Nike's Gripping NBA Ad Portrays the Ups and Downs of a Young Basketball Champ

Nike vividly portrays the career of an ambitious young basketball player, with all its ups and downs, in its ad for the new NBA season. Directed by F Gary Gray ("Straight Outta Compton") for Wieden + Kennedy Portland, the spot opens on a young boy named Donte Grand holding a basketball on a street corner and envisioning his future as he stares at a neighborhood basketball court. We then zoom in to visualize his dreams, flashing through deftly-edited scenes: success on the local court, dribbling in his room while watching LeBron, playing for Duke, signing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and getting the better of Kevin Durant as he passes to LeBron. There are downs as well as ups: at one point, he sits watching footage of critical commentary about his performance, but that only makes him all the more determined. At the end we zoom backwards to the confident young Dante, followed by the tagline "Want It All." Fast-paced and gripping, it has energy of a classic Nike spot, with the choice of music--Public Enemy's "Shut It Down"--particularly effective. The spot broke during the NBA season opener between the Boston Celtics and the Cavaliers-which, appropriately, the Cavaliers won. The spot marks Nike's first year as the official on-court uniform provider for the NBA. Earlier this year, the brand unveiled its NikeConnect tech that lets fans access custom and exclusive sports content through their clothing.

Nike's Gripping NBA Ad Portrays the Ups and Downs of a Young Basketball Champ

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