Heading into NBA All-Star 2023, Ruffles, the Official Chip of the NBA and WNBA, is bringing together innovative flavors, big personalities, and even bigger swagger in a new TV commercial starring NBA legend Charles Barkley and has unveiled the hoops icon as its honorary “Chip Deal Athlete” – joining current Chip Deal Athletes LeBron James, Jayson Tatum and A’ja Wilson, who are also featured in the campaign.
To commemorate his honorary Chip Deal, Barkley – a legendary personality who certainly has his own flavor – requested Ruffles create a one-time-only release of his favorite culinary flavor: Hot Dogs. Ruffles Hot Dog-flavored potato chips will drop in highly limited quantities during NBA All-Star Weekend.
The commercial, which will premiere during NBA All-Star 2023, depicts Barkley selecting a Ruffles flavor at a vending machine as James, Tatum, and Wilson each come to life on their own Ruffles chip bags and “full-court press” him to choose their respective flavor.
Bringing Ruffles to Salt Lake City
This weekend, Ruffles is transforming a local Salt Lake City fan-favorite hot dog restaurant J. Dawgs into “Bark.Dawgs.”
Fans can stop by on Saturday, February 18 from 1-4 p.m. to enjoy Ruffles-inspired menu items, see special Chip Deal Athlete guests, secure exclusive Ruffles x Charles Barkley swag, play on custom video game stations, and listen to live music from a DJ booth.
A select number of fans who make it in line first will even get to taste test Ruffles Hot Dog flavor.
2023 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
Ruffles returns for its second year as the title partner of the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
TV and film stars, musicians, and professional athletes including Simu Liu, 21 Savage, Janelle Monae, Cordae, Hasan Minhaj, Albert Pujols, DK Metcalf, and Arike Ogunbowale will take to the court led by team captains Ryan Smith and Dwayne Wade, as well as head coaches Giannis Antetokounmpo and Alex Bregman.
Adding to the hype, the Ruffles 4-point Ridge Line, a 4-point line resembling the ridges in Ruffles potato chips, is back to support a good cause.
For every shot made from behind the line, Ruffles will donate $4,000 to support 5 for the Fight, a philanthropic organization and official partner of the Utah Jazz and owner Ryan Smith that crowdfunds cancer research.
And, for the first time ever, Ruffles and the NBA are introducing Ruffles Crunch Time – a unique in-game boost that each team captain can activate once per half – causing every shot made to be worth double the points and every 4-point Ridge Line shot to convert to double the charitable contribution.
The 2023 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will air exclusively on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, February 17 from the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
Fans can follow Ruffles on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to keep up with everything the brand has in store all NBA All-Star Weekend long.