Spurs Special Forces is every NBA fan’s dream combo of humor, player promotion, and epic, joke-filled covert operation plot lines. The cartoon web series, created by comedy writer and UCLA economics professor Matt Hill, has been a huge hit for fans and comedy junkies alike, reeling in around half a million views on YouTube.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Hill said that the series “lives in the NBA Internet nerd realm and has very little appeal outside of that.” But tons of people are watching the series, probably because of a fan base that’s increasingly younger and more tech savvy than ever before.
Three episodes have been released to date, each of which starts with the following narration: “In 1996, a crack international commando unit was sent to prison for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped and went undercover, hiding in plain sight as the most boring team in professional sports.”
Hooked yet?
Randall Park, LA native and actor from the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, performs the voice of Manu Ginobili. Hill describes his Ginobili impression as “Scarface – but a nice Scarface.” Ginobili is decidedly “very Argentine” in this portrayal; in the first installment, Manu is used as a bait kid, sings à la Nino Bravo, and becomes the star in the eye of a Mauricio Macri parody, who states that without quality beef and star athletes, they’re no different than Chileans. Most recently, the Espurs are shown freeing Pop from Phil Jackson’s devious grasp just in time to sign LaMarcus Aldridge. This – of course – only after being enlisted by President Obama to lead a revolution against an evil island dictator.
Check out the first episode below!