Watch Mickey Mouse, Goofy Give Cavs, Knicks Pregame Christmas Speeches
On Thursday afternoon, New York Knicks goal floor at home for an NBA Christmas Game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game was expected to be a battle between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, although the Cavs haven’t quite lived up to their end of the bargain so far, currently sitting at 17-14 in the 2025-26 NBA season.
As part of the festivities, ESPN decided to air an alternate “Dunk the Halls” broadcast on ESPN2 featuring some beloved Disney characters, and before the game, the company posted a video Mickey Mouse and Goofy giving pregame speeches to the Knicks and Cavaliers.
Mickey Mouse and Goofy giving a Christmas speech before the game 😂
🎄 Dunk the Halls | ESPN2, Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/N4CJvpPu6I
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 25, 2025
The bizarre video received mixed reactions from fans in the comments section of X, formerly Twitter.
“I need the full transcript of Mickey’s pregame speech. If he doesn’t end it with ‘Hot Dog!’, I’m not sure the team will be motivated enough to win,” one fan wrote.
“Because nothing motivates athletes like cartoon lessons,” said another.
Overall, it remains to be seen what kind of ratings ESPN’s alternate cast will receive, or if this will be something they continue to implement in the future, but animated alternate casts have become increasingly popular across a number of sports leagues in recent years.
Meanwhile, on the court, the Christmas Day game was a big contest for both the Cavs and the Knicks. The Knicks have been hot in recent weeks, slowly closing in on the Detroit Pistons for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Cavs are hoping for a fresh start after being one of the most disappointing teams in the league thus far.
In any case, the Cavs and Knicks will meet one more time this season, on February 24 in Cleveland.
2025-12-25 17:42:00
