Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic Launch Tik Tok Challenge With Goldfish
Acting in a commercial for Goldfish wasn't something Philadelphia 76ers veteran forward Tobias Harris imagined during one of his Neville Goddard-inspired visualization sessions this year. Not only because he didn't have a burning desire to act, but also because his co-star Boban Marjanovic didn't even like him at first.
Rewinding back to 2016 when Harris was gearing up for his first full season with the Detroit Pistons, he met the larger-than-life Serbian center after Marjanovic signed with the Pistons in the offseason after a stint with the San Antonio Spurs.
After complimenting the big man during one of the team's first workout sessions of the offseason, Marjanovic had a confession for Harris. "(Boban) said to me, 'You know, I didn't really like you before I met you, but you're a great player,'" Harris recalled.
"I was like, 'Why didn't you like me?' He was like, 'I just thought you were so cocky.' So, I was like, 'Oh, thanks!'" Harris laughed. "My greatest introduction to Boban was like, straightforward individual. From then on, we had a pretty tight group in Detroit. Guys would go out to eat a lot and get to know each other. That was where myself and Boban started to connect."
Marjanovic's humor stood out to Harris when the two grew closer. And when the big man visited Harris at his home years ago, the veteran forward couldn't keep the visual of Boban imitating popular internet dance moves to himself. So, Harris pulled out his phone and started recording.
"When he came to my crib one time, I was showing him a couple of dances like the Chicken Noodle Soup dance," Harris explained. "That was the one that kind of like, broke the internet, and people just went crazy with it and loved it seeing this seven-foot-four guy dance. That was when I was like, 'Oh man, Boban is social media gold.'"
Harris jokingly admitted that he took advantage of Boban's star potential by filming his every dance move for the internet to see, but the big man didn't mind. He just had one specific requirement. . . It just better go viral.
Easy enough, and just like that, the Adventures of Bobi and Tobi were born. Harris and Marjanovic didn't stay in Detroit for long, but they also weren't broken up when they left the organization. In January of 2018, Harris and Marjanovic were both traded in the blockbuster deal that landed the Pistons Blake Griffin from the Los Angeles Clippers. So, when the two moved out West, the videos kept coming.
In 2019, Harris and Boban found themselves traded once again. During the early morning hours on February 6, Harris and Marjanovic became members of the Sixers for the remainder of the 2018-2019 NBA season.
Following the Sixers' second-round playoff loss against the Toronto Raptors, the duo finally parted ways as teammates as they both hit the free agency market. Harris, who started for the Sixers, landed himself a max contract in Philly.
Meanwhile, Boban joined the Dallas Mavericks on a multi-year deal. While Bobi and Tobi were no longer on the same basketball team, they remained good friends, and the adventures recently reached another level.
Last Tuesday, as Harris and the Sixers geared up for a matchup on the road in Denver, a brand new Goldfish commercial starring the Tobi-Bobi duo hit small screens everywhere. Just as Harris predicted years ago, anything with himself and Boban has the ability to go viral. Once again, he wasn't wrong.
Everything is now coming full circle. Back in Detroit, Harris used to film Boban imitating popular dance challenges. Now, Harris, Boban, and Goldfish have put together their own challenge on the internet, so fans get involved with their hilarious commercial that went viral last week.
Go For The Handful
Just as they did in the commercial, Harris and Boban are asking fans to see how many Goldfish they can grab in one handful. "Creators on Tik Tok will be able to show us how much Goldfish they can grab in the bag," Harris explained. "There's a couple more commercials coming out with Goldfish that I think the people are gonna love and we're riding out this Goldfish wave."
Tik Tokers who are participating will have to tag #GoForTheHandful and #Contest for a chance to win a special edition autographed “Boban Size” giant bag of Goldfish. The 25 most creative videos will earn fans a Boban Size bag of Goldfish. In addition, one selected winner will also become Goldfish's "Spokeshand."
via Goldfish
Think you can grab 73 Goldfish in one handful like Tobias Harris? Or, perhaps you could somehow snag 301 Goldfish in one shot like Boban? Join in on the #GoForTheHandful challenge on Tik Tok!
The contest will end on Sunday, April 25.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
