By David Jordan Jr
A new basketball season is on the horizon and we all know what that means; NEW BASKETBALL SHOES! And with new basketball shoes will come new basketball commercials. Over the years basketball shoes have grown to become as iconic as the players that they are associated with. Nike, Converse, Reebok and Adidas have been the long staples in the arena of basketball sneakers. The game’s best players have all at one point been secured by one of these shoe giants and have had a line of shoes dedicated to their greatness and exploits on the basketball court. For years Converse was the front runner to sign the basketball stars and have them running the court in Chuck Taylor All Stars before eventually progressing to the player specific models that would be engineered specifically for stars such as Julius Erving, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Nike entered the shoe game initially as a running shoe with a slow insertion into the basketball world, 1st making a mark with it’s Air Force I and then leaving the biggest imprint of all time with the signing of Michael Jordan and the creation of the Air Jordan shoe. As more and more stars began to emerge in the league, an avenue for individuality began to present itself and the first front where this was evident was in basketball shoes. Many players felt the need to be themselves with their shoes and not be tied to one specific company that has so many other players under the brand; enter the growth of Reebok, Adidas and other shoes companies that presented the opportunity for these players to not only be themselves but to be the face of a brand. As great as the players are that wore/wear these shoes the commercials have in many times been greater. The shoe created the avenue for the player to be visible to his fans; the commercial allowed the player to connect with the fans and create a link that in some cases remains forever. We are going to take a look at some of the greatest basketball shoe commercials of all time:
Lebron James, fresh out of high school and inked to a $90 million contract from Nike was introduced to the world with this classic commercial with the late great Bernie Mac and Nike basketball icons from over the years:
Basketball is improvisation; music is improvisation. Hip Hop Freestyle. Nike took the elements of Hip Hop, Basketball & Freestyle and combined them to make this memorable commercial.
BANNED.
As with the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Dominique Wilkins once again battled Michael Jordan with this legendary Reebok commercial, advising MJ to “Pump Up and Air Out…”
The second most successful line of basketball sneakers ever where introduced to us in 1995 by Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway’s sidekick, Lil Penny. Voiced by Chris Rock, Lil Penny was everything that Anfernee wasn’t, thus making for the perfect combination. 20 years later Lil Penny and Anfernee Hardaway are just as loved now as they were in 1995.
{A.5} Allen Iverson & Jadakiss. At the top of the basketball world , A.I. and Jadakiss joined forces to make this iconic Reebok commercial.
Grandma Ma, we mean Larry Johnson showed you how lethal her game was in the “React Juice” shoe commercial.
The 1994 Rookie Of The Year Chris Webber had a definitive answer to Charles Barkley’s claim of “Not being a role model” in the spot for his Nike shoe.
Did Michael Jordan really retire in 1993? Who was Johnny Kilroy? We still haven’t gotten an answer.
SHAQ + Legends = Legendary Reebok Commercial
Dada Supreme, at the time known for their clothing branched out in to the basketball sneaker world by signing Chris Webber and producing his “platinum” inspired shoes. This commercial coupled with the song “My Life” from Mary J. Blige produced a memorable commercial that could be felt by all competitors.
Dr. J makes a house call in this spot for Converse.
Before the birth of the “Black Mamba” Kobe Bryant was the high school phenom drafted and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers known at KB8. This Adidas commercial is from his rookie year in the NBA.
Magic vs Bird
