Boban Marjanovic and Tobias Harris are two of the most charismatic players in the NBA. They also happen to be best friends and arguably the best “bromance” in the league.
Currently preparing for his 13th NBA season, Harris has been a part of five different organizations and has played alongside 150 different talents through the years. It was not until his sixth season that he formed his unbreakable bond with Boban. Members of the Detroit Pistons in 2016, Marjanovic and Harris instantly became best friends and were able to continue their NBA journey together on the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.
Then came 2019, a tough year for both players, as Boban joined the Dallas Mavericks and Tobias remained in Philadelphia. Even though they were no longer going to be playing and spending every day together, Marjanovic and Harris have remained close. These two best friends always seem to be up to something together in the offseason.
This summer was no different.
Whether it was the astounding flavor of the snack that smiles back or their enthusiasm to take on new challenges together, perhaps a little bit of both, the NBA duo have once again teamed up with Goldfish on a new campaign.
Bobi and Tobi took some time to sit down and talk with ClutchPoints about their latest saga with Goldfish, as well as why they think nobody comes close to them in terms of having the best friendship in the league.
CP: I feel like it is fair to call you both the faces of Goldfish now! Tell us about your latest promotion and commercial with Boban going to college.
Tobias: We are totally embracing being the face of the Goldfish campaign. We’ve had so much fun dating back to 2021 with Boban’s hand challenge and that’s opened up so many doors. The fans love it, both basketball fans and Goldfish fans, and we love it just as much. It’s now back to school season so here we are! The goal now is to bring smiles to the college experience. Each promo and commercial we do, we say it’s the best one. Well, this is the one and we absolutely nailed this one!
Boban: Tobi, I just want to say thank you because you dropped me off at college, I appreciate it.
Tobias: Oh, I know, it was no problem, it was time to get rid of you!
Boban: And thank you for the Boban Bag because now I have a lot of snacks for college.
CP: Boban, you guys are going to be giving away a one foot tall bag of Goldfish to some lucky students, but isn’t that just a normal bag for you? Don’t you have a pantry full of these one foot tall bags in your house?
Boban: You know what, I can only get them from Tobias, he’s the keeper of the Boban Bag! On September 13, all you are supposed to do is go to GoldfishBobanBag.com and this is so cool by the way. The bag itself is so cool. I have my own one and it’s just so perfect to have. It’s something different that nobody else has and when the idea was brought up, I said: “Let’s go for it!” It is the perfect size for me when I want a snack!
CP: What do you think is more impressive: The fact that Boban can hold 301 goldfish in his hand or the fact that he now has his own “Boban Bag?”
Tobias: I mean, he just keeps elevating to a higher level… Nobody is going to be able to catch him in terms of his uniqueness! First off, to have this type of bag that contains 2,000 Goldfish crackers is unbelievable. That’s perfect for a semester of snacking or even me over the course of the season. Boban is going to be able to pick 10 lucky fans as a winner of his Boban Bag in this sweepstakes.
Boban: You know, I wish people had more friends and the friendship like me and Tobias have. We were so amazing in this and when we first saw it, Tobi was shouting like, “Yeah Bobi!” Doing the whole going to college thing made sense because going to school, you have to have a lot of snacks like Goldfish. There’s enough here in the Boban Bag to share with your roommates, with your coaches, with your teammates. It’s just so cool.
CP: You’ve been friends for a long time now and you guys have been working with Goldfish for years. Even though you aren’t on the same team anymore, what does it mean to be able to hang out and spend time on set creating these commercials together?
Boban: It’s about friendship. There is nothing fake here, even in the commercials! Whatever we do together, we do it to perfection because we like each other. I always say, no matter if I am in Serbia or the United States, we are still best friends forever and nothing is going to change that. This is why when we show up to do something together, we bring it. We love Goldfish because I love to eat Goldfish, my kids love to eat Goldfish, and they believe in us. This idea of starting the school year was a great idea because everyone always needs a snack that reminds them of home when they’re away. Also, if you eat Goldfish in college, you will be smarter and do better in school, I promise!
Tobias: It’s really symbolic of our careers if you look at it. We were in Detroit together, we were in Los Angeles together, and then we played in Philadelphia together. At some point, we weren’t going to be teammates anymore, as I stayed in Philly and Bobi went to Dallas a few years ago. This commercial is kind of fitting in the sense that I am dropping him off at what we call GFU, Goldfish University. It’s like us kind of saying goodbye and that I need to let him go to college. At the same time, our friendship goes on even outside of just this. It’s constant communication where we are able to still be back on set, having a good time and enjoying one another’s company. That’s what it’s about.
CP: Are you two ranked first in the league when it comes to having the best friendship?
Boban: For sure, no doubt.
Tobias: I think so. I would definitely say so, for sure! There’s good friends and what we call “bromances” in the NBA.
[Boban cuts Tobias off]
Boban: Good job to them for that, but they aren’t better than us! I don’t want to be second, I want to be first and this is true with Tobias! [Tobias laughs] We are number one! We respect their friendships and it is great to have friends around the league, but our friendship is priceless and amazing. We are number one.
Tobias: Yeah, we are number one, for sure. [Laughs]
CP: Boban, what does it mean to return to the Houston Rockets and embark on your ninth NBA season after recently agreeing to a new contract with the team?
Boban: Well first off, I am a great shooter, so that’s why they wanted me back! [Boban jokingly laughs]
You know, it is really amazing. The grind never stops. No matter how many years you play professionally, either in the NBA or in Europe, I think it is amazing for people to recognize you as a good worker and be able to contribute in some capacity to the team both on and off the floor. I’ve had a wonderful experience so far and now I get to come back to Houston.
CP: What are you most looking forward to during the 2023-24 season?
Boban: I’m looking forward to helping the team as much as I can and do so in many ways. Obviously I want to make a difference on the court, but I want to help them in life because they are my friends. We have a bunch of young guys and to be able to help them begin their journeys means a lot to me. I’m so happy to be back and I'm looking forward to the games starting.
CP: You are now reunited with Ime Udoka after you were both with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2015-16 season. In your mind Boban, why is he the perfect coach for your team?
Boban: Yeah, we were together with the San Antonio Spurs.
Tobias: Wasn’t he here in Philly when you were here?
Boban: No, no, we were together in San Antonio. This is my question Tobi, stay out of it! Ime is amazing. He helped me a lot in my transition from Europe to the United States. I was happy to have him then and I am so happy to once again have him in Houston. I’m looking forward to being able to work together again and have that same amazing and positive energy. His work ethic is always top of the line and I know he is going to help all of us get better.
CP: Well Boban, you are going to Goldfish University. Do you have any final thoughts as you say goodbye to Tobias?
Boban: Boban is going to college! Thank you Tobias for the Goldfish, I love it!
Tobias: All I have to say is…
Boban: I want one more bag by the way, send me one more bag!
Tobias: Stop interrupting me! [Boban laughs] This is going to be a great campaign. For college students, we want to bring smiles to their faces. We had a lot of fun producing this and bringing this to light. I think a lot of people are going to be excited for it and I hope everyone knows that this was a sad moment for me because I had to drop my friend off and tell him goodbye.
Boban: I will say this. I don’t know if Tobias was actually crying or acting, but it was good. He's got a future in the acting business, maybe he'll be in my next movie!
[Both Boban and Tobias laugh]
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