Forget the excitement about LeBron and Nike; there's more pressing basketball news this Christmas. Santa Claus -- "the real MVP of Christmas" -- joins the NBA as a free agent in ESPN's Christmas Day campaign, the second year the campaign has featured Old St. Nick. In this first spot, Santa calls a press conference to officially announce he's joining the league.

The ad, by Wieden & Kennedy N.Y. and directed by Imperial Woodpecker's Stacy Wall, also gives viewers a peak of what's to come leading up to Christmas Day (when ESPN and ABC will screen five NBA games). There's a video featuring Santa's "highlight reel" along with ads featuring the deadpan reactions of NBA stars like San Antonio Spurs' LaMarcus Aldridge, New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis, Houston Rockets' James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers' DeAndre Jordan, Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love and Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson. And, the big hot question is, will Santa sell out for a cereal endorsement?