Martin Plays B-Ball for Laughs

Charlotte Hornets Got Game, Comic Timing and Punch Lines
ATLANTA–Four humorous television spots for the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte (N.C.) Hornets tip off this week. The series promotes the team’s 1999-2000 season, which begins Tuesday.
The campaign from The Martin Agency highlights the distinctive athletic strengths of individual players in both ironic and exaggerated ways.
One spot, labeled “Jump,” features Ricky Davis, so well known for his leaping ability that last year he commanded two positions on ESPN’s top 10 slam dunks of the year.
In the ad, a stymied fire chief standing below a treed cat calls headquarters, urgently demanding, “Bring me a 21 Davis!” The uniformed player, complete with number 21 on his back, is delivered, hauled under the arm of a fireman like a ladder.