Nike and Wieden pay tribute to '90s hip-hop

Back in the '90s, it seemed like pro athletes were lining up for the chance to put out terrible rap albums. Now, Nike and Wieden + Kennedy revisit those days with four NBA stars who are just as bad on the mike—but at least seem to realize it. "Don't Criticize (Hyperize)" is a bizarre and endearingly subtle parody of '90s hip-hop featuring Rashard "Ice-O" Lewis, Andre "Chief Blocka" Iguodala, Kevin "Velvet Hoop" Durant and the always awesome Mo Williams, who claims one of the best rap pseudonyms ever with "Fog Raw." At first blush, the song is pretty painful, but it's worth a few watches just to catch the endless references to decade-old fads. And for Lewis's top-notch lyric, "If you like staying on the ground, maybe you should wrestle."

—Posted by David Griner

See also:
Nike's in-your-face Hyperdunk ads rejected
Dwight Howard sick of the Kobe/LeBron ads

Published on August 11, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Basketball, Griner, Nike, Wieden + Kennedy

Dwight Howard sick of the Kobe/LeBron ads

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James's new NBA playoff-themed ads for Nike (above) and Vitaminwater (below) have sparked a lot of excitement—particularly from Dwight Howard. But not in a good way. In a post on his blog, the Orlando Magic star says it's "really disrespectful that everybody seems to be pulling for LeBron and Kobe to get to the finals. ... It's like nobody is even giving us a shot at winning this series." He signs off by saying, "Aiiight, ya'll I guess I gotta go watch another one of these LeBron and Kobe commercials on TV. Naw, just kiddin." Dwight's got a point, but he should really pay more attention to where his elbows land than who's in what ad. That's the best way to make sure you're in next year's campaign.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Published on May 26, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (5)
Filed under Basketball, Kiefaber, Nike, Vitaminwater

Basketball is religion in TNT's new NBA ads

Here's another case of strange marketing bedfellows, as TNT and Sony Pictures team up to cross-promote the NBA playoffs and the movie Angels & Demons. The resulting mashup is interesting and well-edited, if a bit disorienting. Personally, I think it would have been improved with a shot of LeBron James busting through the Papal enclave's zone defense, dunking into a baptismal font and yelling that the Apostolic Palace is his house. Hat tip to Cleolinda Jones for letting us know about this one.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on May 5, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under Basketball, Griner, NBA, Sony Pictures, TNT

Hoops coaches strip for a 'Guitar Hero' spot

Here's the new Guitar Hero commercial with college-basketball coaching legends Bob Knight, Rick Pitino, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski yukking it up with Metallica. As Guitar Hero's Risky Business ads go, this one's a distant second to the Heidi Klum spot, though Knight is pretty funny, and Pitino's drumming is amusingly wretched.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 30, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4)
Filed under Basketball, Celebrity endorsements, Guitar Hero, Nudd, Video games

Adidas's NBA stars finally make it to college

Here's a fun idea from Adidas. To celebrate March Madness, it's taking four of its endorsers who jumped straight from high-school basketball to the NBA and imagining them on the college teams of today: Kevin Garnett at UCLA, Dwight Howard at Kansas, Tracy McGrady at Louisville and Josh Smith at Pitt. See all four ads here. It would have been fun to see Kobe Bryant, another college dodger, in this kind of situation, though of course he's ex-Adidas and now shills for Nike. Via American Copywriter.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on March 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Filed under Adidas, Basketball, NBA, Nudd