Raptors Use Tony Ann's Piano Scores in New Playoff Videos

The Toronto Raptors are entering the NBA playoffs with a fresh approach to their promotional hype videos, featuring emotional piano-driven scores composed by local artist Tony Ann, as they prepare to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena.

Unlike traditional playoff reels with heavy bass and electronic beats, the Raptors' social media videos showcase a more introspective soundtrack accompanying highlights of players like Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett executing dunks and fadeaway shots. Ann, a 32-year-old Beijing-born pianist raised in Toronto, brings his pop-leaning neoclassical style to the project, which has already caught the attention of the city's sports scene. "I tell so many people my biggest inspirations and heroes are athletes," Ann said from Antwerp, Belgium, where he is midway through a European tour spanning small Swiss towns and grand London concert halls. "I grew up watching Vince Carter with the Raptors and Michael Jordan with the Wizards. I know that wasn't his prime anymore, but it was still pretty cool."

Ann's involvement extends beyond composition; he appears in the videos, wearing a Raptors jersey at center court while performing his...