adidas on January 9 is scheduled to break a 60-second TV spot, via TBWA\Chiat\Day, S.F., that “serves as a visual metaphor for the many facets” of T’Wolves F Kevin Garnett’s personality, according to Becky Ebenkamp of ADWEEK. The ad is under adidas’ “Impossible Is Nothing” campaign. In the first scene, Garnett is a “general leading his troops on a blast-filled battlefield.” In the second scene, Garnett is “an action hero, representing his ability to make the shot and save the day.” The character swings “Spider-Man style across the metropolis and lands on a city street, where he morphs into a child, who represents the passion and energy he brings to the game.” The city backdrop then “rolls up, and a Roman coliseum is revealed” where “gladiator Garnett showcases his incredible tenacity.” Garnett is then seen “as the comedian, because he’s known ... as a joker.” The spot ends with a “dark, dramatic scene in which [Garnett] walks out onto an empty court and makes a shot as the player who embodies all these personalities” (ADWEEK, 12/12 issue).
HAIR DO? HAIR DON’T: ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reported NBA teams at the beginning of the year “received a memo that stated that ‘no player can wear any commercial, promotional or charitable name, mark, logo or other identification during any game, including, but not limited to, on his body, in his hair or otherwise.” Based on that rule, Pacers F Ron Artest “was asked to shave his head when he came out last month with his record label ‘Tru Warier’ etched in his head.” Cavaliers G Larry Hughes has an AND 1 tattoo on his forearm, “but he is paid to wear Nikes.” There is “no word on whether he was grandfathered in” (ESPN.com, 12/13).
RIDER CUP: In Toronto, Dave Feschuk notes Heat G Dwyane Wade is the lead spokesperson for HexPad, a protective foam pad that is “built into the form-fitting shorts and tank tops worn beneath uniforms.” McDavid Sports Medical co-Founder Bob McDavid, whose company manufactures
the product, said that Wade’s endorsement “carries more weight because he wore the product before he was paid to wear it.” Wade’s testimonial on the company Web site says, “McDavid’s protective gear is instrumental in keeping me on the court. I never have any second thoughts about taking it to the hoop wearing the HexPad” (
TORONTO STAR, 12/14).
ATHLETE’S FOOT: In San Antonio, Mike Monroe wrote a “pretty amazing commercial” has been produced for “NASH MVP Basketball,” the instructional video by Suns G Steve Nash. Michael Bay — who directed the spot and whose credits include “Bad Boys,” “Pearl Harbor” and “The Rock” — said that he “had to do no special editing for a sequence in which Nash dribbled a basketball down the court like a soccer ball, then kicked the ball into the hoop” (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 12/11).
