the San Antonio Spurs.)
According to Disney, Mickey’s Christmas wish to Santa Claus — as it was last year — "brings the NBA to Magic Kingdom for a magical, animated matchup." But this year, “troublemaker Stitch’s arrival turns the celebration upside down. His unpredictable holiday cheer and out-of-this-world energy make for an even more spirited Dunk the Halls adventure.”
Daisy Duck returns for her reporting duties with a special sideline interview with NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Santa’s elves return as camera operators, with Santa piloting ESPN’s “SkyCam.”
Disney friends will deliver pregame and halftime speeches and decorate a massive Christmas tree during the broadcast.
Returning to the Dunk the Halls broadcast booth for the second year, Drew Carter will serve as play-by-play commentator alongside ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt, joined by Daisy Duck.
Carter and McNutt will again be animated in the style of the telecast and don ESPN Edge Innovation Partner’s Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from “Main Street, U.S.A..” thanks to VR technology and Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator Technology.
The traditional Cavaliers vs. Knicks telecast on ABC, ESPN and Disney+ will feature Ryan Ruocco and Doris Burke on commentary with Jorge Sedano reporting.
All five NBA Christmas games will be available on ABC, ESPN and the ESPN App.
In 2021, ESPN and the NBA worked with Marvel for “Marvel’s Arena of Heroes,” an alt-cast of an NBA regular-season game, the first Marvel-Inspired NBA Special Edition.
ESPN also continues to expand its real-time animation efforts across sports, next via a Monsters Funday Football presentation on Monday Night Football Dec. 8.
ESPN will also produce animated telecasts for the NHL and WNBA game across The Walt Disney Company and ESPN platforms during the 2025-26 season as part of a new agreement with Beyond Sports.
Sony, ESPN Go Beyond Sports With Expanded Animated Alt-Broadcast Plans