Great NBA Commercials

Looks like the NBA is gonna get the same treatment I gave the College Football season. That is, I won't be writing a season preview until after the season started because the season started...last week. My bad... though in my defense, there are only 4 teams that have a real shot of winning the title anyway (Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and let's not forget the team that is home to the reigning two-time MVP, the Cleveland Cavaliers...ummm, I meant the Miami Heat) so I'll get to them in due time.

At any rate, I love the NBA because of great league concept commercials like "where amazing happens" (remember these?) but more importantly the return of shoe commercials. The evolution in shoe commercials (mostly because uber-brand Nike doesn't have to sell merchandise, they sell concepts, like "cool") means the entertainment value of these commercials is through the roof. Adidas has brought in Ken Jeong from The Hangover fame to co-star with their signature athletes Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose in their "Fast Don't Lie" series. This commercial is the best of the bunch. I gotta get Derrick Rose's shoes so I can "get freaky fast too" (Do the shoes come with the lady pyramid? That's a real question by the way...)

Even the most marginal of shoe companies are getting in on the act. Converse, which hasn't been a relevant sneaker company (this is not to speak ill of the classic Chuck Taylor's) since Nixon was being a tricky Dick in the White House,  got Dr. J to make a guest spot in their newest commercial. (Jim Jones also makes a cameo, though he doesn't do any ballin')

Hell, even SKECHERS brought back the immortal Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone to talk some nonsense about making a possible NBA come back because they are using the Skechers shape-up. I don't know what made Skechers think they should start selling basketball-related shoes or use Abdul-Jabbar and Malone (who were in their prime in the late 70s and late 90s; respectively) to sell shoes to the kids today. But hey, what do I know?

Also, I gotta give credit to LeBron and Nike for the best ad of this early NBA season. I don't wanna go over the Lebron "Decision" drama in great detail

That Nike/LeBron commercial takes everything that was ridiculous about LeBron's summer 1. the poor handling of "The Decision" 2. Charles Barkley (and other notable personalities in the media as well as former legends) going innnn on LeBron for leaving Cleveland 3. the fact that LeBron can't stop listening to his friends ("because they're my friends") 4. Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert and Cavaliers fans acting like the last 7 years weren't the pinnacle of Cavalier basketball (possibly Cleveland sports, with all due respect to the great Jim Brown...).

The most important feature of the commercial was the challenge (taunt even) by LeBron to supporters and detractors alike: "What should I do? Should I be who you want me to be?" When it comes down to it, that's the most overlooked part of about LeBron being on the Miami Heat. LeBron made a decision (execution of said decision aside) that represented what he was about and what he wanted to do with his life. As I listened to the last few lines of the commercial, I couldn't help but think that LeBron was echoing Drake in "Up All Night" ("f**k what they be talking about, they opinion doesn't count, we the only thing that matters") and that's essentially where we stand now. LeBron has simultaneously owned up to his past failings, reminded us that he is still capable of greatness and let us know who's opinion really matters. Of course, it's just a 92 second Nike commercial meant to sell shoes, I could be reading too much into this...