Draymond Green has had his share of turbulence these past few months, but he really has a lot to look forward to.
Not only is he on a Team USA basketball squad that looks poised to win a gold medal, but the Warriors seem like they could be historically dominant next season.
Former MVP Kevin Durant is joining a team with a back-to-back MVP in Stephen Curry and two All-Stars in Klay Thompson and Green.
It’s a lot of star power to coexist on one team, and Green’s new Foot Locker commercial pokes fun at Green’s predicament.
I always imagined Green as more of the Dennis Rodman of the Warriors, but the Horace Grant comparison might work even better.
Unlike Rodman, Grant had an offensive game to compliment his defensive grittiness. Plus Green is more likely to start wearing goggles than dye his hair different colors.
What’s more, the commercial wouldn’t have worked with Rodman anyway, because he’s simply too recognizable. Nobody wouldn’t realize it was Rodman talking to them, but sans goggles, Grant might as well be a normal guy.
Also, what a fantastic appearance from Michelle Williams. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t have asked her exactly what Green was about to ask.
Whatever ad campaign is doing the Foot Locker commercials deserves a lot of praise. Their commercials always crack me up.
The one where D’Angelo Russell throws Ben Simmons’ phone into the ocean after he asks for any advice on how to act as a rookie is hilarious.
My favorite might be the Stephen Curry one from a few years ago with James Harden where they’re in the recording studio, though.
Not enough time has passed for the nostalgia to sink in with these ones, though, which is really when commercials reach iconic levels.
Michael Jordan has too many to count, but the ones that stick out most to me are his Mars Blackmon spots with Spike Lee for Nike and the “Be Like Mike” jingle on the Gatorade commercials.
He gets credit for being the guy who ushered in an era of athlete accessibility through advertisements.
Larry Johnson did those “Grandmama” ads for Converse, which probably ended up getting him his role in “Space Jam.”
Penny Hardaway spoofed his low-key image with the “Lil’ Penny” ads for Nike, playing the straight-man to a Chris Rock-voiced doll.
I feel like the 90s were the peak of the basketball ad campaign, especially because they were able create re-occurring characters with the stars of the league.
That has somewhat fazed out over time, but still pop up every now and then. LeBron James did those commercials as “The LeBrons,” which were really creative. He’d play a Wise LeBron, Kid LeBron, Business LeBron, and Athlete LeBron. They were a good indicator of his versatile acting ability.
The closest thing to that today is “The Hoopers” with State Farm, which are pretty funny, but also unsettling at the same time, especially Damian Lillard’s head on that baby body.
The Uncle Drew commercials are really good, too. I’m finally starting to get over my anger towards Kyrie Irving for ruining a Golden State back-to-back championship.
Speaking of Lillard from just a second ago, his Foot Locker commercial about picking a signature celebrity was also hilarious. Score another one for Foot Locker, who seem to be very good at getting celebrities to make fun of themselves.
Green enters special territory with his newest commercial. With time, maybe it’ll become a classic like some of these.