Lights, Camera, Action!
We arranged the most infamous commercials with NBA players for you. Those are probably iconic by any means. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show!
We’re starting off in chronological order – first in line Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson and his KFC commercial from 1991:
Due to the fact that 1991 was surely the hardest year in the life of Magic Johnson – he disclosed that he contracted himself with HIV after cheating on his wife and his first retirement – the KFC commercials he played in are classics! Side note: KFC led the endorsement deal run out, after Magic’s public announcement. But in ’92 he came back in Disney fashion: Voted by fans as a 1992 All Star Game Starter, he dropped 25/9/5 and was crowned as the All Star MVP. At the Summer Olympics in Barcelona he really wrote history. As part of the 1992 Dream Team he won his first and only Olympic gold medal! Now this is what you call a comeback.
Next up – perhaps the most famous basketball commercial of all time: Michael Jordan and Larry Bird playing a game of ‘HORSE’ as part of a McDonald’s clip:
Officially aired during the halftime of Super Bowl XXVII, ‘The Showdown’ is a classic commercial to this day. While taking shots in upper echelon style, Bird and Jordan bring their A game just for one Big Mac and some fries! Fun facts: The McDonald’s executive wanted to throw in a bigger name besides MJ, so they had Shaquille O’Neal on their list. But the commercial’s copywriter wanted to make the throws as believable as possible – so at the end, they chose Larry Bird. And the rest is history, especially Bird’s ‘No dunking’ line. And: The remake with Dwight Howard and LeBron James was broadcasted in the halftime of Super Bowl XLIV.
Aired in the same year, at the same day, in the same period: The ‘Don’t fake the funk on a nasty dunk’ clip by Reebok and Shaq:
Without a doubt this commercial is probably the most star-studdded Reebok ad in the history of the brand. It includes cameos by Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. While ‘The Diesel’ tries to impress the legends of the game in his first signature shoe – the OG Shaq Attaq Pump – this clip is for all eternity!
So it’s time for the next GOAT, to be exact GOAT’s commercial! To get that joke, check the clip below:
While we all could see a end at the horizon for Michael Jordan’s career, he partnered up with Gatorade to play 1-0n-1 against his younger self. ‘You reach, I teach’ is the mantra of this CGI-commercial. And soon after they went head-to-head, a ‘Who’s got next?’ echoes through the gym… A question, we could answer now.
When you think about the 2009-2010 NBA campaign, the Finals series LA Lakers vs. Boston Celtics should come to your mind first, but maybe you’ll also remember the Nike Commercial with the Kobe and LeBron puppets. If not – watch all their clips below:
This is definitely the best flat share of all time! While Kobe was on the hunt to get this fourth ring on his finger, LeBron tried not to be like Barkley and Co. So that means, there’s alotta trash talk and display behaviour between those two guys. In the meantime, Lil’ Desmond aka Lil’ Dez joins the two, when his mother has to leave for work. So it’s alotta fun and alotta competitiveness between two of the most high’s. The same also applies to the advertising clips.
You want to see ‘Sir Charles’ spit some fire bars, then ring the bell for this crazy cypher:
Doing it the Shakespeare way, Charles Barkley rhymes everything with ‘lots’, ‘bucks’, ‘rocks’ and ‘foxs’. So it’s not only a lot of fire in this Taco Bell booth, even the advertised five bucks box rocks! Hopefully Lamar Odom’s box isn’t filled with that many rocks.
Speaking about Lamar Odom, during his time at the LA Clippers, he was a teammate of Blake Griffin. With this being said: Start his KIA commercials!
Before Blake Griffin started his acting career in 2016, he already had a overload of high quality advertisement endorsements with KIA, Jordan or others. But the KIA Optima clips are by far the best! Either he’s the Head of ‘Griffin Force’ or drives down the memory lane to some of his childhood selfs. Always with him: Some key facts to the 2016 KIA Optimus. Check out the whole compilation, it’s definitely worth to watch!
No commercial campaign without Dirk Nowitzki! Watch the clip below to know why! Maybe you already know, what day it is?
After his 2011 Finals win, Dirk had finally time to enjoy his career even more. But he still was game ready – as soon as he stepped into the building.
The last commercial of this post is by far the most awkward one! Check the ‘Brew Garden’ x Timofey Mozgov commercial out below:
If this clip doesn’t leave you speechless, I guess nothing will. Its strangeness starts right after you’ve pressed the play button. Shortly after you will recognize that Timofey Mozgov is designated for bigger things… and commercials. For those of you, who don’t know what to say about it yet. There’s a second ‘Brew Garden’ commercial. Just saying!
