Jay-Z Previews New Album During Halftime of Heat-Spurs NBA Finals Game 5

Jay-Z will forever be ingrained in the fabric of the NBA, so what better place for him to debut the commercial for his new album than at halftime of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat?

It was a strange ad detailing nothing in particular—just Jay-Z in a studio, hanging out with Rick Rubin and Pharrell, as well as some not-so-inconspicuous product placement for a Samsung tablet for a solid three minutes before we ever learned that it was an ad for Hova's new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail.

"

That Jay-Z commercial convinced 12 more athletes to sign with Roc Nation.

— Roy Burton (@TheBSLine) June 17, 2013"

"

Jay-Z just bought the whole commercial break

— Brendan Bowers (@BowersCLE) June 17, 2013"

"

I have no idea what Jay-Z is selling here but I'll buy it.

— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) June 17, 2013"

Apparently, the album is set to drop July 4, with Samsung planning to give away a million free copies to its smart phone users 72 hours prior to the official release, according to Hannah Karp of The Wall Street Journal.

There wasn't a ton of information in the ad, but it was an interesting spot and perhaps a preview of what advertising in the NBA will become.

Samsung has dipped its pen in some awkward fake sideline spots, along with a pairing in this Jay-Z ad.

The commercial was cryptic and borderline uninformative, but you'd be crazy to say that it didn't get people excited.

Something tells me the album is going to do well.