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The AT&T “what a pro wants” commercial: the song & players

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The two basketball players sing an old tune in the 2024 AT&T commercial: “what a pro wants,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Chet Holmgren meet Cristina Aguilera.

When we heard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren talking freely about the AT&T plans in the new commercial, we felt we had already heard those words. They had rhythm, right? So when they started singing the lyrics, adapting them to the ad’s needs, we felt it as confirmation.

The new commercial released by AT&T in March 2024 features the two American basketball players, walking out in the street and conversing about the mobile network’s offerings. The concept behind the ad is that they interpret the lyrics of an old song, not everybody recognizes. The year is 1999, and the singer is one of the protagonists of that decade’s pop: it’s What A Girl Wants by Cristina Aguilera. You can listen to it in the official video below.

Christina Aguilera - What A Girl Wants (Official Video)
Watch this video on YouTube.

Cristina Aguilera was one of the icons of the 1990s pop landscape. Her first album was released in 1999, giving birth to three singles that reached number one in the music charts and stayed up there for weeks: Genie In A Bottle, Come On Over Baby, and indeed, What A Girl Wants.

In the AT&T commercial, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren use the words in the song’s chorus, just changing “what a girl wants” into “what a pro wants.” The original chorus goes like this:

What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever makes me happy, sets you free
And I’m thankin’ you for knowin’ exactly

What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever keeps me in your arms
And I’m thankin’ you for givin’ it to me

Chet Holmgren wasn’t even born when the song was released, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was just one year old, so it’s highly improbable the song would come up in their minds during a normal conversation. However, they do their best to interpret the track, using the singing skills the nature gave them. It didn’t come up perfectly, but they are confident: it will get better.

Discover other curiosities about popular commercials on Auralcrave

Published by Carlo Affatigato

Carlo has been a web content creator for over 10 years. He founded Auralcrave in 2015, envisioning it as a new space capable of offering different perspectives on topics that passionate all of us. With a scientific background, Carlo developed an interest in music, cinema, literature, and art at a young age, transforming it into a complementary dimension to his professional growth. For years, he was a music journalist specializing in electronic and dance music, writing for the most important Italian magazines (both online and print). Movies and TV series have been a true obsession in many phases of his life: during university, it was not uncommon for him to set the alarm in the middle of the night to watch classic films airing on TV. With the advent of the Internet, Carlo became a keen observer of web and social phenomena, addressing light topics such as advertising, trends, fashion, and general themes. He is the main author of Auralcrave and personally manages its social media, editorial line, book publication, resource management, and business expansion. A former engineer, life coach, husband, and father, he believes that every area of knowledge has interesting stories that deserve to be told and is convinced that doing so makes the world a better place.